Jasmin Luis/Emily Torres

Although they have their negatives, piercings were definitely worth the money, time, and pain because of all the compliments I receive. Whenever I meet new people the first thing they ask me about is my septum piercing and I love the surprised smiles that appear when I reveal my industrial. Not only does it leave a lasting positive impression on people, but I think my piercings increase my attractiveness which in turn increases my self-confidence.

The body modification phenomenon is seemingly here to stay as piercings are trendier than ever before–especially with the younger generation. There came a point in teenage girls’ lives when a simple ear piercing to mark a new stage of maturity in their lives was absolutely necessary. However, over the years, piercings have become a permanent fashion staple for teens who want to emit a distinct impression.  

As a teenage girl myself, I am a big fan of piercings and currently have two – an industrial and a septum piercing. The COVID-19 pandemic allowed me to explore different fashion styles and figure out how I wanted to express myself physically and this included piercings.

To me, piercings are the coolest thing, other than tattoos, that a person can have. While piercings used to be heavily stigmatized and seen as a form of rebellion associated with alternative subcultures, they have become mainstream over time. I was heavily influenced by gothic subcultures, prompting me to dress more alternatively, dye my hair, and wear darker makeup. 

To reduce some of the boredom the pandemic brought, my friend Jasmin and I decided to be adventurous and finally get our ears pierced as we’d planned. Pinterest became an app that we constantly scrolled through which is where we got the desire for the ear piercing combos that create a charming and versatile look, allowing for unique jewelry combinations. This includes piercings like upper lobes, helix (any piercing made to the upper cartilage of the ear), conch (piercing in the lower concha of the ear, usually a hoop), and daiths (hoop piercing in the helical crus). 

I decided to start with an industrial piercing because it was the most unique in my eyes and the healing process takes the longest (a whole year). Since it was during the pandemic, the chances of damaging or hurting the fresh piercing were lower, which definitely played into the decision. The industrial is two upper ear cartilage pierced holes connected by a singular piece of jewelry, typically a bar. 

After being fully healed, I immediately decided to get my septum because I wanted a facial piercing that would be visible rather than another ear piercing constantly covered by my hair. I didn’t want a nose stud because it was too plain for my liking and too many people in my life have it, so I landed on the septum piercing because of the edgier look that I was trying to achieve. 

I got both my piercings at Exclusive Ink at a relatively cheap price, the industrial was $70 and my septum was $60. Cartilage piercings usually range from $20 to $90 and facial piercings range from $30 to $75. 

While you can get ear piercings for cheaper at stores like Claire’s, I got them done at a tattoo/piercing shop because it’s safer and healthier to get pierced by professionals rather than with a dull piercing gun. Although, neither procedure provides any sort of anesthetic, so the sharp pain is unavoidable. 

My biggest concern was the pain level and while responses varied, there was a collective agreement that the industrial is one of the most painful piercings because it requires piercing two holes in the thickest part of the cartilage. Fortunately, when I got my industrial piercing I didn’t feel the immense agony that I was expecting. Unfortunately, I felt that immense agony later on when I got my septum pierced; the pain was so bad that I cried. 

Feeling the needle pierce a hole into your skin isn’t so bad, it feels a lot like getting a shot. What stings the most is feeling the needle in your skin while you wait for the piercer to maneuver the piece of jewelry and connect it to the hollow needle to loop it into the fresh hole. After the whole ordeal, the piercer gives you a rundown of the healing and cleaning process and advises you only to use a saline spray to take care of your fresh wound properly. 

Although I was diligently cleaning and taking care of my piercings, I still got keloids which are thick scars that occur after trauma to the skin. Forming keloids is the worst part of my piercing journey because of the constant pulsing burn. But like they say, beauty is pain and with time the bumps went away. 

Another annoyance of having piercings is the constant need to hide them. I work in the fast food industry, swim at meets, and perform for Baile Folklorico where facial piercings aren’t allowed and it’s a bother having to constantly hide my septum piercing. It’s also extremely irritating when the ball of the piercing falls off because it’s almost impossible to screw it back in or I don’t notice when it happens and I lose the entire piercing. 

Although they have their negatives, piercings were definitely worth the money, time, and pain because of all the compliments I receive. Whenever I meet new people the first thing they ask me about is my septum piercing and I love the surprised smiles that appear when I reveal my industrial. Not only does it leave a lasting positive impression on people, but I think my piercings increase my attractiveness which in turn increases my self-confidence. 

I don’t ever see myself getting rid of my piercings. This summer I plan on getting an eyebrow piercing and after it’s all healed, I’m planning on getting a bunch of ear piercings including a helix, daith, conch, and lobes.