Piercings: Or how I stopped worrying and learned to love the holes in my face

my dream..

My sister got a piercing when I was 10, she had got her ear cartilage pierced and made me promise not to tell our mum. When my Mum did eventually found out, she didn’t get angry, she actually wanted to get the same piercing herself and this kind of ruined it for my 15 year old sister. Through out the next couple of years she would get lots of things pierced and my mum would only look at her go ‘Oh dear’ but never seemed to care. My sister was like the black sheep of the family and now and again my grandmother told her that no boy would ever marry her if she looked like that.

It seemed that piercing was something my sister would always be interested in, she’s taken a lot of them out but still has her facial piercing. I was watching her change, and seeing how she became more confident because she had indulged in something she thought looked good. Even though some of her friends hated them, she didn’t seem to care, she said that it was her choice and it didn’t matter. I mean it’s only a bit of metal. So when I was 12 I decided that I was going to get piercing’s and tattoo’s because I thought they looked cool. Now I have only uttered the immortal words of ‘I think they look cool’ but why is that not a valid reason? Do I have to have a spiritual reason to shove a needle through my face, it’s just cool man, you don’t understand okay.

For somebody who is considering getting a piercing that will be on display you will have to have the same love/hate relationship with it that most people have. I have been shouted at in the streets, family and friends say I’m ruining my looks and it’s unlikely you’re going to get a job as easily if you could if you didn’t have piercings. If you’re someone who won’t stand by your principles, save your £20 and the pain and don’t get it done. I have considered taking my piercings out, but I love them, I don’t think I could take them out without feeling like me. Piercing falls under the umbrella of ‘body modification’ which literally means changing your body, this includes fake nails, hair extensions, hair dying, make up, wearing a corset and tanning. I bet most guys wouldn’t be able to leave the house without gel in their hair, like most girls wouldn’t face the world without their make up.

Now I’m nearly 18, I’ve realised that I don’t need to conform to what people want to actually survive in the world. I can go work in bar, a music shop or be one of those awful charity workers on the street and proudly wear my piercings. If I get more done I know that even my sister would have her doubts that it looked good; after all, there’s a lot of piercing hierarchy. Ideally I’d like to get another lip and nose piercings, an industrial bunch of cartilage piercings, cheek piercings, my tongue and some naughty places too. If you see me in 10 years and I’m not covered in tattoos and have all those piercings it means that I lost my principles and I’m working in Tesco.