Body Piercings, Adornment and Modification as a Rite of Passage
Body piercings, tattoos, & modifications can serve as more than aesthetics— many times, they’re rites of passage.
By Oraibi
As humans, we are continually going through the cycle of Life/Death/Life. In every cycle, there is a movement from one state of being to another. This state could be physical, social, psychological, spiritual, emotional, or financial. Although these transitions are observed differently across cultures, they are universally acknowledged through rituals—parties, thanksgiving, funerals, baby showers, etc. The transitions may stand alone or combine with others; for instance, the development of breasts and onset of menstruation in teenage girls is at once a physiological, psychological, and emotional transition. The rituals or events that mark the occurrence of these transitions are what is referred to as rites of passage.
Rites of passage are characterized by three key features:
Separation, transition and return: The individual experiences a change that leads to a separation from the familiar. During this period, the individual encounters a trial of sorts: a night of soul that leads to “death”. This is followed by triumph, a realization, or new growth, and the return to society. For an adolescent girl, the onset of menstruation marks the end of her childhood; she becomes knowledgeable about personal hygiene for menstruation, her cycles, and abstaining from relationships with men. She rejoins society as a “young lady”, more knowledgeable about her body. Similarly, in ancient Kenya, among the Kikuyu tribe, adolescent boys were separated into the forest to undergo training, trials, and cleansing in preparation for their circumcision. The circumcision marked their ascent into manhood and earned them a building in the compound, along with the ability to sit with the older men and have relationships with women.
Performance: Following the completion of the transition, a performance is required to signal to the individual and society that a transition has been made. In this performance, the individual enacts their new role, informing all witnesses of the transition being made. In southern Nigeria, among the Ijaw tribe, young brides are paraded around the village en route to the groom's house accompanied by family, friends, and neighbors with their luggage, food, and gifts for their in-laws. In this instance, the bride makes a performance of her transition from singlehood to being a married woman. The story of Jesus in the bible also reflects this key feature—after spending 40 days and nights in the desert, his return to society is marked by the miracles he begins to perform.
An audience to witness: For rites of passage to be complete, collective recognition of the personal transformation needs to occur. It is the audience that gives legitimacy to the performance and then accords the performer the regard demanded by the new status earned. In certain parts of Nigeria, a widow would have to shave her hair off to symbolize the death of her husband. She will also have to wear a certain color (white in some cases, black in others) for a year. During this time, she is not to attend social functions and everyone in society is accepting of her gaffes; it is chucked up to grief. Once the grieving is completed, she can adorn other colors, grow out her hair, and rejoin society.
As globalization transforms our world into an interconnected village, the intentional performance of traditional rites has been systematically modified, diluted, or completely eroded. For those rituals that persist, their significance and deeper understanding now elude bohuman experience. The primal need to perform and mark transitions still resonates within us, manifesting in contemporary contexts. A relatable example is our persistent urge to mark milestone birthdays with ritualistic celebrations—cakes, social gatherings, partying, being surrounded by friends, exchanging gifts, or embarking on special trips—all unconsciously fulfilling the need to acknowledge and participate in a rite.
According to Freud, the thoughts and emotions that exist outside of our awareness influence our behaviors, even though we are unaware (unconscious) of these underlying influences. Though we might remain intellectually unaware, we continue instinctively marking our life's significant transitions through our modern, personalized rites of passage.
I became vaguely aware of the unconscious way I was carrying out rites of passage after watching a documentary about post-war culture in Northern Nigeria. The soldiers had to undergo cleansing where blood was let out from their heads to rid them of trauma from the war, remove "bad blood", and renew their spells and protection. In exploring the rite’s features, I came to associate the act of body piercings, tattooing, and body modification as rites of passage.
This realization set me down a rabbit hole where I found historical evidence to support this theory. For instance, the Polynesian peoples (Haiti, Samoa, Niueans, Tongans, Cook Islanders) would get tattoos called “Tatau” to mark the coming of age into sexual maturity for women and to mark the man's readiness to take responsibility for a household or the village. A status symbol of sorts, the tattoos were given in a ritual paired with a village-wide celebration consisting of singing, dancing, and chanting. The symbols chosen were sacred, sometimes to reflect a family totem, a person's spirit guide, or the status they now held in the village. A family could also be distinguished by their choice of tattoos.
I began to tie this historical practice to modern day practices by asking women who have adorned their bodies with tattoos, "What does this mean", "When did you get it", "Why did you get it?" I was searching for the pattern of separation-transition-return, and I have come to always find it. Even when she said it meant nothing, the events leading up to it became proof that these weren't simple aesthetic choices, but complex psychological events manifesting physically, and each tattoo was a ritual performance that meant something.
In between these meanings, I have come to find an even deeper symbolism for women—a discovery of self and celebration of selfhood, the reclamation of our bodies, an initiation into the "wild women" gang characterized by body modification, adornment, and piercings. My friend Amaka's story illustrates this perfectly. She placed a mini anchor tattoo on her feet after leaving a small city and moving to a bigger one. She realized she was her own home and engraved this understanding onto her skin. Shortly after, her life as a travel blogger began. She had psychologically found freedom, enacted her rite and claimed status in the world, with the growth of her career as evidence.
On Body Modification
In Ancient Ethiopia and some Sudanese cultures, lip plates and stretching were practiced as a rite of passage. Mothers made incisions on their daughter's lips and began the process of lip plating when they reached the age of 15/16 and were deemed fertile and ready for marriage. The plates were said to improve the identity, beauty, and worth of the child before marriage. As the girl grew older, she could decide on her style for ear stretching and body scarring. Rather than alienating the women from society, the “designs” were regarded as enhancing beauty and clanship. While I find these forms of body modifications jarring and wonder what form of patriarchal and colonialist norms led to this practice for women, this societal norm became the means through which young women individuated. This practice aligns with the experience of an older friend of mine—MM, a queer woman who recently migrated out of Africa. The first manifestation of her relief to be living out of the closet was a 3-way nose piercing and stretching plates in her ears; she individuated and unconsciously marked this transition with body modification.
On Piercings
Although I have built my premise from limited observations, a consistent narrative emerges: body piercings, tattooing, and modification have been profound historical tools for individuals to negotiate identity, freedom, and self-expression.
In the Ayurvedic belief system, the nose is viewed as intrinsically connected to reproductive organs, and piercings were believed to enhance the activity of Ida and Pingala energy channels. It was believed that piercing the left nose would alleviate menstrual pain and facilitate easier childbirth, and imbue women with more feminine qualities. Thus, young women of marriageable age in ancient India would adorn nose piercings symbolizing a sacred transition into womanhood and reverence to Goddess Parvati—the divine feminine embodiment of marriage often depicted adorned with a nose ring. Similarly, among the Berber and Bedouin cultures of North Africa and the Middle East, piercings transcended mere aesthetic practice, serving as spiritual protection. They believed Jinns—supernatural entities—deeply despised metal, so ear piercings acted as barriers, preventing these spirits from entering the body through those specific points. Within their marriage traditions, a gold ring gifted by the groom became a symbol of economic and relational security. Upon divorce, a woman could sell this ring, transforming it into her financial settlement—a form of economic autonomy embedded in a cultural practice.
As my friend Roselia delved deeper into her feminist consciousness and explored her sexuality, her need for self-expression intensified. Her double nose piercings emerged as the first manifestation of her rite of passage, symbolically marking her leaning into “self” and balancing of both feminine and masculine energies within her. I recognized her rite through the guided stories from Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype (Book by Clarissa Pinkola Estés). The placement of the rings when pierced are symbolic, the ears are pierced when intuition and the need to listen to messages from self are heightened, the nose when feminine qualities are being embraced, the lips when said person is involved in advocacy and speaking life, the navel when creative and sexual energy is being constantly carried and transmuted—all serving to protect, reclaim and adorn that part.
So what?
Body Piercings, Adornment and Modification are radical, sacred acts of reclaiming, marking, and owning oneself—an intentional declaration that your body is YOURS. For some, these modifications are deliberate markers of transition—a sacred bloodletting, a spiritual guarding of body parts. For others, the process remains beautifully subconscious, a cellular memory speaking through scars and ink.
Pause and explore your body's narrative. Where were you when each piercing and each tattoo found its way onto your skin? What unspoken rite did you unconsciously commemorate? How can you SHOW UP MORE consciously when performing your rites of passage?
Consider the witnesses to your transformations. Sometimes there are many—like when I got tattoos with friends, celebrating afterward with palm wine, music, and beer. Other times, the audience is intimate—my friend Charmy holding me through my rib tattoo, playing soothing music, talking me through the pain, followed by a quiet, reflective lunch—another unconscious ritual of passage. How can you ensure you have the right audience that understands and mindfully partakes in the ritual being performed?
An Ode
I've encountered countless women—young, middle-aged, and older—who whisper, "I love your [insert body adornment / modification], but I could never get it. My mother/husband/boss would never permit it." In these moments, I recognize they have not yet awakened to their bodily sovereignty so I remain silent, respecting their journey.
This part is for you: you who yearns to reclaim your body but feels afraid.
If you find yourself on the precipice of change, feeling an inexplicable urge to shave your hair, get a piercing, a tattoo, or color your hair—pause—breathe deeply, and ask yourself:
What journey have I traversed?
What rite of passage is my body demanding to enact?
Do not shrink from societal constructs or ideological judgments that seek to shame women that have adorned, pierced, modified or tattooed their bodies. Instead, turn inward and listen to your inner witness. It will bring you into the knowing that it transcends "good" or "bad"—it is a sacred act of becoming, a manifestation of inner transitions demanding external expression.
If and when you choose to mark your passage, may you do so with consciousness, and may your ritual be intentional, witnessed, and deeply honored.