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Hello!
it's been too long...
So I had an experience or a series of experiences
recently that has prompted me to share my thoughts on the issue of piercings and tattoos and general body modifications.
A friend of
mine told me she wanted to get “extra
piercings”.
Then I saw
another friend of mine wearing an anklet
or ankle bracelets.
On a personal level, I had previously never given too much thought to people with various forms of body modifications, majorly because I didn't know anyone close enough to me for me to think about it, and also because I have learnt to look beyond the superficial and try to see the heart of the individual I'm communicating with. but in these cases, these were people I knew and have close relationships with. so I had to think seriously about it.
My initial reaction in both scenarios was what
actually prompted me to do this write up. Being from a typically conservative
African family, growing up, I had been given a skewed view about things like
piercings and tattoos and anklets and stuff like that, I was told that it was
for “wayward, irresponsible members of society”.
That has been the African stereotype for things like
that, we’ve always been taught to frown upon these “bad influences from the
western civilization”. And in all earnest, we can’t deny that a lot of people
with questionable characters are drawn, or seem to have an affinity for body
modifications and stuff like that. that could also explain why we have incessant cases of harassment from these SARS officials of young men sporting dreadlocks and being fancifully dressed. they, like the typical Nigerian parent, sees that as tell-tale signs that the individual is 'a bad boy'. (well, some of them are just downright opportunistic and constantly abuse their powers, as I have witnessed, but that's a story for another day).
In social psychology, a stereotype is an over
generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is usually
based on observations and experiences, that hold water when initially
formed, but can be known to dissipate quickly especially nowadays.
My initial reaction to my friend ( even though I
didn’t say it out loud) was “why would you want to get extra piercings, don’t
you see the kind of people who do that?”. That was the African child in me
speaking, that thought process was born out of not just what had been ingrained
in me, but what I had partially validated from observations of the society. (and partially invalidated, too)
But a lot of things have changed these days, people’s
way of thinking generally, and how society as a whole, as a global community
views certain things. ( in other words, we’re now woke).
Now we all know that, people have tattoos or get
piercings and stuff like that for different reasons. Some see it as an
expression of art, some see it as a means of telling a story, you know how they say pictures say a thousand words, some as a means of accentuating their beauty, and let's not forget that even in most traditional African society, tattoos and general body modifications, although not as elaborate as what we see today, were/are also part and parcel of the tradition and culture. and there are so many
other reasons.
We in this part of the world are now breaking free or have
broken free from that notion that only ‘bad people” do stuff like that. The
question, or the right question is why we are doing that thing., whether or not
it does more for your personal beauty is really a personal thing.
Personally I don’t see the need for all
those extra things, but that’s just me, different strokes for different folks.
I have since gained a new realization, a new insight, and that's what I'd like to share. I didn't come to this realization until I spoke to yet another friend of mine, I told her about my other friends that intended to get extra piercings, and the anklet case. in all honesty I was almost expecting a similar reaction with the one I first had, but she was quite open about it, she was even considering getting one! (for all the right reasons) lol. I have to admit I was a bit surprised, but that conversation helped me re think the whole thing through, I started to see the issue from a whole new light, and not hold on so strongly to the conservative views of the African man.
The whole point of this is learning to do things for
the right reasons, for logical reasons, that are capable of breaking barriers.
The question I should have asked in my head, based on what is obtainable in
today’s world ( I mean as per being part of the woke generation) was “ why do
you feel the need to do that? Do you feel it accentuates your beauty? Basically
are you doing it for the right (or what is considered to be the right) reasons?. and more importantly, are you doing it for you?
That, my people, is my candid opinion.
what's yours?
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| black history in one beautiful work of art! |
But what really defines beauty for us? That
one sef na story for another day.
Till then...sayonara!
