In the Flesh: The Cultural Politics of Body Modification

by Victoria Pitts

Through an interview-based study, Victoria Pitts has researched the subcultural milieu of contemporary body modification, focusing on the ways sexuality, gender and ethnicity are being reconfigured through new body technologies - not only tattooing, but piercing, cyberpunk and such 'neotribal' practices as scarification. She interprets the stories of sixteen body modifiers (as well as some subcultural magazines and films) using the tools of feminist and queer theory. Pitts not only covers a hot topic but also situates it in a theoretical context.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sociology, LGBT, Art, Anthropology

256 pages, Paperback

First published April 29, 2003

Reviews

[Sumayyah]

Wonderfully researched.. but full of white middle-class appropriation. *sigh* Her main focus seems to be on the white people who have adopted and reinvented (stole and appropriated) native/indigenous rituals and practices.

[b]

I feel like Victoria went into researching and writing this book filled with good intentions, but in the end she fell short. This book is filled with many good quotes and deeply researched elements, but is sadly tarnished with a cloud of 'white-middle class' that fails to feature any people of colour to even attempt to back up or counter her arguments. She states that she interviewed a series of people, all of which are white, and how body modification has impacted them, and yet fails to interview or research in depth how the cultural appropriation impacts people of colour, whose rituals and practices have been stolen in the name of western empowerment.

[Dae Dae]

I remember finding this book in my local library and being super excited because it was one of the first books I'd seen that interviewed those within the body mod community about why they got into body modification and its meaning. That being said, the book is oh so white!

I'm pretty sure this book was the start of my awareness and critique of how whitewashed the alt scenes and histories are. There are BIPOCs within the scene and many of the culture and practices are based in BIPOC cultures, but the author couldn't find really anyone darker than a paper bag?

During that time, I tended to read a book all the through even when I didn't really like it, but with this book, I remember going, "I'm tired of not seeing myself represented," and returned the book early to the library.

[luce]

yawss

[Io Perl-Strahan]

read in preparation for thesis -- tons of interesting stuff in here, put me onto crazy artist Orlan (look up "the reincarnation of St. Orlan.") Hilarious bit where VPT (a professor at my school) interviews this body mod guy whose dick self-surgery went wrong (internal bleeding) and he refused to go to hospital OR admit that it was a bad idea. many roots and inspirations for crimes of the future throughout book, cronenberg not original at all. overall thesis is that body modification subcultures offer this idea that you can recreate yourself to your liking and escape from normal social boxes/body norms/society at large -- but it's an illusion, “They are haunted with ordinary relations of power while they so spectacularly contest them.” last sentence of book. gave 3 stars cuz it was repetitive, didn't flow super well and wasn't as engaging as the subject matter should have promised.

[Courtney]

An interesting read but the constant "as SCHOLAR NAME says/calls it" was awkward. Also, if you're reading this while injured like I did (broken clavicle and bruised) you may have a hard time processing masochism and body modification. Nonetheless I thought the chapter on feminist theory was very good.

[Heather Bennett]

While the book has good topics, is well researched, and does give the warning of the fact that she only interviewed white women in the industry... it's truly just a representation of appropriation & non-bipoc people speaking on a topic that is so much more diverse than their opinion / use of modification.

[Heather]

An eye-opening non-fiction book about body modification, tatooing, piercing...