Popular Body Piercings

Deutsch: Oberflächenpiercing an der Schläfe Uploaded with Reworkhelper (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There are lots of body modification fanatics around who may have one or more or various kinds of surface piercing, or body piercing, as it is most frequently known. It is crucial that you can get yourself sufficient understanding on the different sorts of piercings prior to going out and acquiring one by yourself. By doing this, it could be quite simple for you to select what kind you ought to get:

1. Ear piercing is by far the most prevalent amongst the various kinds of surface piercing. Girls have been having their ear lobes pierced for 100s of years and guys have stylishly followed suit. In addition ear piercing is probably the most acceptable amid today's various kinds of piercings. There are plenty of both males and females that have up to half a dozen piercings in a single earlobe alone for a style declaration.
2. Next in line amongst surface piercing varieties is nose piercing. Quite often, the nasal area is pierced in 2 locations: the side of the nostril in which tiny studs are positioned and through the septum where the cartilage material separating the two nasal passages is pierced by means of a ring or barbell.
3. Third most popular choice of surface piercing involves the tongue. Tongue piercings typically go vertically through the center of your tongue, although horizontal piercings and twin piercings are also possible. If the appropriate jewelry is utilized, this sort of piercing will heal fast.
4. Nipple piercing however is recognized as appealing by a number of fanatics among all other types of surface piercing. Though it is very to observe that because nipple vary in size from one individual to the other, it is extremely challenging to do for a few who may have fairly small nipples than the others, particularly on ladies.
5. For individuals who want to exhibit their toned tummies, the belly button form of surface piercing is desired. This is regarded as sexy and desirable in ladies who sport extremely toned waistlines.
6. Nape piercing is becoming more popular with many body modification fans nowadays since it enables them to effortlessly hide their piercings anytime they wish to do so. It's done by piercing your skin at the bottom of the neck while using barbells.
7. The final variety of surface piercing is genital piercing which is currently getting plenty of recognition amongst both males and females. These piercings are typically situated either on or close to the person's sex organ has been said to assist with increased sensation during sex.

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Make Me Proud Bro!

My little brother is a total bachelor! He has just graduated college where he lived that stereotypical bachelor life of questionable hygiene and pizza for breakfast! However, now that he is ready to go out into the big bad world, he knew it was time to clean up his act. Since Scott moved in with me, Ryan is living in Scott's apartment so that works out awesome for him. It is close to the graphic design firm that has hired him. Everything is working out nicely. I wanted to do something nice for him for starting work, but I wasn't sure what he'd like. Then he solved the problem by asking me to help him buy some clothes for work which is a smart casual dress code. Up until now he has been a bit of a chinos and button down shirt kind of guy, but he wanted to look a little bit more trendy to fit in with his new college. His words were "I don't want to be seen as a little mouse - so make me into a man!"

I love dressing men. Scott never lets me mess with his clothes, so this was great fun! We started simple with some cool tees and polos. For his first day I bought him an exclusive Psycho Bunny polo from HarveyNics! We teamed that with some 7 for all mankind jeans, cool trainers and to top off the look with a little it of professionalism we bought him a gorgeous Paul Smith blazer. With his new glasses and haircut he looks total sharp. Little bro has gone from   dodgy student to eligible bachelor. Go out and make me proud Ry!

Make Me Proud Bro! by carolyn-joy-derby featuring supra shoes

The History of Streetwear

Here in California, in the late 70's and early 80's a new style emerged influenced greatly by street art and with a real feeling of freedom of expression. If the streetwear trend is traced back to it's origins one of the founders has to be Shawn Stussy, a local surf shop owner in Laguna Beach who transitioned his logo onto t-shirts which became an instant hit. The fashion was considered to be more underground because it initially developed in response to bold colors and styles and as the 80's progressed the rest of the world started to latch onto the trend.

Japan was one of the first cultures to adopt the underground streetwear style and they began to incorporate their local street art. We began to see more and more unique designs. With monogrammed prints, pop colors and the accompanying irreverent attitude, streetwear clothing began to specialize in promotion and mass communication. We can still see that today with many of the key streetwear fashion labels relying heavily on social media marketing and street teams as their primary marketing strategy. Streetwear is high fashion, there is no doubt about that – but the difference is that it refuses to be absorbed by the fashion industry. It is fiercely independent and has exploded beyond the reach of corporate dollars. It is an industry that is very much about the people who wear the clothing.

One of my favourite brands in terms of streetwear is up and coming label BMAModified. Spearheaded by head designer Miranda Amelia, the Los Angeles based company has brought underground streetwear culture back home to it's roots here in California. Initially founded as a body plug manufacturer, in recent months they have expanded into the realm of clothing with unique shirts, pants and jewelry in a range of stunning designs. I have never seen designs like these before, and in recent weeks imitations have began to crop up, proving what I already knew – BMA Modified has made it and established their name as a leading streetwear brand. You can check out their collection at www.bmamodified.com .

Men Should Take Pride In Their Bling!

I was talking to my Dad about Scott's latest body modification (more on that later) and we got on to the topic of how not too long ago wearing certain jewlry gave men a bad reputation. Growing up I can remember Daddy only wearing a wedding and, but as the years have progressed he has added 2 additional rings a gold chain a bracelet and at one point even an earring! Women have always been able to pretty much get away with any sort of jewlry they wanted too but men have been more restricted in their choices.

Rings for example have only been acceptable if they have a significant meaning – a wedding band, a purity ring or something like a class ring or membership ring for the masons or some tradesman’s guild. They were not jewlry as such. They were symbols. They served a purpose and were not for aesthetic appeal. Any ring purely for decoration was seen as suspicious until very recently.

The same goes for necklaces, they were not considered masculine enough unless they were big chunky chains! The only other acceptable neckwear for men was dog tags. Smaller more delicate necklaces are seen as too wimpy for men.

Thankfully society has moved on. Earrings in particular are now more acceptable – although Mom soon put an end to Daddy's brief earring phase. Both Scott and I wear ear plugs and in fact I think they are more common in men these days. Scott just recently got his nipple pierced! He's going to kill me for saying so! However, he showed Daddy and that's how the conversation began. He said in his day a man with a nipple piercing would be considered a deviant! I'm glad things have changed for the better and I think men should be proud to wear whatever jewlry suits their taste!

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Unexpected Inspiration

Sometimes inspiration strikes and you are never really sure why, but in terms of fashion it is those flashes of inspiration completely out of the blue which can make or break a collection. Sometimes I get those inspirations too and I start to think of looks and possible editorials I could pitch to the editor. Hoping that each one brings me a step closer to actually getting to style a feature of my own! Anyway, today I was browsing a few stores online and I saw these plugs pictured here. I liked them for sure and thought maybe I might buy those sometime, but what really got me was that they mentioned where the image came from. It is a piece of art from Osteographia, aka The anatomy of bones by the artist William Cheseld. I soon found myself researching the fascinating images ad I loved them all! I was soon hitting Polyvore to look at various items and I am putting together a proposal for a feature! I thought I would share a potential Ossteographia look!

Osteographia by carolyn-joy-derby featuring leather jackets

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Lunchtime Roses

Lunchtime Roses by carolyn-joy-derby featuring christian louboutin pumps

I was recently invited to attend a lunchtime gala event with work for the Rose Hills Foundation and as we all know I love a theme, so even though it wasn't a set dress code, I decided to theme things up with plenty of roses! I knew I had to look dressy, but not over the top as it was a day time event, plus I had work before and afterwards. So I chose this super cute rose print bubble dress from Birdsnest and teamed it with pink Louboutins! (what else?)

Accessories wise, I wore a red rose in my hair, borrowed a pink Balenciaga bag from the fashion closet at work and a pink trench coat. I adorned my ears with my favorite set of body plugs - my vintage floral pink power plugs from BMA Modified. I was really pleased with the look and for work  before and after I slipped on some pale pink leggings under the dress! Perfect!

Cosmetic Surgery Is Not Just About Vanity

Everyone would like to look their very best. Regrettably, for many people looking great demands significant body modification. Not the type of body modification which makes them resemble a lizard or have large openings in their ears, but body modification such as breast augmentation, liposuction and rhinoplasty – in short : cosmetic surgery. As a slave to the fashion industry I am often accused of perpetuating the 'beauty myth' but the truth is that fashion magazines are not about promoting cosmetic surgery for the sake of beauty. There is a bigger sense of responsibility now and we always try to feature natural beauty and healthy body shapes.

Some people do opt for cosmetic surgery for vanity reasons, but for many people the reasons go beyond

beauty. For example, a woman who has had a breast removed due to cancer may opt for re-constructive surgery to have her breasts looking 'normal'. Breasts can be enlarged or reduced during a cosmetic surgery, the choice will depend on the woman's particular needs. For example, a breast reduction may be carried out if a woman has a larger chest which causes her back pain or puts stress on her spine due to the extra weight. Sometimes, a woman will have a breast enlargement not purely for vanity, but if she is psychologically affected by having small breasts. It can make a woman feel more feminine and ease depression brought about by low self esteem about her body. I personally think that these reasons are very valid and it is why I never make assumptions about the character of someone who has had a boob job!

The same goes for other types of cosmetic surgery. Rhinoplasty, commonly known as a nose job, might be carried out to correct damage from an accident or birth defects and the various skin procedures can correct blemishes and birth marks or even burns and scars.

Cosmetic surgery is not the exclusive domain of the rich or the vain. It can have a very valid place in society and if people are becoming more accepting of body modifications such as piercings and tattoos, then why shouldn't cosmetic procedures by accepted too. After all, they are another type of body modification and one which may actually have good reason!

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Barbie Body Modification Madness

Barbie and similar dolls, are often categorized as 'fashion dolls' so of course when I was a little girl, I had lots of Barbies and more outfits than I could ever hope for! I begged my Mom on weekends to help me sew little clothes for her! I wanted to be like Barbie because Barbie, had everything. A dream house, a cool car, ponies, hot boyfriend, and every job she could ever hope for.. Barbie was a vet, a cheerleader, a princess, a doctor and so much more. Barbie was sort of my hero! Today, I read a rather disturbing article about another Barbie lover Valeria Lukyanova. The main difference between me and Valerie is that she actually wanted to be Barbie! The 21 year old Ukrainian has had thousands of dollars of cosmetic surgery to make herself look like her idol – Barbie. I actually called Scotty over to look at the picture and he did not believe she was real. He thought it was a mannequin. She uses clever make up tricks and possibly contacts to make her eyes look dead and lifeless like a doll. Her skin it smooth and shiny, and her movements seem stiff and posed just like Barbie. This is body modification gone mad!

Valerie has not been forthcoming about what surgeries she has actually had, but a leading cosmetic surgeon did appear on television and suggested that to look like Barbie, “a woman needs t get breast enhancements to be a 38 DD and cut some ribs to get an 18 inch waist, make the hips wider and change her face. Of course, the woman would have to go blonde like Barbie,” said Dr. Anthony LaBruna. Valeria herself did blog about the rumours surrounding her surgery, but neither confirmed or denied that she had gone under the knife. Instead she promoted the fact that she does not drink or smoke and eats a raw food diet. She also insists that her looks are down to hard work and good genes. However, plenty of photographs of the woman exist in which she looks very different and there can be no doubt that surgery has been involved.

I am pretty tolerant about most things, I really don't care whether you have surgery or not, but I do believe that natural looks are better. I would be a hypocrite if I said that people shouldn't have cosmetic surgery. I think that because I advocate freedom of choice in body modification that I have to support cosmetic procedures which are after all just another form of body modification. If it makes Valeria happy then good for her. Do I think it's overkill and more than a little creepy? Of course I do, but it's her choice! Incidentally, I do think she is a great poster child for not judging a book by it's cover. Want to know what Valeria does for a living? She is actually a classically trained opera singer, a life coach and a motivational speaker!

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