Most of us are familiar with our bagels: blueberry bagels, chocolate bagels … but saline bagels? If you’ve already been visually scarred by the photos running rampant on Facebook, then you’re familiar with the Asian trend that has people around the Western Hemisphere cringing in horror.
The bizarre cosmetic procedure gained considerable buzz when National Geographic’s Taboo series did a special segment in Tokyo. The show followed three people who opted to participate in the fad — “bagel heads.”
According to The Huffington Post, “The procedure begins with a technician who inserts a needle into the forehead that injects 400 cc of saline to create a forehead-sized blob, followed by a practitioner who sticks her thumb into the blob to create the indentation.”
However, the question still remains: Who the hell would do this to themselves for no apparent reason? I can’t answer that for you, mainly because I’m not a psychotic and also because I’m allergic to bagels.
Nonetheless, I can tell you their reasoning — art. It’s supposedly all part of the Japanese “body modification” scene, said The Huffington Post.
It might seem as though this trend is new in the Asian art scene, but it’s actually been around for several years.
I will admit I’ve always been ignorant to art. Where everyone sees pain, suffering and tragedy, I see a metal sculpture that looks like it just came from a scrapyard.
But in my defense, I know I can’t possibly be the only one who is missing the “artistic” vibe here. These people look like they’ve just taken a Chris Brown blow to the face.
I’m all for people expressing themselves, but this isn’t exactly getting fresh ink or putting feathers in your hair. I have an entire nighttime regime dedicated to avoiding bumps on my face and these people are actually dishing out cash to look like Rihanna post-VMAs.
For all of you who are absolutely mortified, rest assured that the “bagel head” fades after about sixteen hours once your body absorbs the saline. However, this procedure will most certainly stretch the face’s skin, almost always requiring Botox later in life.
To each his own I suppose, but why go through all the trouble of “bagel head” if it doesn’t even last a whole day? That’s like getting a tattoo and having it fade before you could show anyone.
As much as I don’t understand “bagel head,” I want to be open-minded, understanding that we don’t exactly have the most normal trends in America.
Dare I remind everyone of gauges and eyebrow piercings? I mean, the Asian culture must look at our hipsters and shake their heads with disgust.
I can’t knock “bagel heads” when my country has seemed to have bred the most concerning trendsetter on the face of the earth: Lady Gaga.
Don’t worry little monsters, I won’t even get into that whack job, but just know we need to be wary of these things before we start blogging away on social media.
Casey Compernolle is a junior studying journalism and a columnist for The Post. Are you a bagel head? Email her at cc150709@ohiou.edu.
