The other day a customer noticed my lip ring and asked if it hurt when I had it done. I said, "No, sir. Nothing compared to getting a tattoo." He replied in a snarky manner, "Oh, I bet your parents are proud." I told him they were extremely proud having such a bright and open minded daughter.
Some people may say those with body modifications knew what they were getting into and shouldn't complain about being ostracized about them. Well that's almost as ignorant as the prejudice against body modification! Yes, people with body modifications know some people will look upon them in distaste. Guess what, they don't give a fuck! Body modification is a form of self expression (excluding tribes and such that do it for other cultural reasons) so the person is getting it for their self, not the world.
I come from a place where the biggest town has only a few thousand people in it. A small middle of nowhere place full of "old school" people and farmers. If that is too vague then I'll let you know that the closest Taco Bell is an hour away. I deal with judgmental looks and such more often when I'm in my hometown than when I'm not. Some of the people at my grandmother's church probably think I'm the spawn of Satan until someone mentions who I am, then their whole demeanor changes toward me. My mom has more tattoos than I do and she still scoffed when I gauged my ears and pierced my lip (I'm not sure how she reacted when she found out my nips were pierced.) She told me I'd have a hell of a time finding a good job. It felt great when I proved her wrong when, after my first week of moving to a new city, I found two jobs. It felt even better when I recently told her I was up for a promotion. She's super proud and admits my medusa looks pretty cute.
I realize I'm preaching to the choir, but my point isn't to try to persuade you into agreeing with something you obviously already accept. It's to let you know that you shouldn't be ashamed of your mods, and you shouldn't let them prevent you from trying something. To the people out there contemplating any kind of mod, don't let other people's opinions affect your decision too much. If you're getting something for you, it shouldn't matter what other people think. When a close-minded person makes an ignorant comment about your mods, kill them with kindness or don't acknowledge them. React however you want, just don't give them a reason to continue their prejudice.
When their favorite question arises, "Aren't you worried how you're going to look when you're old?" I always tell them, "I'm going to look weird when I'm old anyway so I might as well look badass now." It usually blows them away and alters their view of it all.