The main aim of the article is to describe the ways body modifications allow people to construct self project. In the article, the body is analyzed as an area of scientific reflection. What is more, the motives and functions of body modification are described. Not only normative (e.g. make up) but also more radical body modifications (e.g. tattoo, body piercing, scarification) are analyzed. The author also tries to describe the social meaning of clothes and their relation to the social role of the skin.

Key words: body, body modification, tattoo, clothes, skin.