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After researching these different body modifications that happen around the world, I found the controversy of the foot binding process to be the most interesting. Generally with body modifications the purpose of them is to increase the persons beauty and make them more attractive within their society. With digging a little more into the foot binding tradition the controversy is that women partake in this tradition to be worth move value to men but on the other hand it is said that they and this done to keep women sitting to work and make fabric products to sell. Different body modifications happen all over the world, including our society. Piercings and tattoos are very common in North America and are considered to be body modifications. I personally have 19 piercings and find that I enjoy the look and the feeling of a new piercing. It brings different sensations to the body. After doing this research I think I will remember the visuals and the history of the lip plate tradition the most. This will be the most memorable for me because it is drastically different to what we are accustom too.  This topic has changed m views on how I look at others. People's differences are what make them who they are, not conforming to societies standards and being ourselves is beautiful enough. This course has shown me that we all don't have to look like one another, we don't have to strive to be "perfect" , we can be us and be beautiful!

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There is a lot of controversy when it comes to the tradition of foot binding in the Chinese Culture. The process started young as binding young girls feet made them only be able to sit and not run off. Young girls were foot bound to ensure they sat and participated in weaving and making cloths, mat, shoes, fishing nets, etc. Body manipulation to enforce work is cruel! Although this practice has been banned since 1946, there are still few women living with bound feet. This was not a practice of beauty but a practice of control. It shares similar values that beauty does but, in my opinion, should have never been an option for women.

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It was an excruciatingly painful practice that maimed the feet of millions of Chinese girls and women for centuries: foot-binding.

Tiny "golden lotus" feet - achieved through breaking girls' toes and arches and binding them to the sole of the foot with cloth - were thought to be a passport to a better marriage and a better way of life.

"In the conventional view, it existed to please men. They were thought to be attracted to small feet," said Laurel Bossen, co-author of the new book "Bound feet, Young hands."

But Bossen's research suggests that the custom has been massively misunderstood.

Girls who had their feet bound didn't lead a life of idle beauty but rather served a crucial economic purpose, especially in the countryside, where girls as young as 7 weaved, spun and did work by hand, Bossen said.

Foot-binding persisted for so long because it had a clear economic rationale: It was a way to make sure young girls sat still and helped make goods like yarn, cloth, mats, shoes and fishing nets that families depended upon for income - even if the girls themselves were told it would make them more marriageable.

Bossen says women weren't shy about talking about or showing their bound feet, making her skeptical that it was an erotically charged fetish.

'Distortion of history'

"You have to link hands and feet. Footbound women did valuable handwork at home in cottage industries. The image of them as idle sexual trophies is a grave distortion of history," said Bossen.

Foot-binding persisted because it ensured that young girls sat still and worked at a boring, sedentary task for many hours each day, she said, and it died out only when manufactured cloth and foreign imports eliminated the economic value of handwork.

Bossen, professor emerita of anthropology at McGill University in Montreal, and Hill Gates, who holds the same post at Central Michigan University, interviewed just under 1,800 elderly women in several locations across rural China - the last generation to have bound feet - to pinpoint when and why the practice began to decline.

They found that foot-binding endured longest in areas where it still made economic sense to produce goods like cloth at home and began to decline only when cheaper factory-made alternatives became available in these regions.

Girls began hand spinning yarn as young as 6 or 7 - roughly the same ages as when their feet were bound. The women they spoke to made the connection between the two:

"My mother bound my feet when I was around 10 years. At around age 10, I started to spin cotton. Each time she bound my feet, it hurt until I cried," one woman who was born in 1933 told the researchers.

Foot-binding dates to the Song dynasty (960-1279) and spread from court circles to wealthy elites and eventually from the city to the countryside. By the 19th century, it was commonplace across China.

It began to decline in the early years of the 20th century,with its demise usually attributed to ideological campaigns led by missionaries and reformers, and subsequent moves by the Nationalist governmentfollowed by the Communists to ban the practice.

Bossen said she spoke to women born as late as the 1940s whose feet had been bound for a short time.

Lessons for fight against genital cutting?

Bossen said her research offers lessons for the modern fight against other customs that are damaging to women and girls - such as female genital mutilation, or FGM.

Some academics like Gerry Mackie and Kwame Anthony Appiah have drawn lessons about the eradication of foot-binding and tried to apply them to genital cutting. They believe FGM could be eradicated by educational campaigns and forming groups to explain the damage done by the practice.

But Bossen said they might be drawn to the wrong course of action.Her research suggests it was economic factors not campaigns waged by religious groups and reformers that ultimately sounded the death knell for bound feet.

"It's harder to see an economic side to (genital cutting)," she said. "But you cannot look at foot-binding and conclude that an ideological campaign will be effective."

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Work, not sex? The real reason Chinese women bound their feet | CNN

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It was an excruciatingly painful practice that maimed the feet of millions of Chinese girls and women for centuries: foot-binding. Tiny "golden lotus" feet - achieved through breaking girls' toes and arches and binding them to the sole of the foot with cloth - were thought to be a passport to a better marriage and a better way of life.

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The beauty of these lip plates are found by the size, shape and colour. Once women start this process of stretching their lips with these wooden or clay plates, they are given the option to be creative and make their plats unique to them. This is beautiful because it allows the women choice. This process allows for the women of the Mursi tribe to express their self worth. Beauty should be defined by our own choices and our own desires, not those of others.

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The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News

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Across the world, there are people who have not been swayed by the technological advancement but have rather maintained their traditional way of life. Some of this kind of people are found around Lake Turkana and the Lower Omo Valley in Southern Ethiopia.

The Surma people is made up of three ethnic groups: The Mursi, the Suri, and the Mekan people. The Suri and the Mursi share a similar culture. Their women's beauty is determined by how large their lip plate is.

Lip plates are usually made of clay or wood and range between 4 and 25 centimeters. To be placed on the lip, two or four teeth are removed before the lower lip is cut to fit the lip plate. This lip plate process is usually done by their mother when they attain puberty. To stretch the lip, a ceramic disc is placed after the cut and will remain until the initial cut has healed before it is placed with another slightly larger disc. The process is repeated so that the lip will become large enough to accommodate the first lip plate which is about 4 centimeters.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Apart from designing their skin with incisions and patterns which are sometimes painted, the lip plate is seen as a boost of one's self-esteem. The lip plate tradition is valued by both parents because it indirectly means that the father's number of cows will increase when he is paid her dowry. Any man who must marry a Suri or Mursi lady has to be wealthy because her dowry usually falls between 40 cattle (for the small plate) and 60 (for the large plate).

Because of the self-worth and importance attached to it, some girls increase their lip plate. To their delight, they are often allowed to design her lip plate.

Most times, the women don the lip plate when their intention is to look more appealing. An example is when they want to serve the meal of their male counterpart; as part of their beauty regime or during special ceremonies.

However, their men only have to undergo body painting as their form of ritual. Each scar on the man tells a story: He has fought and killed an enemy.

What a proud people!

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The Ethiopian Tribe Where A Lip Plate Makes You More Attractive

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Across the world, there are people who have not been swayed by the technological advancement but have rather maintained their traditional way of life. Some of this kind of people are found around Lake Turkana and the Lower Omo Valley in Southern Ethiopia. The Surma people is made up of three ethnic groups: The Mursi, [...]

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After reading this article, I have learned that the scarification process was not just to mark the bodies but it had increased someones sexual viability due to their tolerance to handle pain. This also showed that they would make great partners and parents. It is interesting to research and learn about different cultures and to see what their 'norms' or what their definition of 'beauty' is. In our culture we would find this ugly as it does not fit into what 'beauty' means to us. Having an open mind to differences and traditions makes oneself beautiful.

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Foot binding was a historic write of passage for Chinese women, but the government band this practice in 1946. The lifestyle adaptations that came with foot binding were lack of balance, foot infections and hip/lower back problems. The symbol of beauty in the practice does not make up for the health problems that tag along. I strongly believe that this practice is not beautiful because it effects not just the shape of the body but the overall general health of the women that participated. This beauty trend had many followers and had a control over the women from that time frame.

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When Holly Mosienko decided to cover up an unsightly scar on her leg, she strayed away from typical solutions, like plastic surgery or makeup. Instead, she opted for more scarring - this time, in the shape of a tribal dragon.

The procedure, known as scarification, is a form of extreme and permanent body modification that is offered in many tattoo and piercing stores across the country and is gaining popularity.

It involves a process in which one's skin is cut, etched, burned or branded into a design to create a inkless tattoo-like scar. Though it is not as widely practised as tattooing or piercing, it has been around for just as long.

"Branding and cutting is not all that different from tattooing," said Mosienko, 51, who runs a piercing store in Peterborough, Ont.

"It's popular. I'd say it's even more interesting than getting a tattoo."

Mosienko says she chose scarification for practical reasons. A lover of body art, she knew covering up her scar - caused by surgery - with a tattoo would be too painful, the constant pressure of a needle over scar tissue would be unbearable. Rather, she chose to have the design etched into her skin.

The entire process - from sketching the design on her leg to the actual cutting - took about an hour.

Mosienko's artist, 45-year-old Blair McLean of New Tribe Tattoos and Piercings in Toronto, says there are many misconceptions about the practice.

He says scarification often hurts less than a tattoo; in fact, all forms of scarification occur on the same level of the skin as tattoos: on the dermis, far above fatty tissues and muscle matter.

The practice is illegal in some countries such as Britain and several U.S. states. Most recently, the practice was banned in Arkansas, though that bill was overturned after public outcry against the decision. Winnipeg declared the practice illegal in 2008.

A spokesman for the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care says there can be severe health risks that result from having these procedures.

"Because certain body modification practices break intact skin and mucus membranes through cutting, burning and piercing, there is an increase in the risk of scarring, hemorrhaging and psychological trauma as well as exposure and infection with blood borne pathogens, such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV," David Jensen said.

In Toronto, the public-health board monitors tattoo and piercing parlours through regular inspections, though officials say they have yet to come across the practice of scarification, which is considered a "personal service."

"We inspect (the practice) as part of the Personal Service Settings program. We would follow the same Infectious Prevention and Control principles as any other invasive service," said agency spokesman Kris Scheuer.

"Toronto Public Health does inspect a number of places for control and to stop the spread of infection," she added.

McLean, who has practised scarification for decades in Canada and around the world, including Tokyo, London and New York, says prohibition poses more health risks to the public.

"It sends people into the underground to practice on their friends," he says. "That increases the risk for infection or problems."

Scarification was not always an alternative practice: It has roots in tribal culture, in which members would brand themselves as a rite of passage to either their tribes or the gods. But with the body modification movement of the 1980s came a resurgence in scarification, during which fraternity brothers would brand their house letters on their body to symbolize eternal membership.

While it is historically a symbolic practice, McLean says those opting for scarification today typically do it for aesthetic reasons or to gain status.

"In the past, fraternity brothers didn't care what the scar looked like," McLean said. "It was about brotherhood."

"Today, (clients) seem to be vainer."

For clients who are "in it for the right reasons," McLean says the decision to be scarified runs deeper than plain aesthetics.

"Some people don't want ink or foreign pigments in their body, like from tattoos," he said. "With scarification, the design is from your body only."

Others, he adds, want an intense, euphoric experience, making the body art all the more important.

"At the end of the day, it's not just about me getting paid," McLean said. "I want it to be mean a lot, to be special."

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Scarification: The extreme body art that's making a mark

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When Holly Mosienko decided to cover up an unsightly scar on her leg, she strayed away from typical solutions, like plastic surgery or makeup. Instead, she opted for more scarring - this time, in the shape of a tribal dragon.

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-cigarosas (2009) lip plate woman drinking. In: YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIuDeoOERe0. Accessed 1 Apr 2019
-full back snake scale pattern by Ron Garza - time lapse. In: Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUBL2zbO5SU. Accessed 1 Apr 2019

-Living with bound feet. In: Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o5t01Sy9HM. Accessed 1
-Hekint.org. (2019). Scarification: harmful cultural practice or vehicle to higher being? – Hektoen International. [online] Available at: https://hekint.org/2017/01/27/scarification-harmful-cultural-practice-or-vehicle-to-higher-being/ [Accessed 2 Apr. 2019].
-“The Ethiopian Tribe Where A Lip Plate Makes You More Attractive.” The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News, 2 Jan. 2018, guardian.ng/life/the-ethiopian-tribe-where-a-lip-plate-makes-you-more-attractive/.
-Hunt, Katie. “Work, Not Sex? The Real Reason Chinese Women Bound Their Feet.” CNN, Cable News Network, 22 May 2017, www.cnn.com/2017/05/21/health/china-foot-binding-new-theory/index.html.

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Having a modification to this degree (as many women in the Mursi tribe have) comes with many challenges. Some challenges consist of eating and drinking water. As this video shows, the woman tried to drink water from a bowl and we lip plate falls out. Not only is that a problem within the tribe (because the plate fell out), the way in which they have to drink water almost reminds me of an animal. Personally the challenges that come with this body modification to me are not worth the symbol of beauty that is represented by the size of the plate.

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After watching this video on the scarification process, I've come to understand how this body modification is done. The artist lays out the design just like that of a tattoo and takes a scalpel to carve the design out to create the scars. To have the choice of doing this to your body says something about society then and now. The beauty of art and talent of this process is admirable. Beauty is choice, beauty is different, beauty is you.

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Scarification - full back snake scale pattern by Ron Garza - time lapse

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Is Beauty Pain?

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Women in the Chinese culture choose to follow tradition and wrap their feet in gauze and place them in lotus shoes. This process stunts the growth of women's feet and makes the women more desirable to men. The smaller the feet the more the woman is worth. The smallest feet known are 3 inches long. This is known as the golden lotus. This process is painful beyond believe and causes permanent damage.
When it comes to modifying the body to this degree to be more desirable and worth more to men, you have to think if the process and results are truly worth it. I don't believe in a body modification to this degree to be considered beautiful. The complications that would come from this modification would be far more then those of tattoos or piercings. Balancing ones height and weight on such small feet that are not proportioned properly would cause many issues.

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Scarification-Act of Disguising the Body

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Scarification-Act of Disguising the Body

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Scarification is the act of covering, disguising or transforming the body. This act dates back beyond 4000 B.C. This tradition is looked at as a self-sacrifice and bravery. Just as tattooing or piercings this is a way for oneself to be unique and its an outlet for self expression. The person that performs this method uses a sharp object (generally a knife) and cuts the patterns into the skin deep enough to leave a scar. This then creates the scarification process.
History says that scarification was preformed to mark men fighting for their tribes that would differentiate them from their competitors. Permanently marking someones body unwillingly to form this team like bond is not something that should be done. However, when people choose to scar their body to make themselves different, in my opinion, it is a sign of strength and beauty. To be different is beautiful!

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Lip plates are more commonly found in Ethiopia by the Mursi tribe. These plates are inserted into a women's lips to prove the readiness and fertilizes for men. The larger the plate the more attractive to men these women are. With this being tradition it is beautiful that the women to this day are still participating in this tradition. The larger the plate the woman wears it is cause for more cattle for her dowry when the man wants to marry her. This tradition creates a competition and comparisons within the tribe. Their beauty is defined by the size of plate, not cheek bones or weight but their ability to hold this plate in their lip.