About a month ago, I went through a change in my life. I've always been a caretaker of others: family, friends, coworkers and others. Well, I found myself with no one to take care of. I realized for the first time in my life -and this may sound odd because I'm 44- that this is my life. MY life. And I need to do what makes me happy.
At A Glance Author Shoe Shing Shong Contact Shoe Shing Shong@bme.anon When A month ago Artist Travis Steinbury Studio Flesh Chamber Location Appleton, Wisconsin I felt defiant. I was reclaiming my own life. I went to the hairdresser, Lana @ Cutting Edge, and told her to do something dramatic and sassy with my hair. I told her not to tell me what she was going to do, just to surprise me. Now, she has the cutest little diamond chip nostril screw. While she transformed my mousey brown flat 'do to a spikey red and blonde exclamatory statement, I had a lot of time to think about how cute that piercing was. (Way back in the day, I loved the safety pins punk musicians wore in their faces. But I hung with a conservative crowd and never considered it. I thought nose piercings were adorable. Sorry to anyone trying to look tough or unapproachable. Well, I'm a gay woman and I still think Lenny Kravitz is a hottie with his.) Anyway, Lana encouraged me to go for it and said she got hers at Flesh Chamber. She added that they're open until 8pm and it was only 630pm.
I drove there with such excitement and anticipation. You would've thought I was driving to the lottery office to pick up my winnings. I was also a bit nervous. I felt a bit like a fish out of water and in a library. I could have been the mom to anyone there that evening. I can't tell you what artist was playing on the cd - hell the ipod - or even what they were shouting in those songs. (For the record, I do not go gently into middle age. I can quote the lyrics to some Chingy, Fergie, Justin and Beyonce songs a helluva lot better than most 44 year olds in Appleton, Wisconsin. Although I can't tell you who Paris Hilton's latest galpal is, but I digress.)
Travis, the cute young piercing artist with the labret and stretched lobes, helped me pick out something bigger than a chip (more obvious than Lana's). A little amethyst nostril screw that sits higher out of the hole. It just screamed to me, "This is your life doggone it!" (Okay, so I don't really say doggone it, but then I don't think jewelry really talks to me either.) Flesh Chamber is very clean, nicely laid out, professional looking. As I sat out in the waiting area while Travis readied the piercing room, the tattoo artists let me ask them questions about their craft and didn't mind that I listened in while they lamented about relationships.
Travis was so gentle, quick and professional. I had the one little tear out of my eye even though I tried to be so tough. I got the piercing on the left side to signify my defiance of the Religious Right, red state politics, conservativism, etc. He explained before the pierce what to expect and what to do and thoroughly went through the aftercare routine. He told me about fleshchamber.com. (Going there was the first step to finding bmezine - which I love.) He seemed very gracious when I tipped him. Nice young man.
I just have to say that when I walked in, I considered saying I was there to have my belly button pierced, but he'd have to find it. I'm grossly overweight. But I saved my humor for the next time.
Oh yes, I went back. Right brow. Now I'm trying to ward off the inclination to get a labret. I work as a trainer and anticipate climbing the ladder in my field. The bosses liked my nose piercing and were okay with my brow, but I don't know if they can handle the labret too.
I think it's very addictive. I love owning the pain. (Wish I felt that way about cramps.)
I turn 45 in 5 days and wonder to myself if 45 is too old for a labret... I figure I'm not doing it to look young. I'm not doing it because other people are. I'm doing it because I dig it. A lot. And it shows the rebel in me. I can be a total 9 to 5er, in fact I excel at most things I try. I'm also a pretty good earth denizen and compassionate human. It just cracks me up that people in this small conservative city who don't know me would most likely judge me negatively based solely on how I choose to express myself through body modification. That is a big part of the drive to get the labret: challenging people to think about how they prejudge others.
By the way, if you've read this, thanks for taking the time to get to know me a little bit.
Happy piercing. Or whatever form of bodmod you're into. Remember: It's your life; live it for you.