Like many others before me, I never thought that I would want a piercing... 'down there'. My lady parts and I have never exactly been close friends, so it never occurred to me that I could be so happy with a vertical hood piercing.
At A Glance Author Moonshine Contact Moonshine@bme.anon When Six months ago Studio Adrenaline Location Vancouver, BC
The first question that people ask me when they find out that I have one is: "Didn't that hurt?" This is always followed by their second question: "...but it feels really good, right?" I'll answer both questions in due time for you, but first I get to share the part that everyone always thinks but never asks:
"Why would someone pierce their clitoris?!"
First of all, it's not a clit piercing. It's a hood piercing. There is a difference. You might not know exactly what all your bits look like, but trust me... once you get them pierced, you become more intimate with your intimates than you ever thought possible.
Second of all, it was a long journey to go from disgusted to ambivalent to interested about the piercing. It was not a snap decision. I got mine for a variety of reasons. If you're reading this, then you probably already understand the way that piercing can become addictive quickly. I work with children, so I need to be free of visible body modifications. Out of my options, I chose to go with a hood piercing because I don't like nipple piercings and navel rings are simply too widespread, especially among a crowd that I don't choose to identify with. I liked the way it looks, and I was interested in how it would feel. After hearing a few stories from friends and one from my sister (the things you learn when you ask...), and some enthusiastic encouragement from my boyfriend, I decided to give it a try.
Like I said, I haven't had the closest relationship with the body part in question. I arrived at Adrenaline one sunny August day, freshly shaved and armed with doubts. I wondered if it would look good, if my hood was too tight or lopsided or too small to look good with a giant shaft of metal stuck through it. I was nervous, and understandably so.
To quell my nervousness, I looked around at the jewellery for a while while a friend got his first piercing, a barbell through his conch. I'd been present for piercings at Adrenaline before, so I already knew that they were a clean and safe place to get pierced. However, if you're going someplace new to get pierced, then don't forget to ask as many questions as you can about their cleanliness standards, your piercer's experience, and the proper aftercare.
The staff at Adrenaline was, as usual, friendly and helpful. Some of the men working seemed a little awkward, but the one woman working assured me that most hoods were anatomically capable of being pierced. That was it, the final obstacle between me and a nice thick chunk of metal through my genitals.
I was told to come back in four hours, because that was when the most qualified piercer would be in. It was the last day that the fireworks would be in town, so the time passed quickly and before I knew it, it was time to go back to the parlor.
I freshened up in the washroom, then I was ushered into the piercing room. My piercer closed the blinds, I took off my pants and got on the piercing table, facing the mirror that took up an entire wall. I had to put my feet in stirrups, which was probably the most uncomfortable part of the experience. Ladies, anything that reminds you of a pap smear is bad news.
My piercer, a cute molecular biology dropout with anti-eyebrows, made small talk as she opened the sterile piercing supplies. My boyfriend and the friend who had been pierced earlier that day had elected to stay, which lessened the stress considerably. The piercer but some lubricant on the receiving tube and placed it under my hood, then put the tip of the needle on the blue dot she'd placed earlier. It was highly uncomfortable, and after a lot of fussing she decided to use a smaller receiving tube. We were both happy with the position after that, so after taking a deep breath together she pierced the skin that had been stretched taut over the hollow tube.
If I said that it did not hurt, I would be lying to you.
For a fraction of a second, the new piercing burned with an intensity that made my back arch and air through my clenched teeth.
And then it was done, and the pain was magically gone. I looked down at my newborn piercing - it had looked too large when she took it out of the plastic, but nestled there in the folds of my skin it looked as if it had been there for years.
She cleaned it and warned me against the terrors of the bottom ball falling off in inconvenient places. I thanked her profusely and gingerly got dressed again, quivering from the excitement. I paid for my bodily harm outside - the price was much more painful than the experience, a solid $130.
Halfway down the street, the shock wore off and the warm fuzz that came from a new piercing was replaced with a painful thudding that matched my heartbeat. It was sore, but not overly painful, and kind of thrilling anyway.
The night passed in a happy haze, and ended with a frenzied uphill hike from the beach to the nearest transit station. The next day, I managed to swap my duties at work to involve less walking and more sitting, but sadly I still had to stand up and sit down again repeatedly. Those two things combined to make my first days with my piercing most unpleasant, but nonetheless I remained positive. A warm bath helped with some of the swelling, but like all piercings it went down on its own in a matter of days.
The aftercare is some of the most simple of any piercing. Due to the location, I wasn't allowed to use any oils, salt soaks, or cleaning solution. In the shower, all I had to do was clean it gently as I would anyway, using an unscented antibacterial soap if I felt concerned. Female genitals are self-cleaning, so even using the bathroom keep my piercing clean and healing properly.
In a month and a half, my hood was healed and ready to return to it's regularly scheduled programming. Did I mention that this piercing also has one of the fastest piercing times?
There's only one thing to watch out for: in the half year that I've had this piercing, the bottom ball has fallen out FIVE TIMES into the toilet and once on the floor of the bathroom. Whenever you touch it, do yourself a favor and make sure that all of your inorganic parts are screwed on as tight as they can get. If you don't, you might want to consider carrying around a long plastic glove for those unexpected toilet dives ala Trainspotting.
I've become more courageous with telling more people about my modification, and the responses range from disgust to intrigue, and my favorite reactions are the sly smiles from other women who have similar piercings. It's like being part of an exclusive club, but instead of a top-secret handshake, instead we are sisters that are linked by the courage to do what others couldn't dream of.
Having this piercing makes you realize how scared people are of a woman taking control of her body, and especially her sex life. A hood piercing is connected to 'increased stimulation', a phenomenon that didn't occur in my case, and that kind of control over what your body feels is scary to a lot of people, even other women. My ex-boyfriend called it slutty - now, what on earth is slutty about piece of metal? Especially when it is attached to a gal who's committed to one guy?
My piercing connected me to a part of my body, and consequently my life, that I was willing to ignore.
Six months later, I am still extremely proud of my piercing. It is fully healed and has been for a long time, though I rarely take it out because it feels so natural now. It hasn't migrated and it doesn't show signs of rejecting. I would suggest it to any woman, regardless of whether they like body modification or not.