I remember a time towards the end of 1999 when I thought that one centre tongue piercing would be the extent of my foray into body modification. Over the next few years, however, I gradually accumulated several more piercings, ranging from a second centre tongue stud (Primal Urge, Perth, Australia), my right nipple (Andromeda, New York, US) and left nipple (AAA, Nottingham, England). Further, during the previous two years I have excelled in this form of adornment by moving onto more hardcore piercings, such as genitals, septum, tongue "venoms", side (all Coldsteel, London, England) and centre lip, and, erm, navel (Leeds Body Piercing Studio, Leeds, England). It was at this latter studio that I first had my "smiley" or "scrumper" piercing done at the beginning of 2006. After a few short months it had migrated and - not wanting to overstate this, but very, very tragically - the BCR had to be removed. The feeling of loss and disappointment on that day was thankfully offset by the surprise that came from my newfound show of bravery (I managed to stop myself crying after, like, only four hours! Naturally, I am joking (or am I..?)).
At A Glance Author Daniel Contact Daniel@bme.anon When A week ago Artist Joanne Studio Bedroom Location Hyde Park, Leeds The above should tell you that piercing can be addictive. For me, I pierce myself for a multitude of reasons. Perhaps I am a superficial person, but this does not necessarily include 'rites of passage' or spiritual reasons (although I suppose that my first tongue piercing was at the start of an overseas gap year and largely coincided with turning 21 years of age). Rather, I am drawn in by the aesthetics of that shiny new piece of surgical steel juxtaposed against the skin to emphasise a part of the body that I really like. Similarly, I enjoy the overall experience of being pierced: the pre-piercing nerves and butterflies in my stomach; being marked and clamped by the Piercer; the feeling of the needle puncturing the flesh and the jewellery being fitted; and the surge of adrenaline combined with complete tranquillity of realising the process is finished. These pre-piercing nerves and near-orgasmic state that I encounter during piercing causes me to equate it to a sexual experience – only much better most of the time! There are many more inexplicable reasons why I pierce, too. Either way, body piercing is an ideal way to express my individuality and sexuality.
Nonetheless, I digress from this experience. Once my tongue "venoms" had healed, and I had satisfied a further piercing urge by having my side lip pierced during the Spring, it was an appropriate time to re-pierce my "smiley". Only this time, I opted not to go to a professional studio and instead let a close friend do the piercing for me. This was a well-reasoned decision, because she is a piercing aficionado as well, an aspiring Body Piercer, and is aware of the importance of hygiene and placement of a piercing. But mostly, I trust my friend implicitly. Needless to say, this piercing would combine the aesthetically pleasing outcome of a piercing, together with the effect of a pseudo-sexual experience, in particular a healthy supply of gentle kissing and legs straddled around the waist before, during, and after said piercing. Normally, I cringe at the thought of DIY piercings performed in a bathroom with obligatory sewing needle, and I would happily warn against such methods. But this process was different. It was comparable to uprooting a body-piercing studio and placing it in the centre of a bedroom. Plus, I had a sexy Piercer for good measure.
The reason why I have left the actual experience until last is not inadvertent. For anyone who has already had this piercing, they will undoubtedly share my view that it is generally simple and painless when performed correctly. And to anyone who is considering this piercing, I encourage you to have it done – if I can do it (and I cry for four hours plus!), then so can you! Since the frenum of the mouth (the small fold of tissue that prevents an the lip from moving too far) is so thin, no clamps are required during the process. Moreover, the needle can pass through the tissue very easily. The largest difficulty for the Piercer is having to keep the upper lip out of the way so that the process can be performed quickly and effectively. However, this was not my concern. I just sat upright, took one or two deep breaths in and out when my friend told me to, and she slid the 1.6mm needle through my skin on the exhale. The 1.2mm x 7mm BCR jewellery followed through very easily. Although, the fixing of the ball by my friend took a minute and some perseverence before we both heard the familiar 'click' as the ball snapped correctly in place. One bodacious piercing.
Overall, to be pierced by a professional Body Piercer causes all the effects that I have described above. But when someone you are close to, and who you really care about, performs a piercing, it can significantly heighten the experience. Spending time with my friend is like spending time with all my friends, all the people that I like, one to one, at the same time. So I was more than happy to let her perform this piercing on me. One week later, it is practically healed and I am praying to all my Gods the jewellery does not migrate. In the meantime, these days I love to smile even more! Now, if you are still reading at this point, I presume that you are interested in getting this piercing yourself and, if so, I hope that I have been persuasive.