Extreme Body Modifiers
Maligned Audience / Deep Dive Research
Ask:
Dig into a subculture or group of people that gets looked down upon in mass culture and explore the culture break misconceptions.
Overview:
This work explores the motivations behind the modifications and offers a lens into a subculture often misunderstood. Unmasked is a magazine that documents their stories through in-depth interviews and cultural listening.
Why Extreme Body Modifiers?
I chose this group because so many people freeze up when they see them—like piercings or implants make them uncomfortable for some reason. But I don’t think it’s the modifications themselves that unsettle people. It’s what they challenge. Extreme body mods don’t just push the limits of the body; they push the limits of what we consider "normal."
I went into this with full curiosity because I just want to understand. It’s one thing to get a few tattoos, but when someone tattoos their eyeballs or gets horn implants, I can’t help but wonder what kind of pull they feel towards that? What drives them to take it that far?
Meet the Modifiers
Bella
Ear pointings, forehead and bodily tattoos, and multiple piercings
Drew
Full body tattoo suit, bodily piercings
Samantha
Mods: Tongue split, ear pointings, piercings, suspension hooks
Devon
Stretched ears/nostrils, facial piercings, 60+ tattoos
Kristopher
Mods: Scleral eye injections, split tongue, bodily tattoos and piercings
Lucien
Silicone horn implants, cropped ear cartilage, filed teeth, self made body tattoos, stretched earlobes/nostrils, bodily piercings
Nikkya
Split tongue, dermals, stretched nostrils/labret/ears, bodily piercings & tattoos
Unmasked Magazine
Extreme body modification is often misunderstood—seen as shocking, rebellious, or even self-destructive. But for those who practice it, modification isn’t about becoming someone new; it’s about revealing who they’ve always been.
This magazine explores the motivations, philosophies, and cultural significance behind extreme body modification, challenging stereotypes and uncovering the deep intentionality behind every change.
Insights
A. Extreme body modification is not about becoming something else but about aligning one’s external self with an internal identity that has always existed
B. Extreme body modification is a reclamation of autonomy—an assertion that the body is not just something we inhabit, but something we have the right to design, shape, and redefine on our own terms.
C. The level of dedication to extreme body modification reveals a person who is deeply intentional and disciplined. They are willing to make long-term sacrifices to align their outward appearance with inner truth.
UNMASKED MAGAZINE
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UNMASKED MAGAZINE ⋆
Methodology
7 interviews
with modified individuals from tattoo shops, online forums, and personal networks
Social Listening
analyzed misconceptions & community discussions on Reddit, Instagram, & niche forums
Visual Research
Curated imagery from historical archives and & artist portfolios
Team: Megan Strodel (ST) & Brittni Evans (ST)
My role: I I supported participant outreach, collected and organized insights from the interviews, and led the magazine’s design and written content. I helped distill our group’s findings into clear, narrative-driven insights that shaped the tone and direction of Unmasked.