The human body is one complex, yet beautiful creation ever made.

Its complexity made it superior above any being on earth. It is through our bodies that we were able to accomplish certain tasks and communicate to other people. Human beings are also capable of sending messages not only through verbal cues, but also through non-verbal cues like facial expression, gestures, appearance, and artifacts. But, up to what extent can we, the human beings, use our bodies as one of the means to express our status, culture, and individuality to others? Body art or carnal art pertains to what we create using our bodies, the skin in particular, as canvasses. Human bodies are seen not only as a subject of art, but also its platform. Tattoos, piercings, plastic surgeries, and paints are just some examples. In this speech, Ill be focusing on body piercings as one of our ways to establish our individuality and status in our society. The practice of body piercings can be seen since the ancient times. Mummified bodies with pierced ears have been discovered in an Austrian glacier, which the archaeologists named as Otzi the Iceman. It is also said that this mummy lived about 5,000 years ago. The Egyptians were also one of the first civilizations to use body piercings to show their self-adornments and status. They restricted certain types of body piercings to the royal family. In fact, only the pharaoh is allowed to have his navel pierced. Anyone who tried to have their navel pierced could be executed. It also served as a rite of passage for the pharaoh. Some Egyptians wear piercings to display their wealth and beauty. The Romans had also practiced body piercings during the ancient times. Roman centurions pierced their nipples to signify their strength and masculinity. It also served as a badge of honor that demonstrated the centurions dedication to the Roman Empire. Even Julius Caesar pierced his nipple to show his strength and his identification with his men. Genital piercings through the head of the penis was performed on gladiators for two reasons --- (1) a ring through the head of the penis could be used to tie the organ back to the testicles that can prevent serious injury during a gladiatorial combat and (2) to prevent them from having sex without their owners consent. Around the same time the Romans were practicing body piercings, the Aztecs, Mayans and the some American Indians performed tongue piercing as a part of their religious rituals. It was also a form of their blood-letting rituals. Septum piercing was also practiced among the Aztecs and the Mayans, being warrior tribes, to appear fiercer to their enemies. In Central and South America, lip labrets were popular for aesthetic reasons. Women with pierced lips were considered more attractive. The holes were even stretched to incredible sizes to emphasize the lips as much as possible. The Aztecs and Mayans had lip labrets made of gold and jade. These were said to be seen as highly attractive and to enhance sexuality.

During the Renaissance and Elizabethan eras, almost any male member of the nobility would have at least one earring. Using large pearl drops and enormous diamond studs was their way of showing their wealth and establishing their position in the society. In order to adorn themselves, women also began nipple piercing to show off their jewelry, which lead to wearing chains and strands of pearls draped between the nipples. Because of this, both men and women started to use nipple piercings as a tool for sexual activities as it enhances sensitivity to the breasts and giving men both visual and tactile stimulation. Getting pierced for men became a source of pleasure, which occasionally lead to the genitals, also, being pierced. Also, during the Victorian period, Prince Albert, the future husband of Queen Victoria, is said to have gotten his penis pierced in order to wear tight-fitting trousers for a neat look. Soon, Victorian men were also getting penis piercings mainly for pleasurable sexual effects. As the modern period approaches, body piercings in the Western world have been limited to the ears. Nose rings found new interest when young people (hippies) from the US began travelling in India, looking for some enlightenment during the 1960s. In India, body piercings were a form of traditional self-adornment, but for the American teenagers then, it was a form of rebellion. Body piercings, again, gained popularity among the celebrities, sports stars and singers during the 1980s and 1990s. To top it all off, body piercings were worn for different reasons self-adornment, establishing your status, sexual pleasures, rite of passage among the tribe, or just to get in the trend. It can also be said that body piercings are already part of our history as they evolve with our culture through the years. And we can say that body piercings have been and will always be a big part to the society we are living in.

http://www.thehistoryof.net/the-history-of-body-piercings.html http://www.bodyjewelleryshop.com/body_piercing_information/history_of_body_piercing.cfm http://www.crystalinks.com/bodypiercing.html http://www.montanabodyart.com/ear-piercings/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_piercing http://www.life123.com/beauty/style/piercings/body-piercing-history.shtml