I always saw folks with tattoos and piercings as trashy and weird, but I think H. G. Wells said it best: "Moral indignation is jealousy with a halo." I secretly idolized the image of the counter-culture rebel. While my own life and lifestyle was somewhat conservative, dare I say, even boring, I thought I would instantly become "edgy" if I could be one of those people with the steel and ink. In retrospect, I had my priorities all wrong, but at the time, I didn't think it through.
At A Glance Author ahtfireflies Contact ahtfireflies@bme.anon When A year ago Studio Bodytech Location Gainesville, FL One of the first guys I had a serious crush on was a friend of a friend, who had a seamless ring over the side of his lip. I thought it was pretty much the hottest thing I'd ever seen. I lusted after having one for two or three years. But being the staid dude I was, I never was able to bite the bullet. For my twenty-second birthday, I finally screwed up my courage to go into the most reputable mod shop in town.
I had heard people would trust their lives to Bodytech. When I walked in, I saw why; everyone was very professional, it was clean, there were lots of lights and tasteful decor. I was terribly nervous, but the surroundings helped put me at ease. I told the guy I wanted a lip-ring, and he told me it would be just a few minutes. One of my friends came along to get his ears pierced, and we argued for a few minutes which one would go under the needle first. My roommate, also there for moral support, then started to try to talk me out of it.
"Don't you need to get a job this semester? What will your mom say? What if it interferes with your sex life?"
He was just trying to make sure I really wanted it, but I was scared enough as it was. So I waffled, and all of a sudden blurted out, "I'll do my nipple instead!"
That was it. About ten seconds of deliberation after three years of agonizing. Remember what I said about lacking perspective?
About ten minutes passed, and I became increasingly jittery and nervous. They called me back to a small private studio and I stripped off my shirt and clutched the chair. The guy (whose name unfortunately escapes me) was very reassuring and experienced. Everyone had told me, "it just hurts for a second; it's not bad at all." So he dabbed and pinched, and I squirmed and clenched.
Then came the needle.
Holy crap.
I think they heard me out in the street.
Let me be the first person to lay it out there to newbies: Getting your nipple pierced hurts. It hurts real bad.
After that first rush of searing pain, it subsided to a dull throb. He bandaged me up, and I got up to wait on my friend's ears. At first, I was doing okay on the rush of adrenaline, but after a few minutes, I started to turn pale and clammy. I got light-headed and laid down on the couch. Again, the staff was very helpful and made sure I was doing okay. Eventually, the shock passed and I was able to get up and leave without passing out.
The next few days were pretty bad. I was very tender and it oozed gross pus. Even for a few weeks, it was more sensitive than enjoyable. I thought it was dumbest thing I'd ever done, but I was stubborn and stuck with it.
After a few months, I got completely used to it. It healed up entirely in about 12 weeks. The only time I've had further problems was when I changed to more noticeable jewelry and occasionally caught it on something. Now that it's been almost a year, I've come full circle and now appreciate it for what it is. I love people's reactions when I go to the pool or the river, since they all know me as that boring guy from the beginning of the story! It's a fun piercing to have and I don't regret it at all. In fact, since I had gotten what was probably the most painful thing I could do, it was a breeze to finally get that lipring I wanted, as well as my first tattoo, with more on the way.
That said, I recommend to first-timers to put more consideration in than I did. Do you want your first to be the worst? Do you want to work up to it? Do you want to get both done, or just one? Which side? Think about it for a few days at least. Take note of things like your bag strap, your seatbelt, your favorite jacket. Is your significant other right- or left-handed? Will any of those cause problems?
I hope I've encouraged some of the risk-takers out there to at least stop and think for a minute, but I also hope other "conservative" types will follow my lead and go ahead and go for it. Just do what makes you happy!