Body Piercing

I've been fascinated by body piercing for years, both for aesthetic and sensual reasons and as a pop-culture/fashion phenomenon. Much of the recent attention to body modification and markings has focused on so-called modern primitives, who have created contemporary rituals and tribal/community affiliations to bring spirituality and meaning to the frenzy of modern urban life, as well as drawing from the body-decoration and augmentation traditions of indigenous peoples around the world. I'm not a modern primitive, though some of my friends and acquaintances are, and I certainly respect and admire a lot of MP bodywork, and am interested in current issues such as the debate over "cultural appropriation" of native traditions with historical meaning.

Other approaches to piercings and tattoos come from a variety of cultural viewpoints: industrial and punk culture, biker culture, skinhead culture, the gay community, the BDSM community, and -- most recently -- the incorporation of body decoration into contemporary fashion. Separating all of these are subtle differences of aesthetics and symbolism; there's probably a good book in this somewhere, or at least a Postmodern Culture article.

Right now I have only 5 piercings -- 3 relatively large (10ga) earlobe piercings, a smaller 12ga earlobe piercing, and a 12ga nipple piercing. Two of the 10ga ear holes were done by Paul at Body Manipulations, San Francisco; the nipple piercing is by Michaela Grey at The Gauntlet, San Francisco, and the other 10ga ear piercing was by John, also at The Gauntlet SF. The most recent (31 October 1996) ear piercing was by Peter at The Piercing Urge in Melbourne, Australia. (More on that, including pictures, coming soon!) My plans include some ear cartilage work, maybe a tragus, the other nipple, and possibly a navel (which might not work out). But since a new piercing is a pleasurable experience and you can only have so many (well, actually, you can have quite a few!) I would like to space this out over several years.

Many people have questions about piercing, and instead of trying to cover them, I'd just recommend reading the Usenet Piercing FAQ maintained by Anne Greenblatt. The piercing FAQ covers many topics, including choosing a piercing, selecting a piercer and jewelry, aftercare and healing, and health issues. There is also a selection of piercing information, stories, and links on Sabina's Bodyart Page.

I can't resist taking a crack at some of the most-obvious questions, to wit:

Doesn't it hurt?

Yes, of course it hurts. In some ways, that's part of the fun; in response to acute pain (like being pierced by a needle) your body manufactures endorphins, a natural pain-killer. So it hurts for a moment or two, and then you might get a "high" that lasts for several hours. Some people are wired for this, some people aren't. A properly-cared-for piercing should not hurt after it is healed, however.

Where should I be pierced?

Ooooh, anywhere it feels good, darling. :-) But seriously, I recommend leaving piercing to professionals, who can be found at full-time piercing parlours and sometimes at fairs and festivals. There is an Association of Professional Piercers, headquartered in San Francisco, with a newsletter on the Web. If you're considering a particular piercer, talk to him or her and to their clients; check out their equipment and piercing room. Some piercers specialize in particular piercings or prefer to work only on men or women, or prefer to pierce in ritual or in particular settings. Whatever you do, avoid jewelry stores at the mall (etc.), and avoid piercing guns -- professionals (practically always) pierce with a needle.

Don't piercings get infected and cause a health risk?

They shouldn't, if you take care of them properly while they're healing. A competent piercer will give you an aftercare guide (The Gauntlet even shows a video!). Follow it religiously, but know your own body: if a particular disinfectant irritates you, don't use it. Don't be afraid to call the piercer and ask for advice. Yes, despite the best precautions, some piercings get infected or just don't "take". This is pretty rare; don't panic; read the FAQ below, and consult your piercer and/or health care professional.

If you are new to piercing (or to Usenet), please don't neglect the "Welcome & Netiquette FAQ", a good introduction to the newsgroup rec.arts.bodyart, which is the online discussion and resource forum for piercing and tattoo enthusiasts.

A really awesome online source is BME: The Body Modification E-zine published by Shannon Larratt (bme@freeq.com). Good stuff on piercings, including piercing images, jewelry images and sources, and yet more links. Also information on tattoos, cuttings, scarification, etc.

Also check out the NIAID nursing guidelines for treating pierced patients. A little strange, but basically sound hygienic info. And for a quick story see "Luke McGuff gets pierced" in MINIFICTIONS 11.

And to answer the most-frequently-asked question, no, the multiply-pierced nipple that is the icon for this page on my home page is not mine; I might replace it with a picture of mine at some point but I just sort of liked that photo. (I don't know where it came from; it was posted to a newsgroup.)

Are you interested in purchasing piercing-related books and publications? If so, please visit Amazon.com via this link and support the Postmodern.com web site.

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