Body Modification How to Deal With Body Modif Antagonists Although body modifications of all types have become very popular all over the world and in various different societies and cultures in modern times, there are still some people who are in the dark about things like tattoos, stretched ears, dermal implants and brands. These people don’t always mean to antagonize you when they make their invasive comments. Nevertheless, their commentary may always come out sounding ignorant or just plain rude. It’s inevitable that you may run into some such people at least once in your life, so it’s good to prepare yourself for the awkward situation. Instead of getting angry and making the awkward encounter even worse than it is. Urbanbodyjewelry.com advise you try some of the following approaches to mitigate the tension. 1. “Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” –Mark Twain Sometimes kindness in the face of snarky commentary can be the best way to go. Not only will this prevent the inevitable inflating back and forth rudeness that usually comes when a negative response is used to deal with a derogatory comment, it will also make you feel better in the future. Think about it, would you rather play into your offender’s trap by doing what he or she expects you to do (respond with meanness?), or would you rather do something that will throw the other person off guard, make you look like the better individual, and at the same time prevent further nastiness? It’s your pick, but kindness does seem like the smarter option. 2. “A day without laughter is a day wasted.” - Charlie Chaplin Humor can often offer a great solution to a great many problems. If a situation gets awkward, use a bit of humor to deflate the tension and create a better atmosphere for both you and the other person. Use some creativity and make up a joke. “Did that hurt?” can be replied to with something along the lines of, “No, it felt like a Swedish massage.” If your jokes are good enough, or if your personalities match up, you may even make a couple of friends thanks to your humor. 3. “Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.” -Norman Vincent Peale What happens if someone comes up to you makes a really rude personal statement regarding your body modifications? It’s obvious you’d probably feel hurt, but you’d also likely be tempted to slap the person in the face. Well, that’s never something you should do! Instead, try a witty comeback that’s equally as personal as the insult had been. “How will you ever get a job looking like that?” can be responded to with “My boss cares more about my intelligence and talents than about how I look.” “What does your mother think about those tattoos?” can be settled with, “My mother thinks that showing confidence through tattoos is better than showing none at all.” Try to stay realistic, so you don’t have to make up too many fake responses. Honesty and confidence in yourself and your decision about modifying your body to look the way you want are key things to a clever response to an offensive personal comment. Use your creativity and wit to come out as the better person when faced with a mean or nasty individual. It will make you feel better both about the situation at hand and about yourself.