In the West we still pierce our ears, straighten our noses, and deform waists and chests by corsets. Our purpose would seem to be to draw attention to certain parts of the body. Western women have commonly accentuated the mouth with a slash of red, the ears with earrings and the eyes with black, blue or green make-up. Other peoples wear ear-plugs, labrets, lip-plugs, nose rings, penis sheaths or penis rings. I only want here to insist that the propensity to deform or alter the natural shape of the body is a universal one.
