The Artful Stigma

Abstract

Most forms of body alteration, from dressing to the most extreme forms of soft tissue body modification, are mechanisms of social communication that have clearly defined and broadly understood aesthetic and cultural meanings. The presence of disabled and tattooed people, however, violate social norms and call into question basic cultural conceptions of the body in Western society. The author maintains that tattooed and disabled people have much in common. Historically, both have been exhibited as freaks and been the subject of derision and pity. Likewise, the last decade has witnessed sweeping changes in both communities and because of this represent an ideal metaphor for understanding core elements of human culture. That is, they represent society reduced to its simplest expression and highlight the fact they are in a constant battle against social and personal invisibility.