Before getting my Monroe, I'd known for quite some time that I wanted some sort of lip piercing. After a self-pierced, awfully done surface clavicle at the age of fifteen (which I would NOT condone to anyone looking for a route to get around state laws), I decided to go with the safe route and either wait until I was eighteen, or until hell froze over and my parents would consent to their lovely daughter getting a hollow needle shoved through her lip.
At A Glance Author Rebecca Ransom Contact rebeccanne@sbcglobal.net When Three months ago Artist Jennifer < 333 Studio Primal Decor Location Eureka, CA
Around my seventeenth birthday, which occurred in July 2006, I began to research various piercings in hopes that I would be able to convince my parents that not only was I old enough to get a facial piercing, but that I would be able to pick one that if I absolutely hated, I could eventually get rid of. Of course, the latter statement was only for posterity, as I would never get rid of the piercing I'd wanted for so long.
I toyed around on the internet for a while, often on BME site, and was immediately drawn to the Monroe. I've been a fan of vintage pin-ups for quite some time, and seeing as there obviously isn't a piercing named after my favourite, Bettie Page, I fell in love with the Monroe. I bounced all over the internet, watching videos on YouTube, checking out photos on Suicide Girls and MySpace, trying to both gauge the amount of pain I was going to go through and determine which side of my face to get the piercing on.
A few of my good friends had been pierced by various piercers at Primal Décor in Eureka, CA, so I automatically thought of Primal as the prime option to get my Monroe. As soon as I got the official 'okay' from my parents, no matter how hesitant said 'okay' actually was, I was on the telephone with the lovely Julia from Primal Décor. I made my appointment for the following day, August 16, and was set to get my highly anticipated piercing.
Because my two good friends that are actually interested in body modifications both had to work at the time of my appointment, I took an acquaintance from work with me to the studio, as well as my mother, who obviously had to provide 'parental permission and signatures,' as I like to call the red tape. Upon entering Primal Décor, I immediately felt at home and ease simply by taking in the leopard print couch and Flogging Molly playing on the stereo. Julia, the receptionist, was quite a doll, with stretched ears and red glasses very similar to my own. We went through the required paperwork, and were seated in the reception area.
I was incredibly giddy, and busied myself with the numerous tattoo design sheets lurking on the shelves near the door – I've been planning to get my first tattoos and piercings at Primal for quite some time, to be honest. Paris and I amused ourselves watching my mother gasp in horror at the different gauges of earrings in the cases lining three walls. Eventually, the fabulous Jennifer entered the waiting area, and took our little trio into the piercing room.
The room itself would have felt more like the dentist's office than a body art studio, had it not been for the x-ray of a pierced man's head on one wall, and Jennifer's piercings and vintage style, especially considering the sheer amount of latex gloves and mouthwash in the room. Jennifer was wonderful in going over all of the procedures and aftercare with me, and I felt right at ease. We toyed with a couple of different placing for the piercing, and decided that just to the right of a small mole on the right side of my face would be perfect. She explained that biting your lip generally hurts more than actually getting it pierced, which was pretty comforting, as I had no idea what to expect.
To be honest, I was shaking a bit, but not nearly as badly as Paris and my mom. Jennifer prepared the supplies, and went through a practice breath with me, then went ahead with the piercing. To be honest, it felt more like I was being pinched lightly than getting a needle through my lip. The pain only lasted for a second or two, and the rest of the process was amazingly fast. When Jennifer stood back and told me to sit up, I was definitely surprised at the utter lack of pain or discomfort involved. After waiting a couple of minutes to check on the swelling, Jennifer announced that I had hardly any swelling, and would be able to come back in a couple of weeks to get the bar downsized.
Counting a generous tip and the jewelry, I paid eighty dollars for my gorgeous Monroe, and it was completely worth it. I would advise anyone looking to get a piercing not to go to a studio just because they have insanely low prices. The quality of a good piercing is totally worth the money. Also, for anyone in the Humboldt County area, I would enthusiastically recommend Primal Décor as my studio of choice. This also goes for numerous friends of mine that have gotten both piercings and tattoos at Primal. For anyone looking to get a unique piercing, the Monroe is wonderful. I adore mine.
I have since been back to Primal Décor twice: once to downsize the actual bar, and again earlier this week to pick up a new ball – my mother was unaware that it had fallen off, and she accidentally vacuumed it up from the carpet in my bedroom.
[Twenty-four hours after getting the wonderful Monroe, I had Bettie Page bangs cut, which lead to the nickname for which this story is titled.]