At A Glance
Author	Nikki
Contact	Nikki@bme.anon
When	A week ago
Artist	Diann
Studio	Art Addictions
Location	Brampton, Ontario

After asking my parents several times, without any successful answers, I tried to do the piercing myself, using a safety pin. Realizing that a barbell wouldn't fit in the hole I had made, I took it out. Do not do this. I now realize it was stupid, and irresponsible of me. I also tried to go with my friend a couple times, to different piercing studios. This was also unsuccessful. Again, I do not recommend going behind your parents back, because when they find out...yeah. You don't want that. But if you must, at least take the necessary precautions, and get yourself a piercing kit. Do some research. You want your piercing to look professionally done, not lopsided.

So I begged my parents for several...months. I mean, non-stop-all-I'm-thinking about-every opportunity kind of beg. My parents are one of those "if God didn't put that hole in your body, it's not meant to be there" type. I even went so far as to make a report on it, thanks to BME, and several other sites. So, when Christmas came around, I was all excited, as I was hoping that my parents would give in. They did, but I had to get it done after the new year. It wasn't like it couldn't be done, so I agreed. Though, later I did change my mind on what I wanted, because I decided that if I was going to get it, I had to get something different, or nothing at all. I didn't want something every other girl had. I decided to get a standard navel, and a horizontal surface navel below my belly button. After finding out what the rejection rate on the surface piercings were, and how...gross they looked when they rejected, I decided to get an inverse instead. Gross isn't even the word to describe what I had seen, and I didn't want to have to go through that, or have a horrible scar across my stomach.

Everyday after new years I waited, and tried to go, with unsuccessful attempts. Either the piercer wasn't in, the studio was closed, or I just couldn't get a ride. But, then on January 4th, which by the way is now my favourite day, my mom took me to Art Addictions. After rushing to get there before closing, I told them what I wanted, and chose my jewellery. I had to wait for a few minutes, though. No big deal, it gave me a chance to look at all the crazy tattoos posted up on the wall =). The place was clean. It looked clean, and smelled clean. It was colourful, and the people were really friendly.

They called me up, and I went into a white room. My mom decided to follow me to see what they were doing. She asked me to lift up my shirt so she could mark where the piercings would go. Then, she told me to sit down in a doctor's-like chair. It was actually comfortable, and helped me relax. I knew what sort of pain to expect, and it didn't bother me. Though I was a bit nervous on the inverse piercing, because those hurt more. She showed me that the equipment was autoclaved, and showed me what she was going to be using. Then, she cleaned around where the piercings would go, and put the clamps on. These were uncomfortable, though they didn't hurt. I was told to breathe in, and I did. Then I was told to breathe out, and she would pierce me. I could feel the needle sliding through, though it did not necessarily hurt. It was more like pressure. She told me to take a break, and if I still wanted the inverse, she would do it. I agreed, and she began putting on the clamps. I was told to breathe again, and she pierced me. I'm not going to lie, that one hurt. It wasn't something that I couldn't handle though. After about a minute, I couldn't feel the pain anymore. The piercing took no more than a few seconds, and she kept talking to me to make sure I was doing alright. She showed me that she was bending the needle, so it cannot be used anymore. I then stood up, and looked in the mirror. It was perfect! I really, truly loved it. She gave me the aftercare instructions, and showed me what to do. I thanked her, tipped her, and left.

It's been exactly 20 days since I got my piercing, but who's counting? I followed the aftercare instructions, and it didn't overly hurt, just as much as you would expect a new piercing to hurt. It only hurts when it gets caught on something, or when I turn over on it while I'm sleeping. Not fun. Though, my cartilage did hurt more, and still does. I got it about 3 months ago and it's still sore. The only thing that bothers me is that when I sit down, the two barbells are not in line with each other, but when I stand up they are. That's alright, I love it. If you're thinking about getting this piercing, just do it. It didn't hurt much, and it was totally worth it. It didn't cost much either =)