The collection of photos that I found are examples of extreme piercings and scarification which could be seen as “transgressive” body art. The picture in the top left hand corner is a photo of a young woman who is bare-backed and has a corset styled piercing pattern that mimics the arch of her back. There are 8 pairings of piercings that are interlaced with one another by a black ribbon/piece of material. They are not pulled extremely tight together so that she is in pain but pulled enough to get the styling point across while keeping the model comfortable.
The second picture features a straight on shot of a red-headed girl who seems to have multiple symmetrical piercings with the exception of her nose. She has a piercing through the very top of her bridge of her nose, a piercing poking out of the left side of her nose, a ring on the right, her septum, two cheek piercings on either side, two ball piercings on both sides of her tongue and three in the very center of her tongue.
The final picture is of an example of scarification which is the process of cutting or branding the skin with different words, images or designs. It is said that this process releases endorphins which would induce a euphoric state to a person seeking this kind of pleasure. In this photo a woman has branded herself with a unique design-probably of her choosing- and is exposing this design on her cleavage which is an interesting place to put her scaring.
All of these pictures are transgressive because to some people and the standards that they live by, the places of where these piercings and brandings are very blunt, and in your face which could be considered too much for someone to look at as they are walking by. In which case it could be said that these piercings/scars are in the “wrong” place or are simply “out of place”. These designs, I would assume, were personal choices, as a way of expression as to how these people want to be seen. I believe that it is others that are walking by and seeing these markings and placing judgment about how these women are as people. I personally don’t understand why transgressive semiotics are given the definition of being in the “wrong” place mainly because I feel like no matter what the sign/symbol/design/pattern may be, it is all depended on what the person looking at it thinks.
I like your point at the end of your post; although you (and I) believe these images portray transgressive semiotics, the women in the photos do not agree. It’s hard for me to look at these pictures for too long, and I’m trying to place exactly why. I think it’s because I’m sympathizing the pain they went through for this extreme body art. A piercing here or there or a tattoo is not a problem in my book, but when someone gets that many piercings or brands there chest like a farm animal, it raises a red flag.
I keep referencing those pictures, but I can’t seem to look at them for too long without pulling away; they make me cringe. I don’t usually think of myself as old-fashioned, but there’s something about those choices that I just disagree with. But, I wouldn’t want to impose on their beliefs and self-expression by complaining/ordering some kind of law against it.
Interesting examples, Blair. I am sympathetic to Brian’s point above that the piercings and scarification are a bit hard to handle. It’s funny; I consider the corset piercing to be more transgressive than the others. While I am not surprised by the last two images, the first is unsettling. What this post illustrates is that what we define as transgressive is not only unstable due to how the signs are perceived but also how much we as people and cultures adapt to a sign or, in this case, become desensitized to it. Interesting! Thanks. Laurie