Taboo
Season 5
TV-MA
Around the world there are people of different cultures who take actions and decisions that seem out of the ordinary to the average westerner. Considered taboo, these people and their stories are now being known.
Where to Watch Season 5
15 Episodes
- The Third Sex
E10The Third SexThere are not only two genders any more. In India Hijras have their male genitals removed, dress as women and consider themselves genderless. In Indonesia, a community of people recognizes five genders. In Albania, a woman became a sworn virgin, choosing to live as a man in order to have the same rights as men. - Bizarre Bodies
E12Bizarre BodiesPeople choose to look different and stand out from the crowd. Sometimes in order to do so they self-mutilate. In New Mexico, a young woman has horns implanted into her forehead. In North Carolina, a woman has her internal body altered by wearing really tight corsets. In New Zealand, a man has one eyeball tattooed. - Extreme Rituals
E13Extreme RitualsRituals that mark the passage from one phase of life to another are examined. Included: boys leap headfirst from a 70-foot-tall tower on an island in the South Pacific; a young girl tattoos her face before marriage in Papua New Guinea; a man in West Africa participates in a bloodletting ceremony that will ready him for priesthood. - Spilling Blood
E14Spilling BloodWestern culture hides the spilling of animal blood behind closed doors, but other places its a public event. In Nepal, animals are sacrificed daily to appease a bloodthirsty goddess. Nearly 1,000 whales are slaughtered every year near Denmark in a 1,200-year-tradition called the Grind. Banned in most European countries and the U.S., cockfighting still takes place in Bali to appease evil spirits. Taboo: Spilling Blood takes viewers on a trip to experience animal bloodletting traditions.
