I remember the first time I saw it. I was about eleven years old, and doing what I always did: rummaging through my mom's old stuff and my dad's few belongings. My dad is of Sioux and Cherokee Indian heritage and he had a few artifacts and photos. One striking picture stood out: the Chief of a tribe from the early 1900's with a piece of animal bone through the middle of his nose. I immediately fell in love with it. The man stood so proud with the "unusual" modification. Of course, the piercing is a way of life for this tribe and not abnormal whatsoever. It is a ritualistic symbol; it marks the transition from youth to adulthood.
At A Glance Author Jessica Contact Jessica@bme.anon IAM batcavity When Six months ago Artist Pete Studio Inkredible Ink Location Orlando, Florida Throughout my teenage years, I experimented with different piercings, all performed by myself. At eleven, I had my nostril done. When I was fourteen, I had a venom tongue piercing. Later that year, I had a barbell in my eyebrow, three studs in my lower lips, and maybe eight piercings in both ears. However, none of these lasted long. I was accepted into a private performing arts school when I was fifteen and they had a "no piercings, no makeup" policy. But through all my piercings, I realized that this is, and will always be, a part of my life.
That picture I found while going through remnants of my parents' past has always been in my head. I just wanted to wait until the right time to finally get that piercing. I did not want dishonor the rituals of my ancestors by getting it too soon. I needed to be ready; I needed to be an adult. That time came when I turned eighteen. I discussed getting my septum pierced with my mom. She is not supportive of any modification so she tried to dissuade me from it. She said that I lived under her roof and need to respect her opinion, and that I'll look like a bull. I told her that I won't get it for the time being. Meanwhile, I tried to get a price check on it. This was one piercing that I wanted to have professionally done due to the placement. I asked my tattoo artist how much they run. He said about sixty dollars. Over the months, I asked a few more shops in my area and it was always from sixty to seventy dollars. I put it off due to a combination of money issues and fear about the reaction from my mother. I put it off until June, that is.
It was my twin best friends' birthday. They decided that they wanted to go to a gothic club in downtown Orlando. I didn't think much about my piercing until they were on their way to pick me up. I looked up the number to the nearest tattoo parlor and asked them the price. The man said forty dollars. That was the cheapest I had ever been quoted and I said I would be there later in the night.
My friends and I danced for a few hours but left around one in the morning. The shop was just a few stores down from the club and I told my friends about my plans. I had talked about it for months prior and they were all supportive. I was so excited. I couldn't believe it was finally going to happen.
We got into the shop and the receptionist asked me to fill out a form and to give him my ID. He had a few remarks about my funny haircut in the picture and we made small talk. I was a bit weary before getting to the shop about the cleanliness. The price was extremely low compared to any other place I'd checked out but it turned out to be the nicest parlor I'd been too. The receptionist said it would be about fifteen minutes so my friends and I sat down and looked at the tattoo flash on the wall. They asked me if I was nervous. I told them, "I'm not really nervous but I'm excited." The fifteen minutes flew by and the piercer asked me to go to room three. I asked if I could bring a friend with me. He said yes, so I brought my best friend Jordan.
The room was set up like a doctor's office. The walls were stark white. A raised, kind of cushiony, blue table was against the wall of the room with a white strip of paper placed in the middle of it. I sat up on the table and Jordan sat to the side. The piercer came in and introduced himself. "Hi, my name is Pete. I hear you want your septum pierced today." I agreed but asked a few questions like what would be the gauge of the needle and how long it takes to heal. Pete answered "A fourteen gauge and about three to four weeks" He then laid his instruments on the side table. They included a pair of pliers looking things, a needle, a blue marker, gloves, and disinfectant. He washed his hands and put on the latex gloves. He then stuck his two index fingers in my nostrils. I wasn't expecting that before he told me. It was rather funny to see myself with a man I had never met with his fingers up my nose. He remarked, "Wow. You have a perfectly symmetrical nose." He said that was rare. I asked why that mattered. "If one side was lower than the other, I would have to raise the side so the piercing was level." That made sense. He marked the site of the piercing with the blue marker, changed his gloves, and then attached the clamps to my nose. With the needle in his hand, he shoved it through hole in the clamps. My eyes immediately watered up on reflex. It felt like someone had punched me in the nose, but it wasn't too painful. I looked at myself with this piece of metal through my nose. He then pushed the jewelry through and removed the needle. He gave me a few paper towels, which he called "tear towels," and gave me the post-piercing instructions. I tipped him ten dollars and I was on my way.
I felt wonderful afterwards. After all these years, I finally had it. It was like a sign of achievement. I'm an adult but I still had a responsibility to not upset my mom. I flipped the jewelry up into my nose when I went home so she wouldn't be angry. She doesn't realize how much body modification is a part of my life and I don't expect her to encourage me but I would like her to allow me to be myself. I realized it wasn't time to show her that I got it done. After two months, I finally told her. She demanded I take it out, but I flipped the jewelry back into my nose and said I did. I do not wish to be deceitful but I don't want to give it up. I find the piercing to be my favorite out of any of the other ones I had. It has so much meaning to me: a new chapter of my life.