# Body Piercer interview-Brandon Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mvtrg3863xY Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/Mvtrg3863xY Generated: 2025-12-02T11:05:30.805+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview Body piercer Brandon from Los Angeles, who grew up in Kentucky, discusses how his body modifications, including subdermal implants and tattoos, are a form of rebellion against the conservative religious upbringing he experienced, which he now views as a source of hurt and a skewed perception of God, though he doesn't regret the modifications themselves. **Key Points:** - Brandon, a body piercer from Los Angeles, grew up in Northeastern Kentucky where his father was in the military, leading to an unstable childhood. - His childhood environment, shaped by conservative religious views, fostered a feeling of being unwanted and unable to control his own body, leading to rebellion. - He joined the US Coast Guard after high school but left after two years, realizing that law enforcement was not for him. - He has subdermal implants on his forehead, described as similar to breast implants but not as deep, and a tattoo of his children's names on his chest. - He attributes his early body modifications, like getting his eyebrows surgically removed, as a way to gain internal control over his body when external control was absent. - He notes that while he loves his children dearly, his mother's mental health issues and favoritism towards his sister caused significant hurt. - He is now focused on living with gratitude and working through past issues rather than regretting his body modifications. ![Screenshot at 00:01: Brandon, a man with prominent subdermal implants on his forehead and extensive tattoos, sits in a chair against a mottled green and brown backdrop, beginning his interview discussion about his life experiences.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/Mvtrg3863xY/00-00-01.png) **Context:** This is an interview segment featuring Brandon, a body piercer based in Los Angeles, as part of the 'Soft White Underbelly' series by Mark Laita. Brandon recounts his challenging childhood in Kentucky, influenced by a religious environment and parental instability, which shaped his path toward body modification as a means of asserting self-control. He discusses specific modifications, his relationship with his parents, and his current perspective on his life and choices. ## Detailed Analysis Brandon, a body piercer in Los Angeles, details his challenging upbringing in Northeastern Kentucky, marked by his father's military career leading to instability and frequent moves. He describes his childhood as confusing and filled with feelings of being unwanted, largely due to the conservative religious environment imposed by his grandparents, who raised him after his mother lost custody. He notes that his grandmother, a devout Christian, portrayed a harsh image of God, which caused him to hate religion and instilled a feeling of needing external control. This feeling of lacking control directly influenced his path toward body modification, which he views as taking control of his own body. He mentions specific modifications, including subdermal implants on his forehead resembling horn implants and a tattoo of his children's names on his chest. He joined the Coast Guard after high school but left after two years, realizing it wasn't the right fit. He also reflects on his difficult relationship with his mother, who had mental health issues, and how she favored his sister, which caused him significant hurt. Although he acknowledges that some of his past decisions, like removing his eyebrows, were impulsive, he doesn't regret them, viewing them as part of his journey. He emphasizes that his primary focus now is living with gratitude, working through past trauma, and being a good father to his children, even though he fears he may never fully regain the close relationship he had with his mother. ### Early Life and Instability - Born in Kentucky, moved often due to father's military service - Lived with grandparents who instilled conservative religious views - Experienced feelings of being unwanted and chaos. ### Path to Body Modification - Body modification, especially piercings and implants, became a way to exert control over his body when other aspects of life felt out of control - Subdermal implants on his forehead are described as 'neo-traditional horse fly' implants, similar to breast implants but less deep. ### Career and Personal Life - Joined the US Coast Guard after high school but left after two years - Now works as a body piercer in Los Angeles - Has children and is divorced, noting the difficulty of maintaining relationships given his appearance. ### Relationship with Family - His grandmother, a devout Christian, played a large role in his negative perception of religion; her actions caused hurt that he is still working through - His mother also had mental health issues, leading to favoritism towards his sister. ### Regrets and Perspective - Does not regret most body modifications, viewing them as part of his journey - Regrets the impulsive nature of some choices, like eyebrow removal, but acknowledges they provided a facade of control - His biggest fear is not being able to fully heal the damage from his past relationships. ![Screenshot at 00:01: Brandon, a man with prominent subdermal implants on his forehead and extensive tattoos, sits in a chair against a mottled green and brown backdrop, beginning his interview discussion about his life experiences.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/Mvtrg3863xY/00-00-01.png) ![Screenshot at 01:12: Brandon gestures with his hands while explaining that he doesn't regret the modifications, but wishes he could cover them up for a few hours sometimes.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/Mvtrg3863xY/00-01-12.png) ![Screenshot at 03:44: Brandon touches his forehead near the subdermal implants while explaining that some modifications were impulsive acts of rebellion against the conservative upbringing he experienced.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/Mvtrg3863xY/00-03-44.png) ![Screenshot at 06:00: Brandon describes the subdermal implants on his forehead as similar to breast implants, just not as deep, and notes that people often mistake them for something else.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/Mvtrg3863xY/00-06-00.png) ![Screenshot at 13:55: A black and white close-up shot highlights the subdermal implants on Brandon's forehead and the word 'Peace' tattooed above them.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/Mvtrg3863xY/00-13-55.png)