body adornment
Wearable personal decoration
Body adornment is decoration applied to the human body—jewelry, tattoos, piercings, body paint, scarification, or cosmetics.
The term encompasses both temporary modifications like makeup and permanent ones like tattoos: Body adornment practices vary widely across cultures.
Anthropologists use the phrase to study how humans mark identity, status, and belonging through physical appearance.
- hennaPlant-derived body dye
- scarificationIntentional shallow skin cuts
- tattooPermanent dermal design
- mehndiOrnamental paste skin designs
- temporary tattooImpermanent skin decoration
piercing · belly button piercing · makeup · anklet · necklace · nose ring · tribal tattoos · earrings · branding · tiara · belly chain · brooch · cufflinks · pendant · prayer beads · war paint · bracelet · arm cuff
- tribal artifactstribal artifacts, ceremonial regalia, tribal jewelry, tribal patterns, woven baskets
- costumecostume design, costume ball, costume sketches, costume jewelry, theatrical costumes
- prehistoric lifedinosaur, dinosaurs, triceratops, Velociraptor, velociraptor
- metalworkblacksmithing, gilding, silversmithing, enamel, metal crafts
- African craftsAfrican masks, wood carving, beaded jewelry, kente, tribal jewelry
- Andean artifactsgold mask, goldsmithing, gold crown, quipu, sun disc
body adornmentplainness
Unadorned, straightforward quality
bareness · natural state · austerity · simplicity · nakedness
body adornmentmodesty
Absence of vanity
covering · veiling · shrouding · self-effacement · inconspicuousness