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The Norwegian national made almost £300,000 ($375k) from a website that amassed 22,841 users who would pay to watch unnecessary surgical procedures. The mastermind behind an extreme body modification ring that carried out "grisly and gruesome" procedures including castrations has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 22 years. Warning: The following article contains graphic details of extreme physical mutilationMarius Gustavson, 46, ran a "lucrative business" sharing images of "dangerous, unnecessary and life-changing surgeries" carried out by people with no medical qualifications, the Old Bailey heard.

The multi-hyphenate daughter of Michael Jackson opted to pair her skin-baring Celine gown with an absence of her signature ink. Viewers of the 2024 Grammys might have noticed that Paris Jackson went for a look that exuded a sleek and chic vibe, and in doing so, the actress and singer-songwriter somehow wasn’t sporting one of her signature elements: her ink. Jackson worked with New York-based Cover FX, the vegan and cruelty-free skincare line, to “erase” her 80-plus body tattoos to create a clean look for the Grammys red carpet. Makeup artists Tyson Fountaine and Paul Blanch worked on Jackson’s body...

The Japanese have added another to their list of bizarre cultural phenomena: bagelheads. "Bagelhead" is a form of extreme body modification that sees saline injected into the forehead causing swelling, after finally being pushed in the middle to form the shape of a bagel (see video below). The Daily Mail said the process takes two hours and the bagel remains indented on the forehead for nearly a day. The body eventually absorbs the saline and the forehead goes back to normal. One client of a Tokyo body modification clinic told the Sun after having a giant needle plunged into her...

This letter to the editor appeared in the Savannah (Ga.) Morning News. The letter is self-explanatory. After you finish reading this there will be no need for any further commentary:Modified community needs civil rights protections Because of my body modifications, including tattoos and piercings, I consider myself to be a member of the modified community. Due to my modifications, I not only have to deal with the daily routine of turned up noses and annoying questions from those without any body modifications, but I have to fight even harder to get a job than someone without any visible modifications.So this...

What does it take for a healthy man to choose to have his testicles removed? Roger Davies is one of a surprising number who have found salvation in castration. Like many sensitive teenagers, Roger Davies felt different from his peers. He wasn’t into sport and abhorred the aggression he saw in other boys. When, at the age of 22, he still hadn’t grown out of his sense of isolation, he took radical action: he travelled to America and underwent castration. “I’m really happy with who I am now,” says the 25-year-old cleaner and caterer from Southport. “I don’t have any...

Allen Falkner likes to tickle his students with thoughts of trauma. "Somebody's skin is going to tear tomorrow," he said. "Hopefully." Falkner, the "Father of Modern Suspension," had gathered 15 students in the back of a San Jose tattoo parlor for a four-day class titled the Art of Human Suspension. The curriculum attracted a lawyer from San Diego, an IT guy from Silicon Valley, two journalists from Mexico City, a state employee from Nebraska and a truck driver from Pennsylvania. For $600 a pop, students were taught how to hang a human body from steel fish hooks, the kind...

The advent of "poke and stick" parties is causing a stir as more of our nation's youth are choosing to have their new tattoo or piercing done by a teenage friend, rather than a professional. Since these parties could be happening in your community, the Pennsylvania Medical Society cautions that this fad not only may violate a new state law, but it also could spread infectious diseases, like HIV and hepatitis. The organization's member doctors recommend that parents and teens carefully consider safety measures to protect themselves from serious health consequences. The ancient arts of tattooing and body piercing appear...

DOES THIS LOOK PAINFUL?: Adam Aries spins while attached by a metal beam and hooks through the skin of his back to another person during the Suspension Convention in Providence, USA. Reuters PROVIDENCE: Tony Troiano grimaced as he was lifted off the floor by giant fishhooks pierced through the skin on his shoulders. Within minutes, he started to spin, swing his feet and declare the painful experience "the greatest thing" ever. "I was on Cloud Nine," the Wethersfield, Connecticut teenager said as he joined fellow body suspension practitioners at an annual convention over the weekend. "It was euphoric. It was...

I remember when elephant bell bottoms were the craze..

WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) - A woman who was fired by Costco in 2001 for refusing to remove her eyebrow ring has accused the company of religious discrimination, saying she is a member of the Church of Body Modification. Kimberly M. Cloutier said she wears her eyebrow ring as a sign of faith. She has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to consider hearing the case. The church, established in 1999, counts about 1,000 members who participate in practices such as piercing and tattooing, according to a December ruling by the First Circuit Court of Appeals, which upheld a trial judge's...

Here's the first of an amazing series of photos, audio and video files taken at the San Francisco Anarchist Bookfair by "Zombie". The entire series can be seen here.WARNING: Several of the images and files on the page -- especially the sixth image from the top -- are highly work-unfriendly, and might disturb Freepers not used to the open-air freak show that is San Francisco "alternative culture." Proceed with caution!

MIAMI (Reuters) - Law enforcement officials in the Florida Keys are mystified by a bizarre new pastime -- young people dangling themselves from meat hooks on a popular sandbar.