Have you noticed tattoos that appear older than their beloved ones? Possibly the name of a snubbed ex-girlfriend, or perhaps a picture of someone close to them who faked their own death? Well, the former isn’t as prevalent, however we’re certain it is happening. It may even happen with the same frequency as body branding does.
Body branding is a nebulous procedure that gained a lot of attention recently. America’s resident representative of how-the-hell-did-that-guy-pull-her, Pete Davidson, went under the blade (or iron) according to his girlfriend Kim Kardashian. In March, she was on The Ellen Show and discussed their relationship. Davidson reportedly added another tattoo to his collection, however his body is actually sporting her name engraved.
Scarification is the term under which branding falls under. Specifically branding is the process of burning the body. A recent image of Davidson would show that his branding is a darker hue (similar to ink) due to burning. Scarification results in tissue that is pink.
The general history of scarification does lead to branding however. Different cultures of indigenous tribes used to mark or cut their bodies to create body art. Branding and body markings would be taken by colonizers. On the other hand, we have modern tattooing , and on the other, slave owners used it to assert dominance over their slaves as a symbol of control or as a punishment.
How did we get to this point? This art form has gone from cultural importance to unethical practices that affect slaves and livestock as well as tributes to vocal fried, overexposed celebrities. It’s an extremely wide arc between these two. It could be an idiom of the tattoo and body modification community. Although it is not an addiction, tattooing and body modification are often repeated activities. Very rarely will you see a single person with an image.
Because Davidson is already covered by tattoos (some of which he’s currently in the process of removing) It’s possible that his desire was to take it to the extreme factor in order to prove his devotion. Kardashian talked to Ellen Degeneres about Davidson’s thoughts about branding.
Kardashian said, “I don’t want it to be covered out or remove it, but I wanted it there to scare me.”
Many may view this as cute, however, the process isn’t as precise or as safe as getting a tattoo. It’s more likely to infection and permanently permanent. It is not recommended to make rash decisions in this manner however this is Davidson’s body after all at the end of the day.
