To look at me writing this with my hair down, a skirt to the knee and a long sleeve top to the neck you wouldn't expect much. A shiny blue nose ring and a lot of ear piercings is all you may see. But if you spend any time studying people, studying the world, then you may realise that not everything is as it seems. If my hair is up you can see my bright blue undercut, if I have a low cut top or show my midriff then you'll see the rest of my piercings.
At A Glance Author Pip Contact [email protected] When N/A But not for collage, at my sixth form collage even my nose ring is risky. Anyway, that's not completely what I'm here to talk about.
When I do show off my piercings, or even my hair at that, the majority of the time I get the same reactions, "errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!" and "that's weird!" seem to be the most popular, and I'm sure I'm not the only person, who enjoys the pleasures of piercings and tattoos and other body modifications, that gets reactions like these.
But my question is this, WHY is it weird? How come because I've got a few more ear piercings that you, or a 1.6mm blue nose ring in instead of a stud I'm weird? And because I have a few more navel piercings then most people do and surface piercings... I'm weird?
To me it makes no sense. I see no difference in my navel piercings then theirs, except that there's 3 more then usual. I really would like someone to come up to me and explain why my love of piercings is weird. Did they say to the person who pierced their ears, or navel, or eyebrow that they're weird for DOING the piercing? I doubt it.
Now I'm not going to point fingers, and say it's the "chavs" or the "townies" or the "preps" or whatever that are like this. Cause the majority of the time, it's just people that aren't into piercings like I am. Some people when they see my piercings, or my hair, or whatever say "oh my god! You're so brave! I could never do that" and stuff like that, and I love it for the few people who actually give me some praise (not that I deserve any) or say that they think my piercings look really pretty and that. I love people who are open minded. I laugh when people clutch their chest gasping imagining how painful it would be to get their chest pierced. But when people say it's "weird" I'm puzzled.
Just because people like different things to others, doesn't mean they're strange, or weird. In my opinion when people do something different, when they break the mould they deserve respect, when they're ready to have criticism for what they really want. I really look up to people who can be different. I'm not saying I should be respected, or looked up to because I get piercings, it's MY view on others who do such things.
Even in the body mod world there is different levels of extremity, but I think it's brilliant when people really go to extremes.
I find it unfair that I'm 16, and chose to stay on for 6th form, with promises of being treated like an adult, but I can't have any piercings on my face except a nose STUD, and only one ear ring in each ear. Because we're supposed to make a good example for the younger students, but don't the younger students realise we choose to be here?
I personally am sick and tired of hiding who I am from the rest of the world. And I'm sure a lot of other people are to. Whether its piercings, tattoos, hair colour or the real person they are.
I like who I am, so why should I have to hide half of it from the rest of the world? To make a good example, how is being who you want to be setting a bad example?
I hated how I looked for many years, was bullied and told I was ugly all the time, and piercings help me like myself, give me some self respect because I no I worked to make myself how I am today. I want to be a piercer, and people ask me well why am I still at school then? And my reply will be because I want to get my art degree, and some people seem not to be able to understand this is for ME because I WANT to do it. Why do some people find it so hard to accept that some people do things just for them, not for anyone else?
Anyway, back on subject, I'm proud of my piercings, one day when I'm old enough to get them I will be proud of my tattoos, and I don't want to be hiding them away from people for the rest of my life. And no body should have to.
I'm proud of who I am, how I look, and if that makes me weird , then fine.