Masochist

From BMEzine Encyclopedia

ouch! that HURT!.... do it again!

In the stuffy sense, masochism is a sexual perversion characterized by pleasure in being subjected to pain or humiliation.

The origins of western piercing, when not tied to the SideShow, tend to have a close connection with the BDSM (Bondage, Discipline, Sadism, Masochism) community. Aggressive bottoms found that their desire for pain was well met with piercing, particularly "play piercing" -- temporary piercings done for the sake of sensation.

The word itself comes from a man named Leopold Von SacherMasoch. Known for his love of pain, his life and exploits were chronicled in the classic "Venus in Furs". Track down a copy, it's a great read!

It must be noted that most modern body mod fans would say that masochism had nothing to do with their decision to get pierced/tattooed/etcetera.