|
|
body
painting | body shaping | henna | kaolin | kohl | labret
makeup | moko | piercing | pigment | scarification | tattooing
Body
Painting
Body painting can transform a person into a spirit, a work of art, another gender or
even a map of a sacred place. It can emphasize visual appeal, express allegiance or
provide a protective and empowering coating. Protective body paints often feature in
initiation rituals, weddings and funerals -- all occasions of transition and of
spiritual danger. People everywhere adorn the living, and some also treat the dead, with
body paint. To make body paint, pigments composed of plant extracts or mineral clays and
powders can be mixed with vegetable oil or animal fat. Throughout history, the
substances used for body paint have been important trade items. Ochre, camwood,
cinnebar, and kaolin were traded throughout Asia, Africa and Europe.
Henna, used as a temporary
skin dye, was widely traded in the Muslim world along with patterns and designs used to
apply it. Commercially manufactured body paints, now available in a wider palette, may
be adopted for their visual appeal but they rarely take on the symbolic significance of
natural paints and dyes.
back to
top
Body
Shaping
The shape of the human body changes throughout life, but in many cultures people have
found ways to permanently or temporarily sculpt the body. To conform to
culturally-defined ideals of beauty, people have bound the soft bones of children's
skulls and feet, stretched necks with rings, removed ribs to minimize waists and, most
commonly today, sculpted their bodies through plastic surgery. The widespread practice
of head shaping, dating back at least 6000 years, continued in many regions, including
Europe, through the 19th century. Head shaping still occurs in some places such as
isolated communities of South America. Becoming fat is a sign of health, wealth and
fertility in some societies, and fattening may be part of a girl's coming of age
ceremony or a way to proclaim the high status of a ruler, either male or female. Tiny
waists, small feet and large or small breasts and buttocks have been prized or scorned
as ideals of female beauty. Men's bodies have also been molded by deliberate fattening,
weight lifting, head binding or wearing corsets.
back to
top
Henna
The crushed leaves of the henna plant, when mixed with other natural ingredients,
yields a thick, fragrant paste used for painting hands and feet. The olive green, dried
henna powder, once mixed with such ingredients as black tea and coffee, cloves and
tamarind, turns dark. Once the paste is applied on the skin, it is allowed to dry,
sometimes overnight. The dried henna is scrapped off the skin resulting in a maroon-red
stain. Henna has traditionally also been used for hair conditioning and dyeing, skin
antiseptic and tonic, and as cloth and leather dye. Henna is a cosmetic and a medicine,
but most importantly, it is a marker of beauty, auspiciousness and celebration.
Henna painting is considered a woman's art form, often to mark special events in a
woman's life, especially marriage. The painted bride is denoted special by the
intricate, elaborate henna patterns on her hands and feet, attesting to the liminal
occasion in which she is transported from one stage of life to another. Henna designs
add beauty and decoration to the parts of the body that are in view, namely hand and
feet, but patterns usually extend towards the elbows and knees, causing erotic curiosity
for the concealed parts. Designs vary with each culture, and even within cultures.
Generally speaking, Arabic Swahili women's designs consists of large, bold floral
patterns, whereas Moroccan Berber women paint geometric, linear designs. In India, Hindu
women prefer paisleys, vines and birds such as peacocks. Muslim women do not paint
figurative images due to the Islamic prohibition on representational art.
In the past decade, henna painting has experienced an immense popularity in the United
States. Although ethnic communities residing in the West have always practiced the art
of henna, the acceptance of this form by Westerners, especially celebrities, is a
relatively new phenomenon. Popularly called "temporary tattoo," henna painting does
function like tattoos. People who are reluctant to acquire a real tattoo, test out a
location and design by first having an ephemeral henna version of what will eventually
become a permanent part of their skin. Also like tattoo, henna designs in the US
resemble "tribal" bracelets and anklets, belts and rings. The practice of wearing henna
as jewelry was born in the West.
back to
top
Kaolin
White clay used as body paint. Among various African groups it used for healing, for
protecting a newborn and its mother; and to help a healer communicate with spirits in
the "other world."
back to
top
Kohl
Carbon, crushed with other organic materials into a paste used to rim the
eyes.
back to
top
Labret
An object that pierces the area below the lips and above the chin.
back to
top
Makeup
Makeup consists of removable substances-paint, powders, dyes-applied to enhance or
transform appearance. Commonly part of regular grooming, makeup varies according to
changing definitions of beauty. For vanity and social acceptance, or for medicinal or
ritual purposes, people regularly transform every visible part of their body. Throughout
history, they have tanned or whitened skin; changed the color of lips, eyes, and teeth;
and added or removed "beauty" spots.
Some makeup is meant to be
seen; some is meant to be invisible. Makeup can accentuate the contrast between men and
women, camouflage perceived imperfections or signify a special occasion or ritual state.
Makeup allows people to reinvent themselves in everyday life. Theatrical makeup helps
actors take on new identities. Male Japanese actors in kabuki theater become women by
using strictly codified paints and patterns, and the designs and motifs of Chinese
theatrical makeup indicate the identity of a character.
back to
top
Moko
The art of tattoo as practiced by the Maori of New Zealand. Worn by both men and women,
moko was a sign of distinction, reserved for those who were the most noble and
accomplished.
back to
top
Piercing
Piercing is decorative only insofar as it allows the body to hold certain kinds of
ornaments, which are inserted through the skin in a way that permits healing around the
opening. Most commonly pierced are the soft tissues of the face, but many peoples, past
and present, have also pierced other parts of the body. Ear, nose and lip ornaments, as
well as pierced figurines, have been found in ancient burials of the Inka and Moche of
Peru, the Aztecs and Maya of ancient Mexico and in graves of central Asian and
Mediterranean peoples. The act of piercing is often part of a ceremony marking a coming
of age, a change in status or the accession to office. Ornaments may be restricted to
certain people or worn only on certain occasions. Because ornaments can be made of
precious and rare materials -- ivory, gold, jade and precious stones such as diamonds
and emeralds -- they may signal privilege and wealth.
back to
top
Pigment
A dry substance that when mixed with liquid does not dissolve, but becomes a paint,
ink, or other coloring agent.
back to
top
Scarification
In some cultures, a smooth, unmarked skin represents an ideal of beauty, but people
in many others see smooth skin as an unfinished, unattractive surface. Scarification,
also called cicatrization, alters skin texture by cutting the skin and controlling the
body's healing process. The cuts, which are treated to prevent infection and to enhance
the scars' visibility, leave visable incisions after the skin heals. Inserting
substances like clay or ash in the wounds results in permanently raised weals or bumps,
known as keloids. Substances inserted into the wounds may also result in changes in skin
color, creating marks similar to tattoos. Cutting elaborate and extensive decorative
patterns into the skin usually indicates a permanent change in a person's status.
The designs often have symbolic meaning, and the same patterns may be used on textiles,
woodcarvings, ceramics, and sculpture. Because scarification is painful, the richly
scarred person is often honored for endurance and courage.
back to
top
Tattooing
Tattoo involves puncturing the skin with a sharp instrument and inserting pigment
through the outer layer, the epidermis, into the second layer, the dermis. Tattoos are
intended to be permanent; only recently have expensive laser techniques allowed people
to remove them. Tattoo patterns and techniques have varied with different cultures.
Traditional Polynesian tattooists tap a needle with a small hammer, while the Japanese
work with bundles of needles set in wooden handles. In the West, the electric tattoo
machine has revolutionized tattooing, expanding the ease of application and the range of
colors and designs. Besides being decorative, tattoos send important cultural messages:
a commitment to some group, an emblem of a rite of passage, even a fashion statement.
Tattooing has been used to indicate high rank in some societies, rebellion and low
status in others. Despite numerous religious and social injunctions, tattooing has been
a popular form of body art throughout the world.
Although tattooing is a popular form of self-expression, the practice can involve
potential health risks. Regarding tattooing, the New York City Department of Health
states:
"Tattooing is an invasive
procedure that can result in serious skin and blood infections. Where procedures
involving penetration of the skin are not performed correctly, they can be means of
transmitting organisms that cause diseases like AIDS, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. It is
advisable that pregnant women and persons with possible allergies to ink or dyes consult
with their physician prior to getting a tattoo. In New York State, it is against the law
to tattoo any person under the age of 18 years. Parental consent for tattooing persons
under the age of 18 is not allowable."
back to
top
|
