It seems as if everyone has a picture in their head about who IS and who IS NOT the type to get piercings and tattoos. I think much of the discrimination that we as pierced and possibly tattooed people receive, is because of the assumptions made about who we are. Lets start with me. If I say that I have a labret and stretched earlobes (0g), you get a vague picture in your head of what I look like. If I say that I have tattoos- a ½ sleeve on one arm and a full sleeve on the other, my right calf is tattooed and I have a back piece started, you get a clearer picture of who you think I am. Now add that I am a student at the local college taking Jewelry metalsmithing, still pretty much the same? O.K., now add that I am a female. Did the picture change? Is it still pretty much what you would expect? One more thing, I'm a GRANDMOTHER.

Yep that's right, I am a pierced and tattooed Granny. I have been pierced and tattooed for about six years. I was a corporate wife for twenty before I decided to really live and ran away. I am sometimes surprised by the hostility that I feel from folks my own age. I still feel like the same old me, yet I have been subject to all sorts of discrimination and down right nasty behavior in public places. I'm sure none of you in this community will be surprised to hear this, what is surprising, at least to me, is the rudeness and hostility I have sometimes encountered in the alternative community.

The alternative community is not really a community at all, I have found. It seems as if we should be able to find solace with "our own", but what is "Us"? The very idea that there is an "Us" adds fuel to the already overloaded discrimination crap that is foist upon young, old, tattooed, pierced & any one else who does not conform to the media's image of who "We" should be. Almost all of us are guilty of some sort of discrimination, at least in our own thoughts. The other day I was behind an older woman at in a left turn bay, she was really slow off the line and I yelled "Let's go, Granny!"- pretty funny when I remembered that I was a granny, too.

Maybe we can ease the discrimination problem by not being discriminatory ourselves. The next time some "suit", "geek", "thrasher", "old fart" or "young punk" annoys you, try and see them in your own image and that could go a ways in creating an accepting atmosphere in a pretty angry and fearful world.

We at Tribalectic would like to thank Anna for her contributions to the Tribalectic Pierced Community, and would like to congratulate her for earning a $30 gift certificate for her written work. If any of you are interested in earning a $30 Tribalectic gift certificate, submit articles, pictures, and other artistic media to onlinemag@tribalectic.com, or click here to learn more. We encourage all of you to participate in Tribalectic's online magazine, and Behold the Body Piercing Revolution…

February's featured jeweler of the month is Ainslie Heilich from Custom Plugs. Ainslie, currenty pursuing her BFA at Virginia Commonwealth University recently sat down with us to discuss the future of body jewelry.

How long have you been involved in the art of making jewelry?

I started making jewelry almost two years ago when I was stretching my ears. It was too expensive for me to be stretch and have to spend $30 and up each time for a new pair of CBRs or plugs. Instead, I made my plugs out of coffee straws and eventually out of soda straws. Searching for straws that were of the proper diameter for the stretch became a major part of the stretching process for me.

How did you start making your own jewelry and why?

When I was done stretching I realized that I really didn't like too much of the jewelry on the market and there were few options for unique pieces in a reasonable price range. I started making my own plugs out of stone beads and it came to me that maybe other people would also like plugs make out of materials other than the popular steel and acrylic.

What is your favorite material to work with?

At the moment wood. I have a Minor in Woodworking and Furniture Design so using wood was a natural for me. It is a wonderful material that really works well with the body in this symbiotic relationship where the wood absorbs the body oils thus eliminating the plug smell many experience. Also, by absorbing these body oils the wood stays smooth and doesn't dry out. I like this concept because for each person the jewelry truly becomes a part of them.

What is your company's most popular jewelry?

It is a toss up between the double flared wooden tunnels and the bone talons. They are both very popular.

Do you have any piercings? If so, which is your favorite?

I have 0g plugs in each ear and an 18g second hole in my right ear that I did myself back in high school.

What are your major interests besides manufacturing/designing jewelry?

I love road cycling. It is like flying. I also enjoy making art, studying art, and playing/listening to music.

Where do you see the body jewelry industry heading over the next 5-10 years?

I believe that the industry will become much more respected (along with piercings) in the next 5-10 years as the Gen X'ers gain more prominence in society. Just the gains in acceptance and popularity in the past 5 years are amazing. I think that with this growing trend that the jewelry will evolve, and is evolving. It is being taken more seriously, too. I am seeing some wonderful jewelry out there made from steel that truly should be in a jewelry store and maybe someday it will be. I went to a store in the East Village in NYC that sold mostly larger gauge jewelry and it was all unique and handcrafted, and it was all beautiful. It really blew me away that there was this store that sold such unique body jewelry (they also did piercings and such there too). So, if a store like this can thrive in NYC then I am sure we will see more and more like it in the next few years all over the place as more people get turned onto more unique pieces as they tire of the commonplace jewelry that is available everywhere.

Ainslie Heilich currently resides in Richmond, Virginia where she is completing her BFA at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Yeah. What the phuck is Tribalectic? Grammatically, it's the fusion between the universal nature of the tribal and the powerful expression of dialectic-the place where all communication originates. Linguistically, it's the symbol one uses to convey the evolutionary merger between humankind's tribal and technological characteristics.

Humankind is becoming immersed in all types of technological goodies. We've got cell phones, computers, DVDs, electronic music, email, the Internet, and tons more. Consequently, the primal nature of who and what we are is quickly evolving into something technologically enhanced.

There's still something to say, however, about tech-less items and activities-about the bare truth of what we are: intelligent animals. With all this technology permeating our daily lives we slowly lose touch with the enigmatic essence of exercise, fresh air, and face-to-face contact.

As our society faces a crossroads leading us to the next evolutionary stage of our existence, we will soon have to choose how much, and for what reasons, we will allow technology to assist our lives. I, on one hand, believe that technology is an extraordinary tool that our species will use to better this experience we call 'life'. On the other hand, there are those who believe technology should become the centerpiece of "progress" (and what the hell is "progress" anyhow?).

As I sit here on the beach with my laptop, I envision a future where people will be very spiritual and naturalist while still benefiting from, and not over-indulging in, technology. I see a globally connected society in which we can all communicate and empower one another to live more independently and free. I see the post-post modern human dividing his or her day between learning, laboring, exercising, creating, meditating, socializing, and enjoying multiple forms of entertainment.

This post-post modern human, the Millennial Renaissance Person, will also embody high ideals of honor and respect. As our globe becomes more connected we will have the opportunity to find and apply the greatest aspects of each nations' cultures. Slowly but surely, humans will have the technological means with which to appreciate the advantages and beauties of foreign cultures, in turn, creating the first-ever global society.

Conversely, if we choose a more technologically gluttonous lifestyle, certain facets of what we are will surely disappear. This is one of the reasons I believe body piercing has become so popular with humans. Body piercing can express many things to each person, but the one thing that remains universal is the primal characteristics the experience offers. And this connection to the root of what we are is something spiritual and divine.

So, as we begin to set precedence for the millennium's new culture I look forward to seeing more ornate and expressive people-more people reflecting their inside on the outside. I look forward to seeing more people encouraging body piercing as a tribal rite of passage-a way to fully fuse our technological evolution with our primitive nature. And in this fusion we will embody the enlightened understanding of who and what we truly are: one tribe communicating in the form of tribalectic.