I had always been infatuated with piercings, even as a small child. I had six holes in my ears by the time I was ten, but my parents stuck to their Catholic standards of, "no body piercings until you're 18 and out of my house." By the time I was thirteen, I had gained 11 of my 12 ear piercings, and still yearned for more. From then until now, I have asked my mother time and again if she would take me to go get something done (she had always said "no") and would get into the occasional moral argument with my father about body piercing. I know my mother didn't really care, she just didn't want to get lectured by my dad about letting me "mutilate my body."
At A Glance Author Karen Buckley Contact Karen Buckley@bme.anon When A month ago Artist Emily Studio ADDICTIONS body piercing and tattoo Location Salem, OR At my sixteenth birthday party this year, two local bands played, one being a hardcore band of which all it's members were covered in piercings and tattoos. I noticed that my mom kept coming downstairs to stare at them with an obvious look of interest, and I later got her to admit that she liked them AND their body mods. They were leaving for the Philippines for the following month, and she told me that while they were gone, if one of my sisters took me, I could get my navel done under one condition: I couldn't tell my dad. No problem. My dad still hasn't noticed my 00gauged ears.
I had a rather unfortuanate experience with a self-piercing that month. A friend came over with a bent and sharpened safety pin and ring, and we proceeded. The piercing swelled and infected, and I removed it after three days. (Note: if you're going to self-pierce, PLEASE use the proper materials!!! It's not worth the pain) By the time they got back, I still had no navel ring. I also still proceeded to ask. By this time, she said no, and seemed to be sticking to it.
During a family trip to Oregon on July 6th, I jokingly asked my Mom's twin sister if she would take me to go get my navel done. Unlike my mom, she was all for it, got out the phone book, and told me to go get directions from online. I was so excited and happily obliged. I think that because my Aunt was so cool about it, my mom decided to come too (and she too ended up being the one signing the legal papers and such). The first place we went to wouldn't pierce me because I had no photo ID, but I had my birth certificate and driver's permit, AND my mom with me. So, we went to the place we had originally planned.
Where I ended up getting it done is called "Addictions" in Salem, Oregon. The place is very free-spirited and nurse-owned. They were extremely cool, and a girl who was my age (16) worked the front desk. We chitchatted and got along really well, and she ended up being the owner's daughter. My mom even suggested to her twin sister that they get matching tattoos or piercings, but she declined. I asked my mom if maybe we could get matching tattoos instead, and she laughed at me. Oh well.
The piercers name was Emily, and she was EXTREMELY sweet. A mother of six and piercer of many, she was very warm-hearted and explained exactly how the piercing would be done, how to care for it, and the worst of what I could expect. She noticed my ears and fairly dark skin, and told me that the healing process would be nothing compared to the cartilage. We cleaned and marked my belly, marked it again after noticing it was a little to the right, and she had my lie down on her chair. I started to get a little nervous when she put the clamp on, but kept my ground. If I had managed to shove a mangled safety pin through my lip, I could handle this. The peircing itself wasn't so bad. She talked to me the whole way through, saying things like "now you're feeling my hands on you, and I'm lining up the needle..." When the needle actually did go through, it felt like an extreme amount of pressure, with a tinge of pain that faded quickly after about five minutes. My mom and aunt had missed the piercing because they were talking to each other, and they were a bit upset about that. Emily then told me how cute it looked, I hugged and thanked her, and we left the store.
It has only been two weeks, and I have yet to see any problems with my piercing. My mom occasionally walks by and lifts up my shirt to look at it, and asks how it's doing pretty regularly. I rather like it, and I would DEFINATELY recommend Emily to ANYBODY in the Salem area. Addictions Body Piercing is located on 176 Liberty street, right in the heart of downtown. I would even consider driving all the way back there for my next piercing because I liked her so much. Good luck to anybody who wants one... just make a note of not sleeping on your stomach, wearing high-cut pants, and not letting your friends touch it when they comment on how cute it looks. No one needs/wants a grotesque infection.