BME (website)
Encyclopedia
Body Modification Ezine is an online magazine
devoted to body modification, noted for its coverage of the extreme and fringes of body modification and erotic body play.
BME chronicles the current and historical body modification
world internationally; covering tattoo
ing, piercing, suspension
, ritual scarification
, and similar acts in its public sections. It also has a members' area (accessible by membership purchase or free access in trade for submissions) called BME/extreme which focuses on implant
s, amputation
, eunuch
s, subincision
, saline inflation
, silicone
, and other heavy body transformations, as well as an adults-only area called BME/hard which covers the erotic application of these modifications and acts, including cock and ball torture (CBT) as featured in the hoax
video BME Pain Olympics: Final Round.
on December 6, 1994 by Shannon Larratt
and is the first body modification website and is by far the largest (with hundreds of thousands of unique images and stories). It covers a full spectrum of body modification (rather than being limited to only tattoos for example). BME offers evidence to counter many myths about body modification and the body modification community, and has many FAQ
s and an online wiki
encyclopedia that includes documentation of risks and safety information.
BME was expanded in 2000 by the addition of IAM.BMEzine, an online community
, which hosts blog
s specifically for members of the body-modification community. Users are able to view profiles and diary entries of other users, as well as participate in forums
and chats with other members.
In late 2005, BME added both a video sister site, BMEvideo and a body modification blog, Modblog.BMEzine.com.
The site often publishes hoax articles each year on April Fools' Day
.
Both Shannon and Rachel Larratt have cameo appearances in the Kevin Smith
feature Clerks II
.
On May 14, 2008 Shannon Larratt posted onto ModBlog that he would no longer be an employee of BME.
s where they can meet with one another. Historically, the largest of these BBQs, known as BMEFest, were held in or around Toronto
, Ontario
and generally on Canada Day
with hundreds of participants. The festivities of BMEFest almost always include suspensions, fireworks, Pain Olympics
, grilled food both vegan
and otherwise, and there is usually a commemorative T-shirt
for each event. It is generally free to attend but it is encouraged to sign up ahead of time and may be exclusive to a private group.
, torture
, and other adult content. It was banned by Germany's Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien
in 1999 as a "danger to the youth" because BME did not include age verification or an entrance page warning users of potential adult content. In December 2005, the German agency forced Google
to remove the site from search results returned by
Shannon Larratt writes in:
Online magazine
An online magazine shares some features with a blog and also with online newspapers, but can usually be distinguished by its approach to editorial control...
devoted to body modification, noted for its coverage of the extreme and fringes of body modification and erotic body play.
BME chronicles the current and historical body modification
Body modification
Body modification is the deliberate altering of the human body for any non-medical reason, such as aesthetics, sexual enhancement, a rite of passage, religious reasons, to display group membership or affiliation, to create body art, shock value, or self expression...
world internationally; covering tattoo
Tattoo
A tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...
ing, piercing, suspension
Suspension (body modification)
A suspension is the act of suspending a human body from hooks that have been put through body piercings. These piercings are temporary and are performed just prior to the actual suspension.- Method :...
, ritual scarification
Scarification
Scarifying involves scratching, etching, burning, or superficially cutting designs, pictures, or words into the skin as a permanent body modification.In the process of body scarification, scars are formed by cutting or branding the skin...
, and similar acts in its public sections. It also has a members' area (accessible by membership purchase or free access in trade for submissions) called BME/extreme which focuses on implant
Implant (body modification)
In body modification, an implant is a device placed under the human skin for decorative purposes. Such implants may be subdermal or transdermal...
s, amputation
Amputation
Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for...
, eunuch
Eunuch
A eunuch is a person born male most commonly castrated, typically early enough in his life for this change to have major hormonal consequences...
s, subincision
Subincision
Penile subincision is a form of body modification consisting of a urethrotomy, in which the underside of the penis is incised and the urethra slit open lengthwise, from the urethral opening toward the base...
, saline inflation
Tissue expansion
Tissue expansion is a technique used by plastic and restorative surgeons to cause the body to grow additional skin, bone or other tissues.-Skin expansion:...
, silicone
Silicone
Silicones are inert, synthetic compounds with a variety of forms and uses. Typically heat-resistant and rubber-like, they are used in sealants, adhesives, lubricants, medical applications , cookware, and insulation....
, and other heavy body transformations, as well as an adults-only area called BME/hard which covers the erotic application of these modifications and acts, including cock and ball torture (CBT) as featured in the hoax
Hoax
A hoax is a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as truth. It is distinguishable from errors in observation or judgment, or rumors, urban legends, pseudosciences or April Fools' Day events that are passed along in good faith by believers or as jokes.-Definition:The British...
video BME Pain Olympics: Final Round.
History and content
BME was started as a web site hosted at Internex OnlineInternex online
Internex Online, usually known as io.org, was the first consumer dial-up ISP in Canada, formed by the merger of r-node and zooid BBS, two Bulletin board system and Usenet/uucp systems, in early 1993...
on December 6, 1994 by Shannon Larratt
Shannon Larratt
Shannon Larratt is the creator and former editor and publisher of BMEzine. It is the oldest and largest body modification website on the internet, as well as the companion online community site IAM.BMEzine.com. He has also published several books, including the ModCon book...
and is the first body modification website and is by far the largest (with hundreds of thousands of unique images and stories). It covers a full spectrum of body modification (rather than being limited to only tattoos for example). BME offers evidence to counter many myths about body modification and the body modification community, and has many FAQ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions are listed questions and answers, all supposed to be commonly asked in some context, and pertaining to a particular topic. "FAQ" is usually pronounced as an initialism rather than an acronym, but an acronym form does exist. Since the acronym FAQ originated in textual...
s and an online wiki
Wiki
A wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Examples include...
encyclopedia that includes documentation of risks and safety information.
BME was expanded in 2000 by the addition of IAM.BMEzine, an online community
Online community
An online community is a virtual community that exists online and whose members enable its existence through taking part in membership ritual. An online community can take the form of an information system where anyone can post content, such as a Bulletin board system or one where only a restricted...
, which hosts blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
s specifically for members of the body-modification community. Users are able to view profiles and diary entries of other users, as well as participate in forums
Internet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
and chats with other members.
In late 2005, BME added both a video sister site, BMEvideo and a body modification blog, Modblog.BMEzine.com.
The site often publishes hoax articles each year on April Fools' Day
April Fools' Day
April Fools' Day is celebrated in different countries around the world on April 1 every year. Sometimes referred to as All Fools' Day, April 1 is not a national holiday, but is widely recognized and celebrated as a day when many people play all kinds of jokes and foolishness...
.
Both Shannon and Rachel Larratt have cameo appearances in the Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, actor, film producer, and director, as well as a popular comic book writer, author, comedian/raconteur, and internet radio personality best recognized by viewers as Silent Bob...
feature Clerks II
Clerks II
Clerks II is a 2006 American comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, sequel to his 1994 film Clerks, and his sixth and latest feature film to be set in the View Askewniverse...
.
On May 14, 2008 Shannon Larratt posted onto ModBlog that he would no longer be an employee of BME.
BME BBQs
Patrons of the BME website and its IAM community have often gathered for barbecueBarbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
s where they can meet with one another. Historically, the largest of these BBQs, known as BMEFest, were held in or around Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and generally on Canada Day
Canada Day
Canada Day , formerly Dominion Day , is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act , which united three British colonies into a single country, called Canada, within the British Empire...
with hundreds of participants. The festivities of BMEFest almost always include suspensions, fireworks, Pain Olympics
Pain Olympics
The Pain Olympics or BME Pain Olympics, is one of the events that occasionally occurs at BME BBQs, especially BMEFest. It is not endorsed in any way by the IOC but merely a contest to see who has the highest pain tolerance and stamina where the contestants come from a group of familiar people...
, grilled food both vegan
Veganism
Veganism is the practice of eliminating the use of animal products. Ethical vegans reject the commodity status of animals and the use of animal products for any purpose, while dietary vegans or strict vegetarians eliminate them from their diet only...
and otherwise, and there is usually a commemorative T-shirt
T-shirt
A T-shirt is a style of shirt. A T-shirt is buttonless and collarless, with short sleeves and frequently a round neck line....
for each event. It is generally free to attend but it is encouraged to sign up ahead of time and may be exclusive to a private group.
Censorship
The BME site is blocked by many Internet filtering services intended to protect children (and workplaces), for reasons such as nudityNudity
Nudity is the state of wearing no clothing. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic. The amount of clothing worn depends on functional considerations and social considerations...
, torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
, and other adult content. It was banned by Germany's Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien
Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien
The Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons is an upper-level German federal agency subordinate to the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. It is responsible for examining media works allegedly harmful to young people and entering these onto an...
in 1999 as a "danger to the youth" because BME did not include age verification or an entrance page warning users of potential adult content. In December 2005, the German agency forced Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
to remove the site from search results returned by
www.google.de.Shannon Larratt writes in:
- When Germany came after BME for "endangering the youth" and demanded that I make changes to the site to comply with German law, my response was to simply not visit Germany again (and I'm a German citizen). When the US started to pressure us, we moved all of our servers and presence out of the country and backed off on plans to live in the US. No changes were ever made to the site, and no images were ever removed — if anything, the pressure made me push those areas even more.
External links
- BMEzine.com BME
- BMEvideo.com BME's video site
- IAM.BMEzine.com BME's community site
- ModBlog.BMEzine.com BME's daily modification blog
- 411.BMEzine.com BME's Tattoo & Piercing shop directory
- Ask.BMEzine.com BME's Question & Answer Site
- The BME Encyclopedia (wikiWikiA wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Examples include...
based) - Interview with Shannon Larratt of BMEzine - small WORLD Podcast 2006