If you had told the girl, who was three years and nearly four months ago, getting her first piercing with a needle, that in a small number of years she would be getting a genital piercing, she probably would have laughed at you.
At A Glance Author Kelley Contact Kelley@bme.anon IAM shedreamsviolet When A week ago Artist Sean Phillips Studio Beyond Body Piercing Location Arlington, Va
I was that girl three years ago. I started my journey into body modification my first year of college, and now in my last year of college took a step I never thought of taking prior to the last six months of my life.
On the 8th of February 2003, I received my first genital piercing, a triangle. I never thought that I would venture 'below the belt' in my wants for piercings, but here I am with a three day old triangle piercing and still in a state of shock that I actually have it done.
I started thinking about getting a genital piercing maybe six months ago. The thought of labia piercings did not appeal to me, so I thought about getting a hood piercing. Now the question was, horizontal? Or vertical? A horizontal hood piercing was much more aesthetically pleasing to me. So I continued for a month or so with the thought that sometime in the next year I would get this piercing. Then the fateful day when I was browsing the galleries and out of curiosity clicked on the free gallery for triangle piercings. There, that's, what I want! I've always wanted the piercings that not every other person ran out to get, and while the thought of a horizontal hood appealed to me, the triangle appealed much more, mostly because of its relative rarity. I still wanted the horizontal hood, now there is the decision of which to get first, and if I could find a piercer in the relatively local area that could perform it. From everything I had read it was a complicated piercing to p erform.
I thought over which piercing I wanted to get first, and when it came down to it I hose the triangle for my first piercing 'down there' partially on the advice of someone else who had one, that if the triangle was done first, the hood piercing could be pierced to be parallel to the triangle, when doing it in the opposite would be pretty much impossible. The second factor was thinking if I got the hood first and it hurt a lot, that I would chicken out on getting the triangle.
Now the decision has been made, it is time to find a piercer to do it.
I live an hour from Richmond, Virginia, and while I knew of a piercer there who I had heard wonderful things about, I didn't want to trust a piercing as important as this to someone who I had only word of mouth from friends on.
While reading QOD one day, I clicked on the link to Sean Phillips's information, and then on to his iam.bme (LexTalonis) site. I had been by his site before, but only passing through. Now there was serious interest in finding a piercer, and he had just recently opened his shop in Arlington, Virginia, which is about three hours from where I live.
I started talking to him about the piercing, and asked him if he would do it. He told me that he'd never done one before on account of the few women who had come into his shop wanting the piercing were not anatomically suited to get it, but he knew how to do one. His honesty about not having done one put me at ease. I continued talking to him about getting the piercing, mainly the concern about whether or not I would be able to get it done. He told me that if I could pinch under the clitoris in the hood region, that I would have a good chance of being able to get it; ok, I can do that, may as well give it a shot.
I talked to my friend Ariana about going to Arlington one weekend to get pierced; she is always willing to do a road trip to get pierced. We decide on the date, the 8th of February. I let Sean know that we would be at his shop around 3pm.
On the eighth we left about 12.30pm. At this point, I am a giant bundle of nerves, but not doing too bad. I am most afraid at this point that I am not going to be able to get the piercing, so I have been telling myself all week that I probably won't be able to get it, so if I can't, hopefully it won't be quite so much of a disappointment. After an uneventful three-hour drive we reach Arlington, and hit the first snag of the day, we can't find the shop, we found the building, but we didn't see a sign anywhere. So we park and walk to the building and sure enough, there it is (unfortunately I'd left before getting a message from Sean with details of where the shop is.) In we go. Introductions are made (Bruce, Dr.Scorpio was at the shop) and all the necessary paperwork is filled out. Sean asks if I want to get something else done if I can't get the triangle, I told him I hadn't really thought about what else I could get if not the triangle. We decided that I would go first just to finally get it done. Into the piercing room we go. Sean does the necessary cleaning and finally it is time for me to drop my pants and hop up on the table.
This could have been an extremely awkward and uncomfortable moment, but since I had been talking to him for a month or so beforehand, I was completely at ease. Sean starts checking to see if I am suited to get the triangle. We keep up a conversation the entire time. He pinches under my clitoris and asks if it hurts; nope, not at all. He says ok, let's give it a try, but if at anytime something hurts, tell me because that's bad. And I gave him a flip remark about everything but the actual piercing right?
Cleaning takes no time at all. Marking on the other hand took a good while because Sean is determined to give me the "world's first straight triangle." Marking is done. Time for the clamps. He gets them positioned and asks if they hurt; no, not the most pleasant sensation, but they don't hurt. He does some more prodding, asking if anything he does hurts; nope.
Exact details for the next several minutes are hazy. I remember Sean asking something to the effect of if I was ready and telling him something like as I'll ever be. I start focusing on breathing. I can hear Sean opening the packages for the needle and jewelry. The clamps go on for the last time. Ok, breathe in and on the count of three, exhale.
Breathe in. 1...2...3...exhale.
Shit! Fuck! Shit! Motherofgod! Shit! FUCK!
The longest seconds of my life.
Ok, Sean tells me, catch your breath and we'll put the jewelry in. Jewelry goes in. That part was obscenely easy.
Wow. Ok.
Sean gets me cleaned up because I am bleeding some. After he finishes cleaning and I've caught my breath and had some water, he asks if I mind him taking a picture for his portfolio, because it's not everyday someone comes in asking for a triangle. I tell him that I don't mind at all.
At this point I am doing really well, I'm in the post-piercing euphoria.
I sit up slowly and ease on my underwear, sit for several more minutes and gingerly hop off the table and put on my pants.
Wow.
I'm in a state of disbelief that I've just had this done, and I am still in that state three days later.
Ariana had taken pictures throughout the entire process of the piercing and I, in a moment of idiocy, accidentally deleted all of them. I almost cried when I realized what I had done.
After I emerge from the piercing room, I get the comment from Bruce that I had yelled the best string of curses that he had heard in a long time. I also got the almost required, "heh, heh, you're walkin' funny!" comment from him too.
Gee, I wonder why.
The last three days have made me extremely aware of how much my anatomy in that area moves. Sitting has become a delicate process, as well as walking up stairs.
I am extremely happy that I got this piercing. I will try someday to put into words how this piercing has changed me. The change I feel is what I can only hope that every modified person gets to experience at some point in their lives, and the unmodified can only hope to someday feel it.
The 8th of February 2003 gave me the best piercing experience to date. I will be returning to Beyond Body Piercing to visit Sean for hopefully many more piercings, and maybe even more than just piercings. Anyone who is in the Dc/Md/Va area I would completely recommend that they give him a visit when they are in the need of work, it is well worth the trip.