Well, as the title says, it was my first professional piercing at a place other than a Claire's. I had thought about getting my belly button pierced for a long time before finally talking to my mom about it.
At A Glance Author anonymous Contact anonymous@bme.anon When It just happened Studio Blue Magic Tattoo Location Crystal Lake It started out as talking to my mom about getting a tattoo, and in Illinois you have to be 21 or have parent consent before you can get a tattoo. This was before I was 19, so it was decided that I had to wait until after my birthday and I had paid back some of my debts. I readily agreed.
A few days before my birthday my mom came to me to talk about the tattoo that I was planning on getting. When I had first mentioned getting a tattoo, I had also mentioned getting my belly button pierced. So when she was talking to me, she suggested that I wait to get a tattoo until I could sign for it myself (which is now only 2 years away) and that I could go get my belly button pierced instead since I could sign for it myself. I asked to think about it for a while. A few days later I told my mom that I would accept the terms for the piercing (had to be 19 and pay off my debts).
I finally had my birthday and paid off my debts when I had finally gathered enough money to pay for the piercing myself (which happened to be mostly birthday money). I had told my friend Jamie that I was going to do this and she asked if she could come along, so I readily agreed, I could use some support and someone to drive me home.
On April 16th, I had finally decided to go ahead and go to get my belly button pierced. Jamie picked me up and we headed to the place where my other friend had gotten her tattoo done (that was a year ago). When we got there, the place seemed to be gone. So we went to the other location they were supposed to have, and that seemed to be gone too. On the way to Blue Magic Tattoo, we saw the sign for the first tattoo parlor we were searching for and decided just to see what it was like. We went around to the door, and it just looked so creepy that we both agreed that it was not a good idea to get it done there. So we headed onto Blue Magic Tattoo.
When we got there we had to wait a few minutes (the person had left for a few minutes for dinner), but finally I was able to sign the consent form and picked out some jewelry to be used (I was having some problems choosing one piece of jewelry, but Jamie pointed out a green and blue kind of swirled beaded one and I really liked it). So then I got marked, sat in the chair after getting the clamp put on, and waited. Jamie was there with me, being supportive, and was talking to help distract me. When he finally pierced me, he told me to breath in and out and then pierced me. It hurt so much at first. But after the initial shock, it was not so bad, I guess from adrenaline.
After leaving and getting Bactine to put on it, things were feeling much better and I was extremely happy. I was glad I had not decided to drive myself to the piercer's, I was lightheaded and slightly overexcited. The only down side to this experience was that there were a few people that I talk to once in a while who felt the need to tell me how often navel piercings get infected. It felt like a slap, like i was not mature or smart enough to have looked at information on different piercings and seeing the outcomes.
I suggest for anyone who feels the need to put their two cents in to hold back, especially if the person wanted the piercing and/or has a hard time making decisions in the first place. I chose to ignore those comments, but they were still hard to deal with in the first place.
Even after a few days of getting pierced I'm still happy. I got this piercing for myself, not because I was going along with the crowd or because thought I would be more popular with it. I suggest to everyone to look at what could happen if the piercing went wrong and to really think about the reasons that you are getting pierced. I also suggest that if anyone is thinking about getting this piercing that they really should. I really feel that this piercing makes me feel better about myself, I feel more attractive to myself, and I do not care what other people think about me getting my belly button pierced.