When Does Modification Become Mutilation?

Every couple of years, a rebellious individual goes viral on news sites and tabloid media because of their extreme body modifications. Now, we're of course not talking about your conventional body modifications such as tattoos, piercings, and stretched ears. Although these mods were certainly once sensational to Western society, they are largely accepted as the new normal. No, we're talking about the extreme side of the body modification world, that even have us tattoo collectors stunned in disbelief. There are dozens of extreme modifications out there that most of the general public may never have been exposed to, mostly because you have to be a real wild card to dare get some of these procedures done. Because if a tattoo on your head or hands is considered a job stopper, then these mods may as well be life stoppers. Sure, most of them hopefully won't kill you, but this special class of modifications will absolutely have a drastic impact on your life and your place in the world. And while we're a space that prefers to remain open to various forms of self-expression, we have to ask ourselves when modification becomes mutilation.