Originally, I wanted to get my lip pierced (actually, I still do). But my parents basically said that they'd cut off my college tuition if I got anything pierced or tattooed. So what did I do? I went and pierced something that I could hide from them but show to others - my nipples.
At A Glance Author bacchanaliangirl Contact bacchanaliangirl@bme.anon Artist don't remember Studio Bogart's Casablanca Location Champaign, Illinois But what specifically prompted me to get my nipples pierced was my new boyfriend. He has a tongue piercing, 4 gauge holes in each ear, and his left nipple pierced. And I just couldn't get over how sexy his nipple piercing was to me. (I could play with it for hours.) So, after thinking about it for a whole 2 days, I went over to Bogart's Casablanca in Champaign, Illinois and made an appointment for the next day (I couldn't go that day because I had to work.)
I basically told the people who work there that I had no idea what kind of jewelry I needed, or what gauge I wanted to get, but only that I knew I wanted barbells put in vertically in each nipple. They were very helpful and told me that it was best not to go with the largest gauge because there was a greater chance of it ripping out. I definitely did not want it ripping out; I've heard too many horror stories, and I did not get rings because I was afraid of them catching on things. So I ended up getting curved 14 gauge barbells. The piercer (I apologize for not remembering his name) was very professional and had me stand in front of a mirror while he made ink marks on my nipples to determine where he would pierce them. After deciding that the marks looked fairly even, I sat back down in the chair and he told me that many people think that the forceps hurt worse than the actual piercing. I was braced for the worst when he clamped down on my nipple, but didn't find the pain too bad (although I never really had sensitive nipples, so that could be why). Then he pierced it (with me looking away, of course) and it was time for the next nipple. The second nipple hurt a little bit worse than the first one, but the piercer said that it is common for the second one to hurt more (something to do with your body's response to pain). The piercer told me to clean it twice a day with antibacterial soap such as Dial, and to move the piercing back and forth 25 times under a shower.
So I walked out of there with sore nipples and a bit less cash (it cost $25 to do the first nipple, and half of that to do the second one, plus $15 for each piece of jewelry) but I was estatic. My next stop was work, and for about an hour, every movement I made that caused my shirt to brush up against my nipples caused me pain. But after that, they were barely sore at all, and even though I usually only clean them once a day, they haven't gotten infected. I was able to wear a bra by the next day without much discomfort. My boyfriend loves them and suckled on them the day after I got them done (even though I was supposed to wait several weeks before any oral contact was made with them). But I cleaned them afterwards, and I've had no problems. It's been about a month now since I've gotten them pierced, and I wouldn't take them out for anything.
I definitely love to hear people's reactions when I tell them that I have my nipples pierced. It's great to wear clingy shirts without a bra when I go out and night and know that my piercings are definitely showing through my shirt. The funniest reaction I got was a waiter at IHOP who when I came in wearing a white (but not see-through) thin shirt kind of blurted out, "My god, you're pierced!" I found that quite amusing. The only thing that annoys me now is when people ask me if the piercing hurt or not. To those people - of course it hurt. So next time, if you want to address how much pain I was in, ask how much it hurt, not if it hurt.
Oh - one more thing. My nipples are definitely more sensitive now than they were before (I had heard that your nipples became more sensitive after they got pierced, and that was one of my reasons for getting them done). And if you're currently donating plasma (as I am) all you need to do is ask the plasma clinic to give you a sheet for the piercer to fill out and sign, to verify that the piercing was done in a sterile environment. Otherwise you won't be able to donate plasma for quite a number of months (which would be bad for poor college students like me).
Would I do it again? Definitely. And as soon as I find a way to support myself without my parents' help - yep, you guessed it - I'm getting more piercings. :)