At A Glance Author Anonymous Contact [email protected] When N/A I didn't become interested in body modification until I was 18 years old. This is due in part to living in a small rural area where body modifications were not commonplace, as they seem to be here in the big city. While working as a camp counsellor one summer a bunch of the staff decided that we wanted to go into town on our day off and get pierced or tattooed together. Wanting to start off with something simplistic, I decided that I would get my navel pierced. Since I was 18, a legal adult in Canada, I did not need parental permission to get a piercing. While I did still live at home, there was not ultimatums from my mother or threats to kick me out of the house should I not follow the rules while living under her roof. In fact, the day I was destined to get my navel pierced she drove over an hour to visit me at camp, to see if I had actually gone subjected myself to voluntarily pain. From the very beginning, nothing has ever stopped me from getting pierced.
Fast forward a few years and about 16 piercings later. Moving to the 'big city' (Toronto, not even close to the rural town with a population of 6,000 that I had previously resided) made my piercing quest a lot easier. No longer was there only one tattoo studio with an hours drive, there were so many piercing and tattoo studios my mind went crazy with happiness. I was ecstatic. My wallet, on the other hand, was not so thrilled. As with my first piercing, I did not have to ask my mother/father if I could get any piercing. After all, I didn't live with my mother anymore and rarely came home for visits with the exceptions of major holidays. Granted, I did seek their input occasionally, but even if they didn't 'support' a particular piercing I still followed my heart and got the piercing I so desired.
Working as a camp counsellor not only introduced me to piercings, but was also my first job and provided me with the means to be able to get pierced � money. Therefore two common 'barriers' to piercings were non-existent in my life. I have definitely never belonged to the group of young people interested in body modification who have to beg and plead with their parents to allow them to get pierced. Nor have I had to wait for Christmas money or my parents to pay for my piercing as a birthday present. I guess I was lucky... lucky to be blessed with OSAP (Government student loans) which funded far too many of my piercings. Shh... don't tell, I maintain my innocence with most people, stating that all OSAP funds have supported my education.
Moving on...
A majority of my piercings are subtle. My only 'facial' piercing is my teensy nostril screw. As for hidden piercings, well there's the navel piercing. I had my nipple pierced not too long ago, but it has since been retired.
For the past two years or so I have found myself oddly mesmerized with the idea of getting a genital piercing. Specifically, I am interested in a Christina piercing or a horizontal hood piercing. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not about to run out tomorrow and get pierced. I like to do a lot of research before getting a particular piercing. Looking at the female genital piercings section of BME doesn't count as research. Neither does asking my friend about her genital piercing experience. Even if I had already done thorough research and had managed to push my modesty issues aside temporarily, I don't think I'd be able to go and get pierced. Why? Recently, I have been put into a bit of an awkward position. Something is finally making me have second thoughts. Wait, I mean someone is.
Allow me to get into details � my long-term boyfriend has a negative opinion of genital piercings. Despite being into body modification himself (with numerous piercings and a crazy amount tattoos) he does not hold a high opinion of genital piercings. My boyfriend believes that genital piercings effect how people will perceive the individual who is pierced. He feels that genital piercings can automatically make a person less credible so to speak. He thinks that a genital piercing will lead to sexual promiscuity. I personally feel that these thoughts are crazy and I'm sure that others share my opinion. If I were to get a genital piercing that does not mean that I would dump my boyfriend and become promiscuous. Since my nipple piercing did not give me the urge to go braless and lift my shirt and show my new addition to anyone and everyone, I highly doubt that a genital piercing would make me hoist my skirt or walk around naked from the waist down. I also can't imagine that I would want to 'try out' my new piercing with someone I do not love. All in all, I think that my boyfriend temporarily loses his mind when the topic of genital piercings is raised.
The short time that I had my nipple pierced it felt awesome to have little secret that nobody knew about. It would be nice to have that feeling again � knowing that I've got a piercing that the whole world doesn't know about � they can't see it and as a result they can't judge me, criticize my decisions, isolate me or anything of the sort... typical experiences for many heavily modified individuals and situations I've experienced from time to time.
Despite my desire to get a genital piercing, I know deep down inside that I will not be getting one anytime soon. Relationships are about compromise. My boyfriend and I live together and we value the opinions of each other. Although it is my body and essentially, I am not controlled by my boyfriend and I am able to do whatever I please to my body, I respect his decision to dislike genital piercings. I don't like it, but I will tolerate it.
Trying to be positive, it is possible that my boyfriend's dislike for genital piercings will be a good thing for me � it will give me the chance to thoroughly (way more than any other piercing, since I've been wanting a genital piercing for well over a year) think about this decision before running out and having a needle stuck through such a sensitive area. I will be able to find a piercing studio with a female piercer that I would be comfortable exposing myself to, putting myself in an awkward (at least to me, I recognize that piercers see 'that' every day) position. Who knows, with time my boyfriend may become more open to the idea of me getting a genital piercing. With time people's opinions of body modifications change. Look at society � what was once taboo is now fairly common place. Tattoos and piercings are no longer associated with the deviant. Many people, young and old have tattoos and piercings, both visible and discrete. What does the future hold? I can't say for sure.
There is one thing that I do know, though, and that is that I've finally hit my first piercing roadblock.