I remember my anthropology teacher saying that people assert their uniqueness in culturally constrained ways: tattoos, piercings, dyed hair, etc. You never see

I remember my anthropology teacher saying that people assert their uniqueness in culturally constrained ways: tattoos, piercings, dyed hair, etc. You never see someone rebel against mainstream culture by, say, slicing off their nose, scarring their face, or putting a stick through their cheeks. (The latter two, at least, are done in some other cultures.)