Why are tattoos and piercings considered so taboo?

Image of “Prince Giolo”, a tattooed tribal man was purchased as a slave in Mindanao and became part of public exhibition in England; making him “living” artwork.

Khond woman with ear, septum and nostril piercings.

The Tyrolean Iceman Ötzi is one of the oldest known human glacier mummy dating back 5,300 years. Ötzi is the oldest mummified example with tattoos and gauged ears. Südtiroler Archäologiemuseum, Eurac. Image © Marco Samadelli-Gregor Staschitz / The Smithsonian