Assignment 7

Lormij Clarisse Cayetano

LS101

They say, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I agree. People have different ways of
showcasing their beauty. Just like in the video, certain tribes do body modifications that aligned
with their beliefs. These body modifications are mostly for women to be “desirable, beautiful,
elegant, and show their social status together with social maturity"  while for men, it is an
example of “manhood.”

If there is any body modification that surprised me is scarification. I have a scar on my face
because of an accident and it was one of my insecurity before. But, for the Dinka Tribe, they
purposely made a scar for women that is done for beauty.  However, if some tribes do body
modifications for women to be perceived as beautiful, lip stretching and nose plugs are done for
women to be less attractive to other tribes that lessen their chances to be kidnapped or sexually
assaulted. That made me think that the way we perceive ourselves are based on our environment
that we lived in. On the bright side, one of those body modifications mentioned is used in the
beauty and fashion industry. For example, a corset is still used to create an hourglass figure but
now, it is more like an accessory that completes an outfit.

Some of the body modifications are gruesome, well, as the way I see it, but I respect it. I saw a
statement before that if we are born into it, we will want it. That shows why do people in those
tribes do it even though we, whose not born in it find it as a feeling of sympathy for their
beliefs. The reason why some tribes do body modification may not be aligned to what I believe
but I respect it as an act of courtesy on their tradition.

Total word count of the reflection paper: 304