When I was 12, I read a book called "Keeping the Moon". The main character had a piercing on her upper right lip. At the time I didn't know what it was called. When I read about it, I thought it would be cool for that part of the lip to be pierced. I didn't think about it for a long time because I was only 12 and body modifications weren't as appealing as they are now.
At A Glance Author Mallory Contact Mallory@bme.anon When It just happened Artist Tim Young Studio Sacred Heart Studio Location Houston, TX About two years later, I found out that it was called a monroe, so I went online to look it up and I came across BME. When I saw the pictures of all the tattoos and piercings, everything looked beautiful. I read a lot of the stories and looked at some of the pictures. For a long time I continued to visit the site and I remembered about that book. I decided I wanted to get my monroe pierced. I told my parents and they were against it at first so I decided to wait a few months. I sort of forgot about it for the most part until this past summer. I asked my parents again and they still said no. I was disappointed for the most part, but I wasn't going to give up.
I waited and waited and then summer was over and school started. So here I was about four months into school. I ask again. They say yes. I'm excited. I knew I was going to get it but they never really gave me a specific date. Three weeks ago my mom and I were Christmas shopping and she says "You wanna get your piercing right now?" I had know idea why she brought it up but I wasn't going to say no. We finished shopping and we went to some piercing studio in the area. Sadly I had to be 18 even though my mom was there. Now I knew that in the state of Texas that it is legal for a minor to get pierced with a parent present. So I guess it was their rule or something. We went home and I was heartbroken because I really really wanted my piercing!
We tried again the next weekend but I went to my friend's house and I didn't have time. I was beginning to feel like I would never get this friggin thing. I went back to school for the last week before Christmas break and took all my finals, all the while thinking about Friday. Yep, I was getting it done. All day I was excited out of my mind. After about a year of waiting, I was finally going to get the thing I wanted most. It was going to be a Christmas present from my brother, but he couldn't come with us. My mom got home and we did more shopping, ate, and headed to Sacred Heart.
I was getting more nervous as we got closer to the studio. We got there and went inside. It was very clean and the girl behind the counter was very friendly. I felt really comfortable about getting my piercing at this place. I've done a lot of research about piercing studios and the procedure so I mostly knew what to expect. The girl told me and my mom about the aftercare instructions and what I needed to do. My nervousness pretty much disappeared and I was just anxious to get it done. I picked out my jewelry which was a regular fishtail. My mom paid and we sat down and waited for Tim to finish up with the girl that was getting her belly button pierced. After he was done, he got all the things he needed for my piercing and went to the piercing room. He cleaned everything and called my name. I went inside and sat down. He was very good at explaining everything he did. He opened the packages in front of me and asked me go swish with the mouthwash for 30 seconds. In my mind I knew that I was about to have a needle get jammed into my lip. He cleaned and marked the place that was going to be pierced. I agreed with the placement and he put the clamps on. I don't know why people always complain about the clamps because I didn't find them uncomfortable at all. He lined up the needle, "Now take a deep breath" I knew it was coming, "And let it out."
WOW. The feeling I got was great, the sense of the needle going through all the layers of skin was the best feeling in the world. There I was with a thing in my lip and my mom on the other side of the window looking horrified. He inserted the fishtail in and put the o-ring on the back so it wouldn't come off when I cleaned it. I got up and looked in the mirror. It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I thanked Tim and we left. In all my excitement I forgot to tip him and I felt bad about it. My mom and I went to the store for a new toothbrush and some Biotene. I couldn't stop smiling. I was so happy and I still am. A lot of emotion went into this piercing and now I want to get more. Body modifications are about you. My monroe makes me feel more different and I feel like its apart of me. I've waited for a long time for this and I finally got it and I can't be happier.