It was a Friday morning and I as I woke I felt the first waves of nervousness wash over me. Today is the day. Today I get my first piercing.
At A Glance Author punkburgers Contact punkburgers@bme.anon Artist Dave Studio Absolution Location Christchurch, New Zealand Work blurred into a flurry of activity, it was one of the busiest days I'd seen since I started two months earlier. Rats. My job is talking on the telephone and at lunchtime today some guy is going to ram a stainless steel bolt through my tongue!
What the hell am I doing? How did this happen? My thoughts were racing, did I really want to do this? I'd heard all the horror stories by this time. Sliced nerves, bleeding, excessive pain. Not really keen on any of those!! Bloody Tash, this is her fault!
Tash is my good friend who I was working with at the time. She already had a stud in her tongue and was quite proud of it when out on the piss. Usually it stayed in its little home until she'd gotten it well lubricated at which time it would pop out at the slightest notice. I'd wanted mine done for a long time but
had never been brave enough to get it done. This time things were a little different. Kiwi male pride was at stake. Not only was I representing myself, I was also representing all males in New Zealand!
Tash had dared me to get my tongue pierced after I told her it was the only piercing I'd ever seriously considered. Her part of the deal was getting a second piercing in her tongue. The deal was struck and there was no backing out.
The next few days consisted of taunts and blood-filled nightmarish stories from all the lads at work which did nothing but fuel my imagination and fears. 'Surely nothing can go wrong' I thought to myself. Then I heard about massive bleeding and severed nerves.........
I looked up and the clock ticked over to midday. High noon. I glanced at Tash who was trying not to laugh at the drained look I must have had on my face. We piled into Tashs car and raced into town to make the 12.15pm appointment. Dave was waiting for us at Absolution. He'd done Tashs first piercing and she'd insisted we go to him.
He took one look at me and laughed. 'Relax pal, this won't hurt a bit.'
I relaxed....a little.
The coin was tossed and I was selected to go first. Dave showed me all the equipment and explained the procedure to me (I thought he wanted me to relax!) I took my seat and stuck my tongue out. A pair of tongs grabbed it and locked it in place. Then I saw Dave pick up the needle, felt a slight pressure, a small tweak and then the tongs let go.
'Done' said Dave.
'Done?' I asked.
'Done' said Dave.
I relinquished my seat and watched the procedure on Tash all the time wondering where all the horror stories had come from. I'd had a horror story with a tattoo so was a little surprised my piercing went so smoothly.
I shouldn't have been so worried or nervous. Amazing what peer pressure can do when they pour it on! Needless to say I had my fun telling everyone I chickened out. Only later when I got cheeky and stuck my tongue out did they find out the truth! I had numerous comments including one particular workmate who questioned my sexuality....apparently only homosexuals have tongue piercings. That provided me with one of the best laughs I'd had for a long time. Personally don't care if people think I'm gay but the idea that
someone believed that such a piercing was only to display your sexuality? I thought that had all ended in the Eighties.
Since that day I've had a lot of people make comment on my single tongue piercing including my parents who, as open-minded as they are, took a few looks to believe their eyes. I was impressed by the reaction my girlfriend at the time gave it....suffice to say it went down well with her! I believe the orders were along the lines of 'You're NEVER taking that out!'
I've considered several other piercings since then, labret, nipples, possibly another tongue. Theres always more room in the ears and lots of room below the neck too. However none have struck me that much that I've rushed out to get them. Maybe I've got my fill already? Its neither here nor there because although I have a fairly standard piercing its still my own and therefore part of what makes me unique. No matter what others say or feel, at the end of
the day its up to the person wearing the steel.
Two years later I've grown fond of my tongue piercing and just today took it out for several hours...the longest time yet. I put it back in however simply because I like it, after all, no-one else has too.