I'm now 34 (almost 35) years old and have one genital piercing (done at age 22) and one tattoo (done at age 30) with plans for another tattoo to signify my 35th birthday. The one thing in common with both the first piercing and tattoo is that I did them both on a dare. Of course, I'd been toying with the idea of both and the dare was just the catalytic trigger, so to speak.
At A Glance Author anonymous When Ten years ago or more Artist Raelyn Gallina Studio Stormy Leather Location San Francisco CA It was just after New Year's 1993, I was 22 years old and an exotic dancer at the Mitchell Brothers Theatre in San Francisco. I had just moved in with a fellow dancer, Saadia, and she, along with several of the other lovely women there, had a pierced clitoral hood. I had eyed the little glittering rings in the dressing room and thought they were very cute, but lacked the nerve to 'go there' myself. At the time, I was still extremely needle-phobic and thought 'oh, I could *never*.' Well, of course I could, and I did - just one in a long line of 'cants' that turned to 'coulds' and 'dids'.
My roommate's piercing had closed up - she'd had to take out her ring for one reason or another and couldn't get it back in. So one beautiful Saturday afternoon in January, we headed up to Stormy Leather, then on Howard Street, since the renowned piercer, Raelyn Gallina, was in town and was piercing at Stormy on Saturdays, or certain Saturdays, or something. In any case, she was there and Saadia was going to get her piercing back in proper working order, or else!
I didn't really have getting a piercing that day on my mind at al – I'm a chronic 'window shopper' of life's extremes – I guess it comes with the territory of being a writer at times – and I thought I might just 'have a look.' While Saadia was waiting to be seen, I made the usual circuit of Stormy, taking in the garments, toys, gallery exhibition, and the like. Finally she was called, and we disappeared behind a fabric barrier into Raelyn's piercing area.
Saadia parted ways with her knickers, sat down in the director's chair that was set up for her, and waited to hear the verdict – could her piercing be coaxed back open or would she have to go through the whole process from start to finish again? I watched as Raelyn knelt down and gently prodded the piercing with a thin rod – with luck and skill, it didn't take much work and lo! The piercing was back in business! I was fascinated, and said without thinking, "Wow, maybe I should get one, too," to Saadia.
Ever the mischief-maker, she instantly replied, "Well, I think you should."
"Well," I said.
"Well," she said, "go on!"
"Let's go have lunch and think about it," I offered, but she was having none of it.
"I think you should get it done now," she said.
"No, I think we should go have lunch first," I said, standing my ground, although I already knew at that point that I might as well have just doffed my knickers and climbed up in the chair. It was as good as done. However, I'm a Taurus, with all the stubbornness that implies, and I was not about to let Saadia get the satisfaction of having bossed me.
We went down the block to Brainwash and had lunch, all the while buzzing with excitement.
"I dare you," she said, holding her cheeseburger at a jaunty angle.
"You dare me, eh?" I said, "Well, then that's that."
We finished up our lunch and headed back to Stormy. Saadia was so excited that she even insisted on anteing up the cash, much to my surprise. I picked out the ring – a hematite (I think?) ring with a goldstone bead - and then, it was time.
I parted company with the aforementioned knickers, hiked up my skirt, and sat down in the fateful director's chair. Saadia stood above me, gleefully, practically rubbing her hands together in anticipation.
I couldn't believe what I was doing. Me? Voluntarily letting someone near me with a sharp object intended to make contact with my flesh? Who was this strange girl wearing my clothes, speaking from my mouth, that had somehow ended up in this position?
Well, I didn't have long to think about it. Raelyn was swift and professional, and had be cleaned & clamped before I knew it.
"OK," she said, "on the count of three."
I looked straight ahead –
"One...........two......."
And for some inexplicable reason as 'thr' passed all our lips, I had to look down. The needle went cleanly through and I experienced a sharp intake of breath. Oh yeah, and some pain.
"Breathe," Raelyn admonishsed, 'Breathe!"
As soon as I exhaled, the pain vanished, replaced with simple astonishment. I watched as she hooked the ring through, put it together, and took the clamp off. Voila! All done!
I was positively giddy. Both with endorphins, and with the triumph of having been able to do something I thought I never would never have been able to. As I walked down the street, commando, arm in arm with Saadia, I felt ready to skip down the street.
The healing was almost instantaneous and the ring has provided me with joy and a sense of 'cred' for years, silly as it seems. And all it took was one little dare!