First I'd like to say please excuse my writing which I think could be much improved upon. I don't know how to write to 'everyone'.
At A Glance Author Soon Contact Soon@bme.anon IAM soon When A week ago Artist Russell Fox Studio The Tunnel Location Alliston
One evening I was hanging out with my friends Beau and Cam watching Fight Club, and they were sewing patterns on their hands. For some reason the sight of it made me think of corset piercing and I decided immediately that I would do it as soon as I could. It was a really spontaneous decision. From now on I will write my experiences right after they happen; I ended up going away and now it's been over a week. Everything looks better in retrospect right? So I'm going to say it was awesome and I think I'd do it again. But during, I was saying things more along the lines of "If having a baby hurts more than this, I'm so not doing it!"
After some phone tag, I arranged a time with Russ. When I got to the Tunnel he was there with Christy and Mike and Jeff. I'm GLAD Christy was there, she's seen/or done this corset thing before, and Russ was kinda looking to her about the stringing through of the ribbon. Not to mention the support!
We went to Stedmans to get some red ribbon, and also had to go out to Russell's to get his camera. Lots of running around beforehand, but I didn't get nervous. I didn't expect it would hurt too much. Some guy had just finished being tattooed and they told him what I was going to do and he was like "Ah! I'd rather be tattooed any day!" I had looked around for a backless shirt, but couldn't find one so I wore a bikini top.
They took quite a while drawing out the markings on my back, figuring out how it would look best. At first I was standing but then I lay down 'cause it's hard to stand still and straight that long. We decided on twelve 16ga rings, 6 each side. After the first 6 rings went in I started feeling shaky and tense so I said I wanted a break and Mike put on music and brought me magazines to read. Christy sat down in front of me and played with my hair and held the magazines open which was so nice of her! (Russ wanted my arms by my sides so I couldn't hold it) She made Mike rub my legs because that's mostly where I was shaking. I was finding it a little difficult to keep my thoughts straight when I talked. I probably sounded all disjointed.
I don't know how long I waited before trying some more, maybe 10 or 15 minutes? I said I was ok for one more and then I waited a bit, then I did a couple more and waited again, and generally took it slowly for the last ones. I got over the adrenaline though and it was better, but I was getting too tense when he used the clamp. He did the last few freehand I think, because the clamping in some places on the lower back was almost as painful as the piercing, so I'd be tense already when he put it through. Christy gave me juicy fruit gum for some sugar, and it got all stuck to my tongue ring.
Once all the rings were in they took a long time stringing the ribbon through trying not to bump the rings or tug on them. I couldn't feel them until they strung them together because then there was a bit of pressure, especially when I breathed in. The first time I felt it I said "oh my god!" -it didn't hurt, it just felt really strange! It was good, too.
We took pictures during the process and a bunch afterward when I was all strung up. I had invited a couple people to be present but they couldn't/didn't want to come, and in the end I think it was actually better that way. It was comfortable the way it was and I'm so grateful to Christy and Mike for being there with me, and of course to Russell for doing it for me.
I only had the corset in for a little while, maybe half an hour. Less than the time it took to prepare and get it done! When I was all set I walked around and looked in mirrors and called another friend to come and have a look at it. She stayed while the rings were taken out too. Afterward I had lots of red dots and blue x's and –'s all over my back. I'm told only the right side bled a tiny bit, and I never saw any of it. That night I slept fine and it wasn't sore at all unless I touched the spots where the clamp had hurt most. Now at just over a week later the dots are almost invisible unless you're really looking. I'm interested in trying some pulls now that I have a feel for getting my back pierced.