but about forcing the world to deal with her on her terms.
But you can't. Acceptance can't be taken by force. Obedience, yes. But not acceptance. The closest one can come would be to insulate oneself within a self-made society of people who accept the modification of their own free will. Some people have the fortunate circumstances of being able to do exactly that. But sometimes that insularity can't be sustained permanently. Bands disband, fans get older and move out of the subculture, social circles grow apart, leaving the person alone at midlife in a multiplistic society, and the discriminations that come with seeking work, seeking a mate, etc.
Life circumstances change for people as they get older. As cool as her tat looks now, how will affect her life when she's 48? Again, I don't know. But she may change and decide she wants something different for her lifepath than music or the arts. Would the tattooed face provide employment/social hurdles for a middle-aged woman in any other field? I think it would in many. She's free not to choose those fields, but what if she wants to but is alienated because of an extreme body modification made electively in her youth?
I met a man from MIT who has a stainless steel peg-leg. I think it's one of the coolest things I've ever seen, and downright sexy. But he didn't cut off his leg to get a peg-leg. He made the best of a loss that was not of his choosing. Elective body modification is completely different. People know the difference and treat it differently.
I loved getting my two tattoos, and found the committment empowering and beautifying. I got them in a place that I can display or cover at will (my foot) and it has never presented an obstacle, even now in my 40s. I'll probably get more. But the face is different than all other body parts. It's a tool we'll need for a million and one uses throughout life, and an elective marking as extreme as hers may cause future problems should she no longer be able to support herself financially within a group of similarly minded people.
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Date: 2005-12-18 09:14 pm (UTC)But you can't. Acceptance can't be taken by force. Obedience, yes. But not acceptance. The closest one can come would be to insulate oneself within a self-made society of people who accept the modification of their own free will. Some people have the fortunate circumstances of being able to do exactly that. But sometimes that insularity can't be sustained permanently. Bands disband, fans get older and move out of the subculture, social circles grow apart, leaving the person alone at midlife in a multiplistic society, and the discriminations that come with seeking work, seeking a mate, etc.
Life circumstances change for people as they get older. As cool as her tat looks now, how will affect her life when she's 48? Again, I don't know. But she may change and decide she wants something different for her lifepath than music or the arts. Would the tattooed face provide employment/social hurdles for a middle-aged woman in any other field? I think it would in many. She's free not to choose those fields, but what if she wants to but is alienated because of an extreme body modification made electively in her youth?
I met a man from MIT who has a stainless steel peg-leg. I think it's one of the coolest things I've ever seen, and downright sexy. But he didn't cut off his leg to get a peg-leg. He made the best of a loss that was not of his choosing. Elective body modification is completely different. People know the difference and treat it differently.
I loved getting my two tattoos, and found the committment empowering and beautifying. I got them in a place that I can display or cover at will (my foot) and it has never presented an obstacle, even now in my 40s. I'll probably get more. But the face is different than all other body parts. It's a tool we'll need for a million and one uses throughout life, and an elective marking as extreme as hers may cause future problems should she no longer be able to support herself financially within a group of similarly minded people.