Nobody believes me, or at nobody wants to believe me, when I say that the stuff our children (by that, I mean children of the Gen-X-ers) do to “shock” us will be so much more extreme than what currently passes as non-conformist. I’m not saying one way or another if this is good or bad, as I will remain neutral on the subject until it happens to me. However, it has long been my theory that the current tattoo, piercing, stretched ear lobe, lip plate, spikes in head trend will continue to progress. My recent investigations have backed up my theory.
Several factors will help the movement along. First, there is going to be a boom in cosmetic surgery. Second, companies offering modification equipment and accessories will proliferate and boom. Third, new thought on the subject continues to expand—physiological, psychological, anthropological and otherwise. Finally, youth and humanity always finds a way to push the boundaries of what currently passes as accepted.
People will find ways to be altered, even if the US and other governments passed legislation to prevent it. Thailand, Mexico, Switzerland—they will all want the economy. Even today, those countries and others offer “surgical vacations,” which allow patients of plastic surgeons to stay in luxury accomodations in beautiful resorts while they recover from their plastic surgery procedure. Soon, we will start to hear of people getting tails, or strange modifications to their hands, or extra breasts. Really, what people achieve on the modification front can only be limited by imagination, capital and medicine.
You can already purchase contact lenses that make your eyes look reptilian, or like one-way mirrors. People already implant horns in their skull. If you read “Modern Primitives,” you know some of the other rather extreme lengths a lot of people already go to in order to achieve their goals. What devices and contraptions are next?
The future of mutation is self-inflicted. Mark my words; you will soon witness it first hand.
Of course, the contrapositive of my theory is that in response to the expectation that extreme modification is the norm, Gen-x children will become little Alex P Keatons and vote republican, wear red ties and attain MBA degrees from Princeton.
15 responses so far ↓
1 Captain Cook // Aug 14, 2001 at 5:22 pm
there is some deeply ingrained urge to belong to a tribe. how else do you account for soccer-ball stickers on minivans? Or jerry garcia stickers, or whatever jam band people are following around these days? Do people love South Carolina so much that they HAVE to have their cars and homes bedecked with crescent moons? or is that just the modern day “tribe” they feel a part of? the body modification set is doing the same thing; the only difference between getting horns stuck in your head and running out and getting WWII era dresses because you saw it in some bad movie and a Faith Hill video is that it’s permanent.
2 Nate // Aug 29, 2001 at 12:13 am
Here are some more links to view on the subject:The high priestess Orlan:http://www.cicv.fr/creation_artistique/online/orlan/Lizardman”>http://bmeworld.com/amago/clitoral hood removalhttp://www.geocities.com/clitoroplasty/Intro.htmlthis is kinda grosshttp://spc.bodymodification.com/
3 jef // Aug 29, 2001 at 1:29 am
Having spent this entire summer observing hundreds of thousands of 13 to twenty-somethings, I can attest to your belief that the tattoo and piercing craze has and will continue to blow up and become a more common part of youth culture. This is just fine, but the most disturbing thing witnessed was the vast number of kids, who are well under the age of 18, that have made the decision to permanently mark their body, and apparently have had no problem finding someone to do the work for them. I know I made some pretty bad decisions when I was 16, thank God none of them included making some “statement” on my body that would be there forever. Piercings, piercings everywhere. Do you remember that show The Young Ones? What was that guy’s name that had the piercings in his forehead? He was hilarious.As far as the cosmetic surgery is concerned, this will certainly be limited to a small number of people who have the means to afford such a thing, but, I’ll have to wait to form an opinion about all of that until the first time I actually see someone walking around with an artificial tale, extra breasts or whatever. There is a female artist who was one of the first people I ever heard about having the reconstructive surgery for art’s sake, but I can’t remember her name. I think she’s from Germany. Does anyone know?
4 Anonymous // Dec 12, 2004 at 4:22 am
I’d love to have a tail. I’ve always wanted one. It’s got nothing to do with fasion or culture, I just feel that not having one is incorrect according to my body image.
5 Reptile // Sep 7, 2007 at 1:39 pm
First I want to say, I’m Hungarian and still learning English, so my writings sometimes weird…
Soooo….. I want to become a bipedal (and human-sized) lizard [I’m not only wants{really wants}a tail, I want to grow back my “lost” limbs.(If I “lost” that during a combat…In Hungary there are a lots of gypsies and they like beating non-gypsies(gypsies are NOT humans) ,and if I’m a lizard-man, I’m easily beat them all!!!{gypsies always attack in groups!}) so I cannot beat them in my “simple human form”]
If somebody wants to know about me, or Hungary, or the gypsies, or my plans (the lizard-man plans), please send E-mail to http://www.zotan@citromail.hu, you are always welcome here.
6 Reptile // Oct 28, 2007 at 4:22 pm
My e-mail adresssss issss now: Reptile@citromail.hu pleasssssssse mail me today!
7 noone // Apr 30, 2008 at 10:17 pm
why in da world would u want a tail no offense but kinda wierd they belong on animals dingdongs
8 Shmook // Jun 7, 2008 at 7:14 pm
I think It’d be kinda neat to have a tail, especially a flexible one, or a furry one. It could be useful and i dont know why, but i just have an urge to have one
9 Ranella // Oct 16, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Dude, I would love to growa tail lol
10 Danfox // Mar 1, 2009 at 5:16 pm
I want to wait for the technology. Soon enough it will be good enough to take a DNA sample, edit it to your requirements, then mount it in a retrovirus that swaps in the new DNA in every cell of your body – then activates it to grow and change the parts of the body that you edited. There will be no rejection because the new DNA will still be practically the same as the old, just some adjustments in, say, the bit that defines whether you have a tail, or fur, etc.
Then such technology will be shrunk and made easier until it can be hooked up to any computer for a reasonable price. Anyone will be able to alter themselves, and that will become normal while we’re all sat at home brushing our tails and stretching our wings with a yawn, getting freaked out by the rumours of the next big controversial thing scientists can come up with.
11 Pink // Jun 30, 2009 at 12:14 am
I want a tail. It would be fun to use in bed with my partner.
Plus, I’ve always felt I was so post to be born an animal, instead of a human.
12 jd // Oct 28, 2009 at 2:04 pm
dude, a tail would kick ass. i already have paws and claws tattooed on my palms.
13 jd // Oct 28, 2009 at 2:06 pm
and the whole concept isn’t that unnatural. human fetuses in the womb have reptilian tails. someone’ll find a way soon enough
14 Mix lkm // Nov 8, 2009 at 12:51 pm
ive always wanted Timons cartoon tail and while your at it figure out a way to make me into Timon.
15 Jesse // Dec 27, 2009 at 2:47 am
I wish I could have a tail….a functional one. Then people would understand me better. No more confused feelings.