There are few things more sensual and erotic looking to me than the delicate crisscrossing of laces across a woman's back, highlighting her hourglass shape. I am an avid practitioner of traditional corsetry, and have taken my waist down from its natural 26" to 21.75" through training. For someone also interested in body modification and ritual, the corset piercing seemed made in heaven to me. In my early days of exploration into BME, I saw photographs of permanent corset piercings done with rings on the back laced up with threading to create a corset design. I had my heart set on getting these piercings done -- until I looked more seriously into the practicality of healing out ten to sixteen surface piercings well enough to have them withstand the pressure of being laced without causing migration and rejection. To have any chance of success the piercings would have to be done with surface bars, and only temporarily changed to rings when one wanted to lace up the corset due to the extreme difficulty of healing out flat piercings with rings on a parallel surface such as the back. I quickly realized that a corset piercing would simply be too impractical for my lifestyle.
At A Glance Author zoisite Contact zoisite@bme.anon IAM zoisite When A month ago Artist Mark Studio his house Location Vancouver, BC Luckily, hope was not lost: I soon happened upon the play piercing section of BME, and discovered the wonderful corset-inspired creations documented within. I decided that someday, when the opportunity presented itself, I would get a corset play piercing done as a ritual experience. Enter Mark.
After a period of being single for about three years, I finally found a wonderful boyfriend who shares my interests in body modification, electro-industrial music culture, "dark" lifestyles, and academia. Unfortunately, we met each other exactly a month before I had to move from Vancouver to Saskatoon to begin veterinary school... Our relationship essentially being over before it started, we decided to make the most of the time we had and spent as much time as possible together. As such, we developed a level of closeness and trust atypical for people who had only known each other a month.
During a conversation about body modification on our second evening together, Mark casually mentioned that he thought I would be into corsetry. I answered that I was, and pointed out the corsets hanging on the back of a chair in my apartment. "No, that's not what I meant", he said; "I mean a corset piercing on your back, a series of rings that you could lace up". I told him I had been interested in such a thing in the past, but that it would be impossible to heal out properly. I mentioned my play piercing idea to him, but he didn't seem overly enthused as he felt the effect wasn't as aesthetically pleasing when done with needles. I showed him some pictures of well-done play piercings on BME later that evening, and after seeing the possibilities he began warming up to the idea. I later discovered that Mark was an amazing photographer, which started the wheels churning in my head... A few days later, in a moment of closeness, I asked him if he would perform and photograph a corset play piercing on me before I left the city; he very enthusiastically agreed.
My friend Euvie had recently done a 22-needle play piercing corset at an IAM: Vancouver suspension event, and we decided to use her beautiful photos as a guide. I was able to get some 23 gauge 1.5" needles and gloves from my workplace to perform the piercings with; for those out there without such options, the easiest way to obtain needles is via BMEShop's mail order service. Mark and I agreed that the most common aesthetic problem with play piercing corsets was the use of overly thick ribbon for the lacing. I opted to go with a very thin(6mm) ribbed black satin ribbon, which I purchased from a local sewing store. Euvie recommended purchasing about 3m to lace up a 22-needle corset, and this length turned out to be perfect.
Finally the evening we had chosen for the play piercing arrived -- only two days before we were to separate. We had shared numerous special experiences with each other over the past few weeks, including impromptu play piercing, psychedelic drug use, and B&D (bondage and discipline), so were feeling very emotionally close. Mark is generally submissive, and introduced me to the role of dominatrix during our time together. However, the night before the play piercing he offered to have me submit to him, as he thought I might enjoy being on the "other side". I didn't pursue the topic at the time, but decided for myself that I would make our planned corset play piercing a B&D experience and submit to him for the night. It ended up being a fabulous choice.
We began to get ready around 12am on a Friday night. We had gone through my wardrobe and chosen suitable clothing for the photographs, which I changed into as Mark got the backdrops, cameras, and lighting ready. I was wearing knee-high laced black PVC boots, thigh-high sheer black stockings held up by a black garter belt and garter, and some amazing "corset panties" I found at a local lingerie store that had black ribbon lacing across the ass. I had asked Mark to put on the outfit he had been wearing on the night we met at a local fetish party: a floor-length black bondage skirt and a fishnet top that made him look like something out of Hellraiser. Mmmm...
We went into the bathroom to do the marking for the piercings, as the candlelight in the bedroom was not bright enough for the level of accuracy we were shooting for. Mark wanted the corset to look perfect, so he spent a good twenty minutes on the marking. He started by drawing two symmetrical curved lines down my back, beginning at the shoulder blades and ending just above the tailbone. He then made twelve pairs of dots down the lines to mark the needle insertion points, and ensured they were straight across my back. Rather than being evenly spaced, the dot pairs got closer together as they travelled down the small of my back, and gradually began to fan out again near my tailbone to create the desired visual effect. Once the dots were all marked out, the base lines were erased and my back was disinfected with rubbing alcohol. When everything was properly marked and cleaned, we headed back into the bedroom to begin.
I laid down on the black satin sheets of Mark's bed, and began to mentally prepare myself. I have experienced two suspensions, three flesh pulls, and twenty-eight body piercings in my life thus far, but I still consider myself a bit of a wimp and have trouble dealing with pain. I knew this was going to be somewhat painful, but for once I wasn't concerned about not being able to go through with it -- I trusted Mark with my body and knew he would help me get through the experience. I asked him to put me in the wrist and ankle restraints attached to his bedframe, and he most willingly obliged. He took a few pre-piercing photos of me lying spread-eagled on the bed before climbing on top of me and straddling my back. The feeling of the cold chains and rings on his skirt against my flesh was sublime. I felt completely under his control as he softly caressed my back and picked up the first needle.
He gently pinched the flesh of my upper back between his fingers, and asked me if I was ready. I breathed deeply and nodded, and he made the first piercing as I exhaled. It was only slightly painful. We went on to the second piercing, which Mark said was a bit more difficult to do symmetrically as he is right-handed and the piercings needed to be done with all of the needle hubs facing outwards to create the effect. We did two more piercings, and then I asked to take a little breather. He obliged me, gently stroking my back and kissing my neck as I settled myself. We began again after a minute or two; I was feeling fine, as the piercings in the upper back weren't overly painful and I had little concern of not being able to make it through all twenty-four. Mark continued on with the same technique, always gently asking me if I was ready before sliding the next needle into my flesh. I quickly lost count of how many piercings were in and how many were left to do; this was probably for the best, as counting down every one in my head would have likely made me more tense. The piercings became increasingly more painful as Mark worked down my back and curved in towards my spine, and I began wincing and vocalizing a bit as my back became more sensitive. I asked for another breather, and Mark took some photographs of the corset as it began to take shape. We continued on. I began feeling more and more uncomfortable as the piercings became more intense, and my arms started to ache from being held in the restraints. I didn't want to be released however -- the bondage was an integral part of the experience for me. The bedroom was heating up considerably due to the burning candles, and so Mark got a cold compress for my forehead. As he continued working, Mark began to comment on how wonderful the corset was looking so far; knowing how nicely it was turning out inspired me to keep pressing on and deal with the pain for the finished effect. A few of the piercings turned out quite shallow, but we elected to leave them in place r "\Ãw"ë ather than re-pierce. After what seemed like an eternity, Mark held up the last package of needles and told me there were only four piercings left. I was finally in the home stretch, but these last four were by far the most painful. A huge wave of relief came over me as the last needle went through -- finally, we were done!
Mark took some more photographs of the completed piercings, and then let me out of the restraints to take a breather before we began lacing the corset up. Getting upright was a bit of a challenge, due to the shifting of skin and muscle when lying down as opposed to sitting or standing up; the points of the needles dug into my spine as I moved around, but it wasn't an altogether unpleasant sensation. He led me into the bathroom to show off his handiwork. The piercings were done perfectly: completely symmetrical and positioned in exactly the right place on the back. I couldn't have been happier with the effect, and it hadn't even been laced up yet! Mark made me a drink to help me relax a bit before heading back into the bedroom to complete the finishing touches.
I laid back onto the bed, facedown, and Mark straddled my back once more. He began lacing at the top, weaving the ribbon in between the needle hubs in a crisscross pattern. He was worried about my pain, so didn't lace the corset overly tight. As with the piercings, the upper back area was only slightly uncomfortable -- but the sensations increased as we went lower. It was very hard to tell what area of my back Mark was working on at the time, as the pulling and pricking sensations all blended together; at one point I asked him how far down he was, thinking we were almost finished -- to my surprise, he was less than halfway done! The end came eventually though, and I breathed a sigh of relief as I tried to wrap my head around the intriguing pulling sensations on my back. Mark elected to tie off the ribbon ends in a simple square knot, as he felt that a bow took away from the desired visual effect. He was incredibly pleased with the way it had turned out, and brought me to the mirror so I could take a look myself. It was exquisite -- just as I had always imagined it would look.
Now that the corset was finished, it was time to begin taking photographs. To me, this part of the experience was also very submissive: I was being told how to pose and what to wear, and forcing myself to keep still and follow Mark's orders as best I could while feeling a bit faint and uncomfortable from the piercings and the heat of the room (we still had numerous candles burning). I knew how much getting the perfect photographs meant to him, and wanted to do my best to please him. We took photographs for about an hour, in numerous poses and outfits. Despite the pain and discomfort, I did very much enjoy the experience; I liked making myself attractive and sexy for him.
Finally the picture taking was finished, and I laid down on the bed once more to have Mark unlace me and remove the piercings. Two or three of the shallowest piercings had almost completely worked themselves out over the course of the photo shoot, and so he removed these before taking off the ribbon. To my surprise, I discovered immediately that my back was hypersensitive from being laced up for so long -- even the slightest feather-touch made me writhe. Unlacing the ribbon was incredibly intense. I felt as though Mark had his face right next to my back and was blowing hard on the piercings; however, what I was feeling against my skin was simply his normal breathing! Once the ribbon had been unlaced he began removing the needles, working from the top to the bottom as before. I couldn't help writhing and wriggling underneath him as each one was quickly pulled from my flesh. As with the piercing, the needle removal increased in pain as he went lower; I let out more than a few whimpers as the bottom ones slid out. The only piercings that bled were these lowermost ones. After all the needles were removed, the sensitivity on my back started to subside and I could tolerate gentle touching without jumping out of my skin. Mark cleaned up what little blood there was, and then wiped down my back with rubbing alcohol. Exhausted and spent, I curled up next to him in bed and we fell asleep, feeling incredibly close and connected to each other due to the intimacy of the shared experience.
The next morning, the marks left on my back were minimal: nothing more than two rows of tiny pinpricks, which faded completely a few days afterwards. There was no bruising, which was surprising considering my first play piercing session left huge black blotches on my arms for weeks. My back felt completely normal, with no residual pain or sensitivity -- I went out that evening tight-laced in one of my real corsets, and didn't experience any discomfort in the area at all. All in all, a very problem-free healing!
Mark is developing the photographs himself, and so I will not be able to see them for some time. I really hope some of them turned out well, but I wouldn't be crushed if none do -- the memory of that night was burned into my brain, and I will never forget it. The experience of giving your body to someone you care deeply about, to let them inflict pain on you and create art from that, is an incredibly special one. Though our time together may have been short, we were given the opportunity to share this and other expressions of mutual trust and intimacy with each other that will never be forgotten. I am incredibly grateful to Mark for sharing that night with me, and giving me so many wonderful memories. Whenever I lace myself up in one of my corsets, I will remember and smile.