I've always been into body modification. Always. From the very small, tender ages, I've loved metal, and though my mother would try to tug 5 year old me away from the people on the bus or sidewalk with metal on their faces, I was too curious.

One thing I never thought I'd do was stretch my ears. It was always something I wasn't a fan of. And adding that to the stereotype I had of "Only posers stretch their ears when they're still teenagers.", it was always something I just ventured away from. This was completely backed by my one previous attempt at stretching my ears. (Before I had gotten my nasal piercings) I jumped from a size 18, straight to a size 10, motivated by some friends behind the mall parking lot.

Needless to say, it was stupid. And when I got home and saw that my ear was bleeding, I took them out, and let them heal. Since then, I had condemned stretching.

Until three years later, when I was in my American History class. I had been looking at earrings the other night, and had come upon a gauge 10 set of pinchers which were BEAUTIFUL. They were crafted from bone, and spiraled down, and I couldn't imagine not having them.

At that point, I had my nose studs out of my nose, and had in my long awaited rings. So, I had put a stud in each ear. Then, in a stupid idea promoted by utter boredom, I took the other stud, and put it in one ear.

This became I trend I continued with. I would put multiple regular earrings into one hole until it got too big. At that point, I had realized that I needed (NEEDED) to get some proper jewelry in my ear. I asked a friend of mine if he had any plugs, tapers, or pinchers. He replied that he did, and asked me what size I wanted.

I looked at him with a look of absolute confusion on my face, I told him I hadn't a clue as to which size I was at. I swept my hair away from my ear and he looked at me in slight horror. He told me to take them all out, and after I had 12 different earrings in my hand, he examined the hole.

He told me I was probably a four, or a six. He handed me a pair of sixes, and I put them in without a problem. I told him that it felt loose. He said that he only had 2's and that he didn't want to tear my ear with them. So, I put the sixes in, and was somewhat appalled. I had gone from an 18, right down to a 6 in one month, by putting in earring after earring. Others condemned it, but I thought my method worked.

So, I started putting more earrings into my ear, along with the size 6 plugs. Two days later, I came to him and asked if he had those twos. Though he looked at me with a cautious look, he gave them to me and told me to be careful.

I spent all of algebra trying to put the plugs in, without even bothering with tapers. When I finally got my hands on size 2 tapers, and put them in, I realized the largest problem of my "earring trick" method.

You can't properly tell the gauge.

So, I sat there, and tore my ear open, because I was stupid, and I didn't realize that a somewhat loose 6, is not a 4 ready to move on. Both my first holes were at a 2 though, and I was satisfied.

I had already began my earring method with my second hole. However, I put a pair of 8's in it, and it was perfect. I decided not to mess with the earrings anymore.

Now? I'm at a size 2 for my first holes, a size 6 for my second holes, and a size 14 for my third holes.

I still want the earrings, and when I get some flesh tunnels in my first hole, I will be sure to put them in and wear them with pride. They were my motivation, and though now, I love them for different reasons, they will always be my very first reason for venturing into ear stretching.

I will be putting in 0's very soon, along with fours, and a size 12. I plan to be at a double zero, or a 7/16ths size, a four/two, and a 10/8 in the very near future. I believe I will be satisfied with that. I have come to realize that body modification is not always done with a needle or ink, or even metal. Yes, I get disapproving looks (Particularly from my mother), but I love every last body modification on me. And really, that's all that matters.