I guess my nipple piercing story begins several months ago - back in late August, my boyfriend was talking about getting his nipples pierced. I must admit I was really turned on by the idea of him with nipple rings, and encouraged him to go ahead and do it, but thought that I'd never get mine done - OW! and what about breast feeding? And then there's the fact that I'd have metal through my nipples - it just seemed a little... I don't know, just wrong.
At A Glance Author anonymous Contact anonymous@bme.anon When It just happened Artist Wes Studio Zebra Location Berkeley, CA Fast forward a month - late September. My boyfriend (who lives in Seattle) came to visit, and I saw his nipple rings for the first time. They were so much fun to play with, and the reactions he'd make when I licked them or tugged on them were oh so hot. I started wondering idly about what it'd be like to have my own nipples pierced. In the meantime I got my navel pierced, and I love it. It was, however, not unique enough - anyone and their dog can get their navel pierced. Big deal.
So what was it that finally drove me to decide to pierce my boobies? Boredom, love for being pierced (I LOVE the ritual), the need for new metal, and curiosity as to what it felt like. Also, I have always sort of had issues with my boobs - they have never been a full A cup except for the end of my freshman year of college - thanks to the freshman 15. This past summer, however, I lost most of that weight, so my tits are back down to a 34AA - a size Victoria's Secret doesn't carry. That does wonders for a girl's self-esteem, let me tell you. So I thought that piercing my nipples would be a way of reclaiming my tits for myself. I read tons of experiences on BME, and after I read each one, I was more and more convinced that this was something I needed to do. The final straw, however, was when I brought it up with my boyfriend - I sent him a link to a picture off of BME that I thought was particularly hot, to gauge his reaction. At first he seemed cool to the idea, but after it s tewed in his mind for about 5 minutes he told me, "You know you have to do this now..." So the deal was done.
At first I thought it'd be a birthday present to myself - my birthday is in January. Then I realized that would be too long to wait, plus it'd be in the middle of snowboard season - falling on a fresh nipple piercing would probably be pretty painful. I'd rather be healed up by that time. So I decided to do it soon. But when? Did I want to recruit a friend and make them drive me up so I could get pierced? My friends aren't *all* that into piercing - I'm one of the most pierced people that I know of, and I've only got 5 holes now (including 2 in my ears). So, I decided to do it by myself. I'm weird like that. I also picked the place where I'd gotten my eyebrow done last year (which I took out awhile back, because of the whole "professional appearance" thing and some other reasons) - I was impressed with their cleanliness and their professionalism, as well as their prices.
I also made a contract to myself the day that I got them pierced - that I would stop sleeping through classes, and make a concerted effort to get my grades up. I've been having a lot of trouble with things like that recently, and I needed a spark under my ass to get me going, basically. So part of the contract was that the barbells in my boobies would be a reminder of this promise - to stop sleeping through class and be a better student. Delicious irony - I'll be a better girl because I've got a naughty secret.
Anyway - so last week, I looked at my calendar and decided that Tuesday (yesterday) was going to be The Day. I do that - just pick a date for a piercing and then don't think about it until then. It didn't seem real at all until yesterday (in some ways it still doesn't). I woke up that morning in an awesome mood. The first thought through my head was, "I'm getting my tits pierced today!" I went to class in the morning, and then set out. I don't have a car, so it's public transit all the way for me, baby. Walk to the bus stop, bus to the train stop, train to the subway, subway to Berkeley, walk to Telegraph Avenue, where the studio is. I liked being alone on this journey - it was kind of like a spiritual one as well. Much like piercing is a ritual in many cultures, to me it is a personal, rather than a cultural, ritual.
So I finally arrived at the studio. I walked in and told the skinny boy (he can't have been more than 17) at the counter, "I want my nipples pierced." There. It was said. Deal done - there is no backing out now (as if there ever was). While he was filling out the paperwork and lecturing me on how to clean the piercings, I picked out the jewelry - plain old stainless steel barbells, 12ga, 5/8". (When they're healed I'm going to trade them out for purple titanium barbells, but that's beside the point.) Sign here. That'll be $98.00. Thank you. It'll be just a minute.
So I stood there and ate a cookie (they give you a cookie before you get pierced, how cool is that?) while they autoclaved my jewelry - and then they called my name and I walked back to the piercing room, where I was greeted by Wes, my piercer. We chatted for awhile while he got things set up. I liked the fact that he opened the needles in front of me. He got everything ready, and then he told me that he was going to just clean them and mark them first. "I guess this means I should take off my shirt, huh," I said. He shrugged. Unless I'd wanted them pierced through my shirt... :p Anyway, so he spent a few minutes cleaning and marking, and when both of us were happy with where the little white dots were, he picked up the clamp and grabbed my right nipple with it. At this point I just looked up at the ceiling and ignored the fact that there was a large needle about to pass through one of my most sensitive regions (thank god, in retrospect, that I didn't look at those 12ga need les too closely - dear jesus 12 gauge is big!). Anyway, when everything was ready and he had the cork in place, he told me to breathe in, and then slowly breathe out. In.... out...
SHARP. BURNING. PAIN. I made a "screaming" face, but I don't think I let out any noise. OW. Goddamn that hurt. I concentrated on the ceiling while he put in the barbell, which hurt a little bit more. OW OW OW... suddenly it doesn't hurt so much anymore. He sat down and chilled out for awhile while I let the adrenaline rush over me. He asked how I was doing several times, and I always felt okay - never about to pass out or anything. About a minute later he asked if I wanted to take a break before we did the second one. I told him that I was good to go, so he got the clamp ready again... oh, shit... this again... he clamped my left nipple, got the cork. Breathe in, and outOWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!! Another screaming face, but again, no scream. I think I said "Ow! Ow!" a couple times. I'd heard that the second hurt way more - I didn't find this to be the case, I think they hurt about the same.
Anyway, Wes screwed the barbells on and we sat there idly making small talk while he made sure that I was going to be okay. He gave me an orange soda out of the fridge so that I wouldn't have to get up, and told me to sit as long as I needed to. While I was sitting there, my phone rang - it was my boyfriend - and I answered the phone with "I have metal in my tits!" I was excited. I told the boy I'd call him back in a few minutes, hung up, tipped Wes $20, got dressed, and headed on out. On my way out of the store, the skinny boy who'd helped me at the beginning caught my eye and looked at me with that "goddamn I'd like to see those" sort of look... I thought it was funny.
They *hurt* for about an hour or two - the entire ride home i was making funny faces and biting my thumb to keep from moaning. It was a good kind of hurt - the kind of hurt you really don't feel is appropriate to experience on a subway in front of a hundred strangers. But oh, the sensations. I didn't know my nipple could DO that. Every time I brush my shirt, or turn around, or raise my arm - oooh! Shivers down my spine. It is amazing. I can tell that once the pain goes away, it's going to be nothing but fun.
Anyway, when I got back to school that night, I HAD to tell someone - so I called one of my friends into my room and showed her. She nearly shit herself - but she was REALLY impressed, and every time I'd put my shirt back down she'd ask me to show her them again. Not that I mind - they're so awesome. I've only shown her so far, my boy will see them in a few weeks... but I don't often wear a bra so they just ever so subtly show through my shirt. I think that's awesome. I am for once fully proud of my boobies - they're small, but dammit, they're MINE.