At A Glance Author Emily Contact Emily@bme.anon When It just happened Artist jewly Studio jewly's bathroom Location glendale For the longest time (since I was a freshman in high school) I have been wanting to stretch my ears. But I'd always had a lot of trouble with it. After consulting my dear friend Jewly we decided that the problem, or at least part of the problem, lay in how my ears were pierced. They were gunned, very unevenly and very low on my lobes at Claire's when I was 12.
Being frustrated and aggravated about the misfortune and the strife I'd gone through in trying like hell to stretch my ears I almost gave up. However, Jewly came to my rescue with "Emily, I will re-pierce them for you!"
She ordered needles and clamps. We went to Closet Classics and she bought jewelry for me. The whole process of actually being able to order the needles, getting them in the mail, finally getting jewelry, and actually getting around to doing it took forever with many hitches and hold-ups along the way.
Yesterday morning Jewly, Michelle and I all had a meeting early in the morning. Jewly said she would boil the clamps (which she didn't end up using anyways) and we'd do it that morning after the meeting. She forgot all about it. "Alas," I thought "not again!" So I said to jewly, that I was coming over so she could pierce my ears. Michelle overheard this and said she wanted to come.
After parting for a few short ours we met up at George Webb's, called Jewly's dad for a ride and were on our way.
What you have to understand is my horrible, all consuming fear of needles. When Jewly got the needle out and soaked it in alcohol I said something to the affect of "That needle looks so mean." Jewly has tried to pierce me before in conditions that were less than favorable and I pussied out completely. Or let her go through with it but spent so much time whining and thinking about how much it hurt or was going to hurt that the job got botched. This time I told myself I wasn't allowing myself to freak out. It was just my lobes, these needles were fancy and very sharp, it would be different, it wouldn't hurt. On top of that, I was with two other girls who had had work done, who knew the routine and, in Jewly's case had endured very painful procedures (dermal punching) and I was not going to allow myself to look bad in front of them. However, I was very nervous.
Before we went to actually do the piercing, we went outside to have a cigarette together. We came back in a did all the normal stuff. Jewly washed her hands really well, we found something to use as a receiving tube so Jewly wouldn't poke herself, they marked and remarked my ears, consulting each other about how even they were, if they were to high up or far to the side, etc., and we put on some happy music to distract me from my nervous belly. (First up was Outkast "Hey Ya" and for the second ear, LeTigre.)
Jewly asked me if I was ready. Michelle took my hands and I said yes. As she approached me with the needle I jerked my head and said "I'm really nervous!!" Michelle and Jewly both looked at me with frustrated looks on their faces and Jewly said, "If you move your gonna die" an over-statement, yes, but I didn't move after that. Jewly told me to move off of the counter and down to somewhere lower so she could see better and be at a better angle. I was pleased for another small delay.
Finally, the moment of truth! "Deep breath in...Deep breath out...deep breath in...and out."
It took a little longer than I expected, which Jewly said was because I'm her bud and she wanted to be careful. The best part was that IT DIDN'T HURT!!! I was so proud of myself for taking it like a tuff grrl, for not being a huge pussy, for actually going through with it (consider my fear of needles, please!) with minimal whining and squealing. Even Jewly said I took it like a man.
We re-soaked the needle for a few minutes and chatted about how much it didn't hurt, how proud I was, thanked Jewly and Michelle ( Michelle made kissy faces at me which were a big comfort) and went along to do the second ear. The second ear took less time but hurt a lot more, as Jewly told me was usually the case. Jewly couldn't get the jewelry in right, so we had to re-pierce which wasn't too bad.
Jewly and Michelle warned me about wearing a hat since it was so cold out, we cleaned up, and went outside for a victory cigarette. Jewly obliged me with a smoke, Michelle lit me, and we chatted more about how happy I was.
I guess I kinda feel like I'm blowing this whole thing out of proportion, but it was my first piercing done with needles, even if it was jut my lobes, and I'm looking forward to my next!
p.s.
Warning, you should go to a professional piercer who knows exactly what they are doing, in a sterile environment. if you don't, it could end poorly.