5. Festive Body Modifications
In Thailand the Taoist Nine Emperor Gods Festival is held each year on the eve of the 9th lunar month of the Chinese calendar. Known locally as Thetsakan or The Vegetarian Festival this bizarre spectacle attracts crowds of curious onlookers as the locals perform unusual religious rituals. Participants work themselves into a trance-like state before impaling themselves and others with just about anything they can find. Everything from syringes and knives to wrenches and even guitars are used to pierce the cheeks of the devotees while they maintain their meditation. Strangely enough, there are very few serious injuries with most participants returning to their regular lives within days of the ritual.
4. Corset Piercings
A far more modern adaption of body modding is the corset piercing. Corset piercing requires 2 rows of symmetrical body piercings running bilaterally down the torso, back or legs of the modder. The piercings are then threaded with ribbon, rope or chain similarly to the laces on a pair of shoes. The ribbon can then be tightened pulling on the skin. The corset piercings may even run the length of a person’s body allowing their legs to be ‘laced’ together!
3. Bageling
Created in Canada, this odd body mod has become somewhat popular in Japan’s underground scene. The modder is injected with around 300 – 400 cc of saline solution directly into the forehead and a depression is made in the centre of the lump making it resemble a bagel. Despite the appearance, the ‘bagel’ is not permanent and only lasts around 1 day as the saline solution is slowly absorbed by the body.
2. Teeth Sharpening
Teeth sharpening is a body modification that is believed to have been practiced by some South American and African cultures. Now primarily an aesthetic body mod, the procedure involves filing and capping the teeth. Perhaps the most well known example of someone with sharpened teeth was Dennis Avner. Also known as Stalking Cat, Avner began his gradual transformation in the early 1980’s after a meeting with a Native American Chief who encouraged him to embrace the characteristics of his totem animal – the tiger.
1. Total Transformation
A few take body modification to the extreme. Combining many modding techniques to completely alter their appearance from human into something else entirely.
The Lizardman Erik Sprague, is a freak show performer and member of the rock band Lizard Skynyrd. Sprague has had his entire body tattooed to resemble the scales of a lizard. He also has a split tongue, filed teeth, stretched ears and subdermal implants across his forehead!
Venezuelan Henry Damon has taken body modding to another level in his quest to look like Marvel character Red Skull. Apart from a full black and red face tattoo and subdermal implants in his forehead, Damon has also had his actual eyeballs tattooed black and has even had his nose removed in an effort to look like the comic book super villain.
But the most extreme body modification of all time has to be The Vampire Lady, Maria Cristerna. The former lawyer has had her teeth sharpened, body tattooed, ears stretched and has even had titanium horns grafted to her forehead. Despite looking like an evil demon, Cristerna is a loving mother of four and gives talks to women suffering from domestic abuse in her spare time.
The 10 most insane body modifications you just have to see. Now you’ve seen it, what did you think of this top 10 list? Do you have any crazy body mods? Let us know on Twitter and Facebook.
