Sell your skin: your body the last bastion of consumerism

What is the alternative to "alternative?"

When "alternative" is no longer "alternative" what then is the alternative?

The human body is the last bastion of consumerism. When you give in to the idea that you need to "alter", "add", "modify" your body with ads, fads and fashion, it becomes consumerism of the human body (tattoos, piercings etc). In turn, you are no longer "alternative" you become the norm.

SO, "normal" is "alternative" and "alternative" is mundane. For my generation and those younger who have been sold on the idea that "body modification" makes you stand out; we should ask, "really?"

I notice that I stand out when in my natural naked state precisely because I do not have any consumerist body-modification-attributes. My skin is without flags of my claim to being "alternative". My skin is advertisement free. I'M NOT saying one is better than the other, just that I PREFER that natural state of the human body.

One could argue that bodybuilding is the same as piercings, tattoos, burns/scars, saline injections etc. But ultimately they are very different. Muscle is a natural state. You can't grow a piercing or grow a tattoo.

Let me clarify though that I think tattoos CAN be sexy if worn in a humble way. Unfortunately most people wear their tattoos etc to create a VENEER of how they would like the world to see them. (which brings up another difference between tattoos and bodybuilding: people who wear tattoos want you to think that they are "bad-ass and alternative". So, does that mean bodybuilders want you to think they are "big and dumb"?) Yes tattoos can be sexy, but for me what MAKES them sexy is the STORY behind them.

Lets face it, "TRIBAL" tattoos are nothing but fashion and fashion tattoos are nothing but a consumerist fad. Ummmm so, what "Tribe" is the tattoo from? The Tribe of Orange County? The Tribe of Spring Break 1998? The Mall Savages tribe? I think Britney's tattoos originate from the Mall Tribe?

A little side information: Recent research from Texas Tech University's Health Sciences Center found the following results:

-about 25% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 30 have a tattoo. They did not include those over 30 in the research. They DID break it down by gender but not sexual orientation or proximity to "fashion zones".

-When asked why they got their tattoo(s) the responses were NOT surprising: "44 percent said it was to feel unique, while 33 percent said it made them feel independent, and 28 percent said it made their life experiences stand out."

Out of the above percentages, YOU tell me which one of those "reasons" holds the most respect. Think about it. Lets make it easy: in place of tattoo, insert Cigarette. Smoking a cigarette makes some people feel UNIQUE and INDEPENDENT...but would you smoke a cigarette or buy the latest jeans in order to make your "life experience stand out"? BINGO. That's what I am talking about. VERY FEW, relatively speaking, get tattoos for a deeper personal meaning. It appears MOST tattoos are done purely based on traditional consumerist programming.

Show me a tattoo with a great story behind it, and my respect will be earned. Purchasing a tattoo out of a book seems funny. How many people are running around with that same tattoo?
Everything we wrap our bodies in, alter our bodies with, adorn our bodies with is CHOSEN in hopes of conveying an elitism or special association. The act of simply OWNING a mirror is an act of supreme vanity which cannot be separated from the idea of being SURROUNDED by mirrors. For where do you draw the line between vain and vain? Looking at yourself in this mirror gives you hopes, ideas, goals etc of APPEARING to the outside world as creator of not who you TRULY are but who you want the world to believe you are.

You literally have to take people at FACE VALUE. I just happen to see no difference between tattoos/body modification and clothing. Both ultimately serve the same purpose. Of course it's very easy to remove your clothes...not so easy to remove tattoos (BUT there is hope! there is a new ink available that is relatively easy to remove. SO it will allow tattoos to be more transient).

I LOVE the natural state of the male body. I LOVE the idea of being TRULY NAKED; without clothing, without consumerist attributes, ads and signage. I love the idea that my spirit will leave my body in the same state in which it entered it: without proof of purchase. What touches me in life touches me inside. Who I am/was in life mattered most INSIDE rather than LITERALLY worn on my sleeve and used as a flag. Ironically, I guess that makes me "alternative".