difference between Tattoo community and the ear stretching

[ViolentJayne]

It really baffles Me the difference in they way people are treated and respected in both of these categories . i am of the opinion that all body mods are created equal . One mod is just as good as another if it makes the wearer happy . I have been into tattoos way longer than I have been ear stretching , I have a full sleeve and then some , If I see some one with only 1 Tattoo but its a lovely work of art I respect that person for how they choose to adorn them selves and usually complement the work itself . I would NOT go up to that person and imply that because I have more ink then them that they are a "pussy " or that they are only " worried about what people think of them " I have really never seen anything like this happen before in the Tattoo world ( at least not around me ) certainly not regularly .... HOWEVER it seems there are so many people on this forum and other ear stretching communities that want to judge you on the size of your lobes . I find this funny for 2 reasons first off being heavily Tattooed is way more " Noticeable to un modded people " than stretched ears which are often hidden under hair or hats lol .. Also I find it funny that its the people with large lobes judging the people with smaller lobes when im sure those people with huge lobes are the first to get offended when "un modded " people judge them

pointless post really just something that been bothering me since I joined this forum

have a great day
Jayne

[TheGreyEyedMonster]

Ear stretching is a relatively new form of body modification and has largely exploded with a very young demographic (20s and younger, and the popularity with teenagers is pretty insane), and a lot of young people are rude and have misconstrued ideas about body modification

[oooWooo]

Stumbled upon this forum today, decided to register. Congratulations: your post is the first I'm going to comment on.

I give people shit about the size of their ears all the time, but it's always in a playful way because I realize that a lot of people with small gauge jewelry are happy with the size they're at and have no intention of further stretching. I'm honestly considering getting the second holes in my earlobes repierced and stretching up to a 4 or so because I miss a lot of the hanging jewelry that is just too heavy for me now.

That being said; I do believe that one of the main differences between the two communities is the amount of patience required. Stretching to a large gauge takes a very long time. I feel like this fact coupled with the average age of the stretching community (mentioned in the post prior to mine) gives these already arrogant kids an even greater false sense of entitlement.

Bigger the hole, bigger the boss.

[ViolentJayne]

You guys are right lol at 30 I am alot older than most of the kids stretching today .. I guess that has alot to do with it .. admittedly most teenagers are pretty arrogant and have a know it all attitude . Im sure I had My own attitude at that age too lol ... I just really always thought mods are mods .. I guess because Ive always read lot of sites like BME and they are always really excepting of so many " really bizzar " mods and really tame mods , I guess its just a shock to Me that other forums/groups arent so excepting

[ViolentJayne]

and BTW welcome to the forum , nice to meet you

[oooWooo]

and BTW welcome to the forum , nice to meet you

[ast.riske]

What I see as being a major differentiator in the communities is, in the tattoo community, if you see someone with a lot of work, you know it took a lot of time. You can't get around it. If you want someone to mark a large amount of skin, it is going to take some time.

That said, a tattoo is something that, big or small, is a representation of who someone is, through what they choose to say with their body. That message is going to be heard and assessed on its own.

However, if you have some garbage tattoo from the local scratcher, you are also saying something: "I don't care." It can be read loud and clear and everyone in the community knows.

As far as ear stretching, in some tribal cultures, the size your ears are stretched to is a statement of your wisdom. If you have your ears stretched to a large size, it took a very long time to get there. Someone who rushes and injures themselves along the way is considered to be trying to rush wisdom and is viewed as a fool.

People who are trying to rush and get to a large size in the peircing community are branding themselves the same way. Right now they may have the respect of their small circle, but the tide will change over the coming years. People who injure themselves and make it clear they were trying to rush will be viewed in much the same way someone who has a bad tattoo from a scratcher is.

Lobe health may not make much difference to people who aren't careful now, but it will impact them later, whether they see it or not. People in the community will judge them harshly and people outside the community will be disgusted.

To generalize, modifications should always be for the sake of beautifying the body. If you do something and it makes you feel lesser or under scrutiny, then you didn't modify yourself, you mutilated yourself.

I don't feel I have to justify anything I do to my body. Everything I have done to date, I feel, has made me more the person I see myself to be. I think this is the only scale by which any modification should be judged. Any time someone says "yeah, that part of my modification is ugly and I dislike it, but this other part is awesome," they did something wrong.

To make a long post... even longer, I think I agree with Jayne. Ultimately all modifications are equal in that they are meant to beautify, from dying your hair, to tattoos, piercings, implants and so on. When any are done correctly, they should make the person feel more like who they are supposed to be. People who are not in tune with themselves will feel that rushing and half-assing things is okay. People who value their life as the single one they have to live will enjoy the journey of becoming.

So says I. LOL

[ViolentJayne]

very well said ^

[oooWooo]

As far as ear stretching, in some tribal cultures, the size your ears are stretched to is a statement of your wisdom. If you have your ears stretched to a large size, it took a very long time to get there. Someone who rushes and injures themselves along the way is considered to be trying to rush wisdom and is viewed as a fool.

This!
This!
A thousand times this!

[Charley]

This is an interesting topic. However i have to disagree with the statement that the younger generation are rude and judgemental about any type of body modification, of course you always find that things like this can be fairly controversial but as a rule i find the older generations to be the ones with misguided ideas. Im 19 and have a couple of tattoos and a few piercings etc, its usually older people who look at me like im a bit strange, its seems to be a good conversation starter with people my own age, i guess because we have grown up into this world so not really known any different. Although its interesting and i do believe is different for everyone and everyone has their own perspective on who has the most misguided ideas.

Its a shame that something as little as wearing 'different' clothes or having a 'quirky' haircut can label you as a 'freak' and then you go up a few levels to where we are - body modification.

Personally i dont really care what people think, i believe in self expression and doing what makes you happy and feel good, i respect peoples opinions and if they choose to never have any kind of body modification in their life then thats cool, but i like like it, so for me, thats really all that matters

Sorry, went slightly off topic there! lol