Shannon Larratt

founder, Body Modification EZine

lexXicon: How did you become interested in body modification?

Shannon Larratt: My parents, while not supporters of body mod, were excellent parents in that they exposed me to other cultures and ideas. For instance, they had a huge library which I had full access to even as a young child. This library included one book that I remember well, simply called "MASSAI." That was my first exposure to body modification, and later on I was exposed more through MODERN PRIMITIVES and SILENCE OF THE LAMBS - the nipple piercing in this movie was the first one I remember seeing in the mainstream media.

lexx: To what extent have you modified your own body?

SL: At about age 16 I started doing mods on myself and over the next five years had practically every possible piercing done on myself, each of which I would keep for at least a short period. Over the last two years I have refined that chaos into something simpler: large ear stretchings (2"), a meatotomy, a tongue piercing, and heavy blackwork tattoos.

lexx: I get the sense from reading testimonials that motivations for modifying one's body can be varied - Spiritual, aesthetic, even political. Is there a wrong reason to make radical body alterations?

SL: Sure, there's a wrong reason for doing anything. Sometimes - but not very often - people perform body modifications as a symptom of mental illness. It's artists' responsibility to look out for this and overall they do a pretty good job as counselors.

lexx: BME is a hugely popular website. Were you surprised at the rate of growth?

SL: While the growth was incredibly fast, it wasn't that shocking. I always suspected that there was a huge underground, and the internet allowed those people to anonymously become part of a community. They don't have to expose themselves, so to speak. So many people send me mail along the lines of, "I thought I was the only one, and now I know I'm not insane, there are others like me." I like getting that, but even more I like the mail that says, "I'm fifty years old and I've wanted to get piercings all my life but was afraid. Reading BME gave me the courage to fulfill my dreams and now I'm happier than I could have thought." It's things like that really make me happy and make it worth the effort.

lexx: Notwithstanding natural human curiosity, how do you account for the immense interest in body modification and issues relating to it?

SL: I think that body modification is something integral to being human. I don't even wonder about why it's possible. To me, asking that is like asking why there is the popularity of looking nice, or eating, or making love. It brings people happiness and it's an important part of the way we all are.

lexx: Do you ever think about why it is that some forms of mild body modification, such as simple ear-piercing, are accepted, while others are frowned upon, sometimes even with those who make such modifications being viewed as "weird" in some way?

SL: No, I never really think about that. Again, it's not something that I ask... Obviously it's easier for "normal" (unadventurous) people who aren't really comfortable expressing themselves as individuals to perform a modification that isn't questioned by others. So of course "light" mods will be more common than others, as will be ones that have a strong social history, such as circumcision.

lexx: So you don't resent the hypocrisy at all?

SL: No, not at all. It's understandable that the more of an individual you want to be, the less people will understand you. But that's fine. People into bod mod are not usually into it to freak people out. It's very personal. It's not for other people. It's there to make themselves happy. People into plastic surgery are also trying to make themselves happy... they simply have a different idea of what they want to look like. It's all the same thing, it just fits into the social scheme differently.

lexx: At the BME website you caution readers that extreme modifications which are readily visible may adversely affect their ability to get or keep certain kinds of employment.

SL: Actually, that's changed a lot lately. It's not the mods themselves that cause the adverse reactions, it's the image that it portrays. If you do your mods in such a way that you look like a stereotypical drunk, stupid, unemployable street-kid type, then yes, it will keep you from a job. But if you have a look that's eccentric and unusual but you're still intelligent and your demeanor reflects someone who is responsible, it actually helps.

When you're in that territory, the work environment, the way you look is advertising. I show off my stretched ears at an interview because I can speak intelligently about them and it makes me more interesting and people remember me out of a crowd of applicants. As long as you don't come off as a dirtbag, you're going to be helped by mods.

lexx: What kind of feedback do you get at the site - any open hostility?

SL: I get nothing but positive reactions. Over the entire lifespan of BME I have gotten only about five nasty letters versus tens of thousands of positive ones.

lexx: In recent years there has been a lot written in mainstream press about ritualistic female circumcision in certain African countries. Meanwhile, millions of infant boys are circumcised every day in America, to relatively little protest. Any thoughts on this?

SL: Well, I object to anything non-consensual. I have no problem with circumcision, but I don't think that's the parents' decision. If the child wants to be circumcised, let them do it when they're twenty and they understand all the implications. Many may still decide to do it, and many may not. Either way, it's their decision and hopefully they'll be doing what makes them happy.

lexx: At the site you pose the question, "Do we really need bodies?" Well, do we?

SL: That quote is in reference to the idea of replacing the current body with something new. The idea that your body is not a static, unchanging thing, but a possesion that can be "upgraded" like a computer.

lexx: Does body modification = mind modification?

SL: As you'd probably guess, people into hardcore body modification are generally more open-minded. But this is a chicken and the egg sort of thing... they go hand-in-hand. One doesn't really cause the other.

lexx: Thanks for talking with us today, Shannon.

SL: My pleasure.

Visit Body Modification EZine, 'The biggest and best online bod-mod site since 1994,' here. NOTE: The BME site contains graphic images. Discretion advised.