To say I was a little bit of a good girl was an understatement. At sixteen, there wasn't even a freckle on my record. Not saying that I didn't wish there was...but frankly, in the land of the cows, there just wasn't that much exposure. Piercings were unheard of in my family. Until I was sixteen and decided I desperately wanted my nose pierced. Horrified, my mother bought me sweet gold studs for my ears. Sparkling bracelets with tiny pink gems. Toe rings. I think they may still be in the box. They weren't my style, and nothing could distract me from the metal ring I'd bought and carried around like a...well, you get the point. No need to be overly poetic.
At A Glance Author Somber Songbird Contact SomberSongbird@aol.com When Two years ago Artist Don't remember the name Studio A1 Location South Jersey So I made a deal. Straight A's for a whole semester and to the parlor we'd go. In a complete character slip, my mom agreed. My book bag became my lover from that moment on. Straight A's...hell, for what I wanted, no big deal. I waited it out and my mom had no choice. I drove her. Showing up at the place was a little like torture. Thanks to my mother's nagging, we got there five minutes after the place opened. Not the primo spot I'd think. Walking in, my mother's face turned ashen at the metal blasting out of the stereos. Nice touch, I thought. I probably don't need to say my mom is a little out of touch with my scene.
But, on to the real ordeal. Needles weren't exactly my friend at the time. That much has changed since...but at the time, sitting on the table waiting while packages were opened and gloves slipped on, my bladder almost slipped out. I'd picked a corkscrew, a tiny little silver swirl with a green gem at the end. Subtle. Exactly what I wanted. I have to say, it didn't help that pretty much everyone in the shop was drop dead gorgeous...I must confess I was distracted when we marked the place on my left nostril. Thankfully it was a good spot, despite the fact that I barely glanced at it. The cork that was inserted into my nostril added to my jitters, but I was excited...sharp things had recently begun to fascinate me (sounds like thirteen yr old insanity, right?). So, spot is marked, cork is inserted, piercing picked, everything sterilized...and my fingers have been numb for ten minutes, gripping the table for dear life. Pale white. Sheet white. The needle was lined up and...flash, red light. A quick burn, a semi loud pop, and a small dot of blood. That's it? No way. The corkscrew going in hurt more. But not incredibly so. It looked perfect. My mom threw up in her mouth a little I think. I teared up, but smiled the rest of the day. Afterwards I had my arm permanently cocked up, mirror in hand, examining it. Every piercing since I've done that. It's a fresh piercing fascination.
I didn't have too many problems with my piercing after. I've since discovered piercings and infections go hand in hand with me every single time, so I did have a few hang ups. Trying to take it out too early was my first mistake. I had gym at the time and there was a strict no piercing policy, no matter how fresh. So after a month, I had to remove it for 84 minutes a day...and it closed up immediately each time. I must have re-pierced it myself 8 or 9 times. I've become quite skilled at the art of re-piercing my nose, if I do say so myself. The infections were mild, if not a little painful. Peroxide, q tips, Dial soap, and a tiny dab of triple antibiotic (the strong stuff, my mom works for a medical supply company) zaps the worst of it almost overnight. Years later, I still remember the way the pop felt of my first piercing...I'm so used to it now. The most commonly asked questions are "Did it hurt?", which depending on my mood, I answer in varying ways. I'm known to exaggerate to people I'm not really fond of. The truth is, it wasn't bad at all. The second question, which I'm sure others here is "How do you blow your nose?"..."With a tissue" has become my favorite answer. I've switched to pop ins and rings instead of screws...I'm just not fond of the way screws fit and they irritate my hole a little...pop ins are no maintenance and extremely user friendly...cheap too! My silver ring is my favorite, worn outside of the house as not to terrify my still paranoid mother. I have quite a few piercings now, the more major of them done in parlors or shops...some more minor done by me, or friends, or boyfriend (DO NOT try this, I've suffered the consequences, trust me...it's dangerous and dumb). I've let some close, gauged others, traded a few in for different spots...but my nose is still my favorite after all of this time.