I think this dates back to the summer after 7th grade. My best friend came back from the beach one day with her navel pierced, her mother too. Prior to that, I had been interested in multiple ear piercings (at the time I only had one hole in each lobe) but I don't remember being into any other body piercings. After I saw Chloe's navel all pretty and pierced I raced back home and asked my mother and father for one as well. They both rejected the idea. Even after many months, or maybe it was weeks, of begging, I had not achieved anything. I gave up on the idea and concentrated on trying to get my second holes in my lobes. I finally got those a few weeks before my 14th (I think it was 14th...) birthday, gunned because I didn't know any better. I still wanted more of course. Since then I have given myself quite a few more ear piercings (7 in total now), not very smart, I know.
At A Glance Author Sylvia Contact Sylvia@bme.anon IAM miseinen When A month ago Studio Elwood Tatto [original piercing] & Steel Factory [switching] Location Aix-en-Provence, France [both] Fast forward from middle school to this summer, currently sixteen years old. My parents sent me on a month long trip to France, which I was really looking forward to. My father, knowing my affinity for piercings said "IF YOU COME BACK WITH ANY MORE HOLES IN YOUR BODY YOU HAVE NO INTERNET FOR A MONTH!" Then my mother stepped in and said that we had previously made a deal, that I just wouldn't get anything done in the area of my mouth; she is extremely paranoid about gum erosion and chipped teeth.
Once I got to France, I saw that piercings seemed to be a lot more popular there than in the United States. It seemed like every other person seemed to have some sort of [non-ear] piercing. I guess seeing all these pierced people inspired me to go out and get something done. I was considering either a tragus, nostril, or navel piercing. I finally decided on navel because if I were to get my tragus pierced, I knew I wouldn't be able to wear my headphones, and that was a necessity, seeing as it got very boring in my dorm room at times, and also during the 8 hour flight home I would need music to get me through. I also eliminated nostril because even if it is smaller than a navel piercing, my mother had shown disgust about me getting a nostril piercing a few weeks prior to the trip. I decided on navel, not caring that it's "super trendy" and all that crap.
One day, about a week and a half into the trip, I had set my mind to it, I was going to do it. I said to myself, I'm going to do it tomorrow! But the next day I didn't get a chance to do it. I think I finally did it two days later. I went to the internet cafe before to see if there was anyone online I could talk to (damn that time difference). My friend Kim was online, I told her what I was going to do, I told her that I was a bit scared. She pushed me to do it. She told me, "go do it, now!" So two minutes later, I had signed off and paid for my computer use. I walked into the shop and told them I would like my navel pierced (in my horrid French, of course). The guy up front asked me if I wanted it done that day and I said yes. The piercer was busy at the moment, so they told me to return in about an hour.
During that time I wandered around town nervously, I sat down at a cafe, drank an iced tea and ate a nutella crepe, while constantly checking my watch. When the time finally came, I went back to the shop. The piercer led me to the back where the chair was. He checked my navel to make sure it was do-able, okayed it. I picked out my jewelry, a banana barbell with purple jewels on each end. I laid down on the chair and pulled up my shirt. He put some sort of numbing cream and I laid there as he explained aftercare and such. (I was so proud of myself that I understood it all; it was in French). I was a bit nervous because he didn't ask my age or anything like that. Finally he asked. I said 16. He asked where my parents were. I said the United States. He laughed and went on. Finally, after all the explanations it was time to do it. Earlier, when he was marking where the holes would go he asked me if I was scared (I was shaking). I laughed and said a little. I braced myself, the adrenaline pumping through my body. He took the needle and clamps out of the plastic (they were both new), got the barbell, and placed them all on the tray. He positioned the clamps, and asked if they were too tight, I could barely feel them so I said they were okay. He put the needle through, I was shocked at how painless it was! Maybe the numbing cream helped, but it really felt the same as getting a teeny shot at the doctor's, except on my stomach. He switched out the needle for the jewelry, handed me the mirror so I could see how it looked. I loved it. He put a bandage on it and told me to remove it the next morning, to be careful, not to touch it, etc. I thanked him, paid and left. Happy and excited.
Two weeks later, I saw that the barbell seemed to be a bit too short, and that it was pretty red around the entrance and exit holes. I went to a different piercing studio. This one seemed a lot cleaner and popular. As I waited, I must've seen about 20 or more people walk in and out to talk to the piercer, get pierced, buy jewelry and such. Finally, when he got to me he examined my navel and said that my navel was a bit inflamed (oops, I had been lying on my stomach quite a bit, and playing with it too) and that he was going to switch it out for a longer barbell, and if I wanted to switch it later after the inflammation subsided, that I could come to him and he'd do it. I picked out the jewelry, identical to my previous barbell, but a bit longer. He autoclaved it, talked to me about aftercare again then switched it out.
The day I got back home, my shirt got pulled up somehow and my mom saw it by accident. I was worried about her reaction. Oddly enough, she didn't seem to care! She was just like, oh, you got your navel done eh? She seemed pretty curious about the piercing itself. Now she even wants me to show it off! A few days ago I was about to go out the door to walk the dog the other day and she attempted to pull my shirt halfway up. "Why would you get it pierced if you're not gonna show it off?!" I just shook my head. I did it for myself, but hey, I won't tell her that. She also referred to it as my "beautiful belly" the other day! Sometimes I just donft get the woman. :P
A month after the initial piercing I'm feeling great. I can't even feel the piercing unless I bump it, my dog steps on it (happened today, ouch), or something of the sort. The swelling and redness is practically gone, so I'm happy. Though I really should stop playing with it...