BACKGROUND I can't remember when the first time I saw pictures of a tongue web piercing was, or where it was. I would assume it was BME, but I can't be one hundred percent sure. But what I am sure of is that as soon as I saw pictures of this secretive little piercing, I had to have one. I remember mentioning it to my mother one day, and she seemed particularly grossed out by the whole idea of it. At the time, I don't think I even had my lobes pierced, so a tongue web was a long-shot. She thought it was a horrible place for a piercing, and told me to imagine what it would be like if it ripped out. After those comments, I pretty much forgot about the piercing for a while; I knew I would not be able to persuade my mother to let me get it done, and with the amount of orthodontic work I was having done, it would not have been a good idea.
At A Glance Author Kat Contact Kat@bme.anon When N/A Artist Jayne Studio Feline Tattoo Location Sheffield
FAST FORWARD A FEW YEARS...
I'm now nineteen years old. I do not live at home for ¾ of the year, so I figure my parents have no real control over me anymore, and that means I can get whatever piercings I want, right? Well, to an extent. I have a couple of piercings they don't know about; they're kept well hidden, my tongue web now being one of them, but I still have to be careful.
Anyway, back to my story. A friend and I were discussing piercings, and she said that she wanted to go and get her navel pierced. My face lit up at this point, because I never want to go and get piercings alone, in case I faint afterwards. We decided that at some point before we went home for the summer, we would go and get the piercings we wanted. I finished my exams on a Wednesday, so on the Thursday, I went down to Feline Tattoo in Sheffield with her and another friend, who decided she wanted a helix piercing.
When we arrived, the studio was welcoming and really relaxed; there were sofas to chill out on while you were waiting, and framed boxer shorts on the walls and ceilings! It had been recommended by my piercer at home, and my friend had her nose pierced there a few months ago. I looked around, and felt extremely comfortable there, although one thing disappointed me; I looked on the pricing list, and tongue web piercings weren't listed. Luckily, when the piercer walked out to greet us, I asked about it, and she said yes, they did indeed do tongue web piercings. I made my friend go and get her navel pierced first, and then it was my turn to be pierced. I was quite nervous and slightly worried when Jayne told me I had a small web and might not be able to get it pierced. Luckily for me, she said she'd try clamping it first and then said it was actually going to be okay to get pierced. The piercing itself was fine, but getting the ball on the CBR was another matter entirely. I'd had my mouth open for so long by thi s point that my jaw was starting to hurt, so Jayne said to take a break for a moment and we'd try again. Eventually the ball was in, and I was done! I now had a pretty 16ga CBR under my tongue! Jayne went through the aftercare, and gave me her contact details, and said to contact her if I had any problems with the piercing.
Aftercare was a breeze. I found talking and eating a little tricky for the first 24-48 hours, as I wasn't used to having this piece of metal in my mouth, but I soon adapted to it and could eat fine. Two months later and it's doing great, I've had no problems with it whatsoever. I think it's probably my favourite piercing, it's cute, discrete, unusual and fun to play with. I got varying reactions from my friends when I got back to where I was living and showed it off to everyone. Some thought it was gross, and some thought it was cool. My favourite reaction was from one of my housemates, who is completely against piercings, who said "it could be worse".
It has gone a little gross from the plaque build up, which seemed to be inevitable, and very hard to clean off. Even so, I still adore my little piercing and play with it a lot with my tongue, or click it against my teeth, which I probably shouldn't do!
I plan on getting more piercings when I get back to Sheffield, and will probably go back to Feline Tattoo to get them done. I definitely recommend them. And to anyone who is thinking of getting their tongue web pierced, I would say just go for it. It's a lovely little piercing, and so easy to look after. And best of all, if you don't want anyone to know it's there, it's incredibly easy to hide.