Trends For The Week Of October 23, 2009

Body Piercings

This body modification trend was inspired by a student in another one of my classes. One day I noticed that he had a metal spike sticking out of the back of his neck. I was surpsried to see that only one side of the piercing was visible, meaning the stud holding the exposed part was tucked underneath the skin. This piercing is actually called a micro-dermal implant. The undercurrent pushing this trend along is likely the entire micro-trend of people going to farther and farther extremes dealing with piercings on their bodies. The stud can be placed virtually anywhere on the human body. Many different studs ranging from a spike to a leash/collar hook can be implanted on the body. This trend will likely keep on keepin' on into the future; and I'm sure people will find ways to take this trend to even further extremes.

Tongue Bifurcation

Otherwise known as tongue splitting, tongue bifurcation is the act of splitting ones tongue into two halves. The process is long and painful, but after one slices their tongue down the vertical half section each part can move individually, much like a lizard's tongue. The undercurrent pushing this trend is, again, people taking body modification to new levels. Finding out more ways one can alter their body is encouraging others to do the same. The trend is likely to only be pursued by those very serious with body modification since the "lizard tongue"procedure is irreversible.


Vampire Teeth Implants

This trend is likely due to the recent release of the Twilight movies and books. "Vampire Kids" or spiritual beings per say, have been popping up more sporadically, mostly with a younger group of people. Often seen wearing black and on a rarer, more extreme occasion, vampire teeth. People who have the vampire teeth are certainly not limited to the "vampire kids," however. Rather, others get real vampire teeth implants put in their mouths by dentists or surgeons. As stated earlier, the undercurrent pushing this trend is likely the Twilight movies and books. However, people have been getting vampire teeth implants for years, so it is obvious people were interested in getting the vampire teeth prior to Twilight. The implants were installed by those who either thought the teeth were a neat addition to their body, or if they simply wanted to be more like Dracula.

Flesh Branding

More and more people and starting to go to further extremes to design works of art using their bodies. Unlike tattoos, when one brands themselves they are scarred for life. No surgery or cream can take away this wound. The branding process is a long and painful road in which the participant must press a red hot iron on their skin until it melts away and leaves a permanent scar. The brand marks can be customized to the person's liking by simply bending the iron into the desired shape. Most often with homemade projects one uses a regular coat hanger heated up on a grill to create the burn. The undercurrent pushing this trend is unbeknownst to me, but if I had to guess it is again people wanting to take their physical appearances to a new level of extreme. I will assume that the art of branding the human body will continue as long as humans exist to be dumb enough to do so.