A graduating college senior realizes she cannot attend graduation in person. She decides to get a tattoo of a newly emerged butterfly instead, after she turns in her last college paper. Given the following choices, what term best describes the kind of body decoration/modification she engages in?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The term "performative" refers to body decoration or modification that is done to perform a particular identity or to mark a life transition or milestone, which is exactly what the college senior is doing with her butterfly tattoo. The other choices do not fit the scenario as well - stigmatizing refers to body decoration that carries negative connotations or is intended to ostracize, imposed refers to body decoration that is forcibly applied, protective refers to body decoration that serves a protective function (such as a tattoo to identify a medical condition), and liminal refers to body decoration that is used to mark a transition between different life stages or statuses.

A Graduating College Senior Realizes She Cannot Attend Graduation in Person