Citation

Grognard C. Gynecol. Obstet. Fertil. 2006; 34(1): 41-43.

Vernacular Title

Tatouage, piercing: decoration? Decorporation? Denaturation du corps ou retour au

Affiliation

Cabinet médical, dermatologie, 23, rue de Saint-Pétersbourg, 75008 Paris, France. catherine.grognard@wanadoo.fr

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.gyobfe.2005.11.006

PMID

16414301

Abstract

Tatoos and piercing, though they might appear as something like a trend, if not a craze, remain for a majority minority and even fringe practices. For the adolescent, questing for his identity (no more a child, not yet an adult), the tegmental sign is a way of engraving in the flesh dramatic events of his existence. The body mark is a search for independence, a symbolic attainment of self-reliance, a way of severing the umbilical cord and of asserting oneself. In face of a life no longer under control, the body is an object at hand, on which self-will is almost unbridled... These body modifications testify to change.

Language: fr