So, I have this kind of reputation of doing anything to prove I'm a badass. Sometimes it gets me in trouble. Sometimes it gives me an excuse to do something I really want to do.
At A Glance Author Nikole Contact Nikole@bme.anon IAM choke_chik When Three months ago Artist Self-done One day I had a bunch of friends around watching me poke holes in my ears (which I do quite often with any sharp object available) and one of them handed me a thick safety pin (if I had to put a gauge on it, I'd say 16 ga) and asked me if I'd ever pierced anything but my ears. Sure, I said, I did my eyebrow once and my belly button. Both were true, sort of. I got a safety pin half an inch under the skin of my eyebrow and flipped out. I pushed a straight pin through my belly button and then couldn't find anything to put in it so I took it out a few minutes later. But I'd never really pierced anything facial with the intent to keep it.
Hey, you could do your bridge, I hear a few moments later. Yeah, I said, and pinched it between my nails, hard as I could. It barely hurt. I asked for a mirror and one of my friends held up a hand mirror in front of me, wavering a little. Are you actually going to do it? I nodded, gulping. A couple people walked away or turned their heads. More than a couple leaned closer, curious. I don't know if anyone actually doubted I'd do it, though.
I lined the safety pin up on one side and took a deep breath, then pushed it in, feeling the tip scrape against the bone. Crap, I'd done it too low. I got it halfway through and then pulled it out, placing it up a few centimeters higher and shoving again. It went up another centimeter or two and I saw it going in far too crooked, but this time I got it all the way though. I could see the ridge of the pin moving under my skin, tenting the other side until I finally managed to poke it out. It was too crooked. I pulled it out again and lined the tip up with the hole I had just made, fighting to change the path so it was straight. That part hurt the worst, though it was really tame considering I'd taken more than a few seconds to do it and three attempts. It was a still a little crooked, but nothing looks cooler than a big ass safety pin shoved through the bridge of your nose, and all of my friends congratulated me on being the craziest kid any of them knew. I could see the pin in the corners of my eyes, and when I ran my fingers over the bridge of my nose I could feel it under my skin, a hard little ridge. I thought I was cool as hell.
We walked around downtown for a while. I tilted my head up, looking for a reaction everywhere I could, and man did I get some. People either stared disapprovingly or were very vocal with their kudos. I just wanted to find something more appropriate to put in it, because it was really, really starting to get sore (I don't know if you've every pierced anything with a safety pin, but it gets insanely irritated in a very short amount of time. On a side note, piercings things with safety pins is a very, very, VERY bad idea. For one, it's a great way to get infected, or worse, dangerous diseases like hepatitis or even HIV, for two, the shape is inappropriate for piercings, and for three, it hurts a lot if you leave the safety pin in for any amount of time. Oh, and four, it's really hard to get jewelery into a safety pin hole. If you're going to self pierce, make sure you really know what you're doing. When in doubt, go to a pro.)
When I got home, I looked around desperately for something to put in it, but the closest I could find was an earring with a reasonably long post. I put it through, shoved a bead on the end, and walked downstairs to my kitchen table.
Needless to say, it wasn't well received by my parents. Apparently, I'm the only person in the world who finds bridge piercings attractive, according to my dad. I let it heal up, after a short and misguided plan to keep it out around my parents and put it back in at school, which only lasted until I realized that was a good way to get it painfully irritated. It's kind of a bummer to lose your first facial piercing the same day as you get it.
Eventually I managed to convince my mom to let me get my nostril pierced, but that's a totally different story. When I turn 18, I'm going to get my bridge done properly, and keep it in for more than a day. I still think the safety pin looked awesome, though.