It's a good Wednesday when you get to announce a "vampire body modification link dump." If only 'cause it's fun to type the phrase "vampire body modification."Link the first! Unlike vampires, who stay sparkly fresh for all eternity, pure strain humans get old. It's true. Along with nipples on men, confirmation bias, and the fact that at least one of us became Daniel Tosh, it ranks one of homo sapiens' most notable design flaws. And, while you'll still eventually die, the "vampire face-lift" can help ensure that your corpse's face is pleasingly wrinkle-free. The procedure gets its name from the fact that plastic surgeons use the patient's own blood to fight the wrinkles. From the ABC News article:
The technology is called Selphyl, and it involves injecting a mixture of blood products into the affected areas. It's also called the "vampire face-lift," although calling it a face-lift is not accurate. Selphyl is a nonsurgical procedure akin to filler injections, while a face-lift is the surgical repositioning of facial tissues that have become loose over time.
Curiously, the procedure's ghastly nickname seems to be part of the draw. Again, from the article:
"I think this whole recent theme in the entertainment industry ... of using vampire, Dracula themes, has definitely caused a lot of the interest out there," Berger said.
Perhaps this marks some final stage in the vampire's transformation from folk nightmare to harmless pop confection: the use of the term vampire can now make a somewhat grisly-sounding product more palatable to the market.
Link the second! The Sun has a brief profile of lawyer and tattoo artist Maria Jose Cristerna, a.k.a. "Vampire Woman." Cristerna, pictured above . . .
. . . says constant beatings and abuse at home triggered her reinvention and led her to ink nearly 100 per cent of her body.
Maria has also added multiple piercings to her face and titanium implants to create "horns" under the skin on her temples and forehead.
The mum-of-four, 35, has even had dental implants to create "fangs" to complete her look — but claims to live a "normal life".
The smirkingly superior attitude of The Sun aside – I see what you're doing with the "claims" bit there – she's a fascinating, and even inspiring woman.
4 comments:
Neat article. I have a few friends who have been into body modification and it is always fascinating to see the different things that fuel each act and person. It's ranged from social experiment to S/M and all in between.
Not sure if someone who says that constant abuse triggered her transformation and whose main goal is fame and acceptance can (or should) be called an inspiring person.
This could just as easily be cited as an example of body modification being the direct result of untreated underlying psychological scars and I'm not sure if a "you go, girl!" stance is really the one to take here.
Anonymous,
If that is indeed your real name!
I have to disagree. Though we'll never be sure, I see this more as the conscious effort of somebody dealing with pain to reclaim their physical self after abuse caused a disassociation between her sense of self and her corporal being.
I'll be the first to admit that this interpretation comes from my own personal experiences (though I've not been abused in any true sense nor do I sport the sort of body modifications Cristerna has).
Still, and perhaps most important, until somebody can show me that this is hurting Cristerna or those close to her, then I don't see any reason to take a default mode of pathologizing her.
I don't think questioning whether Cristerna can or should be called an inspiring person equals "taking a default mode of pathologizing her"at all.
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