Excitement flooded through his veins, he was finally getting his ears pierced, and he knew he could take the pain. He wasn’t nervous – no anxiety, he was ready.

“If I have tattoos all over me, that doesn’t mean I’m a cold-hearted person or am less capable of completing a task, maybe I just like the colors,” senior Ryan Gardner said.

Gardner believes that despite a person’s body modifications, people share the same ability to complete a certain task. He also thinks it does not call for assumptions of one’s personality. His current judgment is that one should alter their body in whatever way they see fit.

While faculty member Fotenopulos has an overall neutral opinion on body modification, there are still some facets he thinks to have detrimental effects, depending on the work force you go into and the influence the alterations have.

“I think the spark of body modification is probably more negative just because it is so lasting. Moods change, ideas change, people change, their belief systems alter throughout their lifetime,” administrator Mike Fotenopulos said.

Sophomore Catherine Hornor resembles Fotenopulos’ view on body modifications. Because it is a permanent marking displayed on your body, they meet in the middle upon agreeing that it is more difficult to find a steady job that will accept you.

“I think body modifications have some positive and some negative effects., The positive side expresses the creativity in yourself, but the negative is that it’s hard to get a job and be respected as you get older,” Hornor said.

Junior Drew Winters’ current opinion is that people shouldn’t be judged off of their modifications, nor should it affect what career they wish to pursue.

“I think the spark of body modification popularity is a positive influence on people. By being more open to alternative appearances, you are also becoming more open to anybody who looks different, whether it’s a disability, another race, or anything. Body modifications are rapidly becoming the norm and I do not thinks it’s relevant discriminate against people for stuff like that,” Winters said.

Evidently, the standpoints on body modification and the effects that come with them are diverse and similar in their own ways. It’s a form of art that decorates and occupies your body until you cease to take up space on this planet. Modifying one’s body in such ways as having the needle ink your skin or pierce your ear can affect you in numerous ways. Some of these ways might be the way people perceive you or your potential career. Individuals hold different standpoints on the idea of changing one’s body and whether the effects are worth it or not.