'll just start off by saying that I have read ALOT of the stories here at BME and I am somewhat disappointed to see the mindset of a lot of the people who are having piercings done. I really don't want to sound arrogant or holier than thou, because I truly don't feel that I am better than ANYONE, but to me a piercing NEEDS to be about something more than just looking cool. It should be almost like an unliving extension of your body and personality. Something beyond the materialism that we have all been spoon-fed since birth.* Ok, now that I have that out of the way I can begin telling you of my experience. I'm 17 years old, I guess I could be categorized as a Skater/Punk. (I've NEVER thought myself Punk, because punk is more a lifestyle than just a category that can be placed upon certain people by the mainstream) I'm proud to say that I was given the gift of an open mind. I have always been a free thinker who has always questioned 'The Norm' (At least since I was about 11) When I was young I would see people on T.V and in Movies with piercings (never someone in real life because I live in a very small close minded redneck hockey town) and had always known that I would end up with more than just a few metal masterpieces protruding from my face in my life span. When I was 12 I told my mom that I was going to stick a safety pin through my eyebrow and that she couldn't stop me... Well, I was wrong. She did stop me, and actually quite easily. She told me she would kick me out of the house and I would have to live with a foster family. The thought of that scared me a lot so I let it go, fearing that if I did get pierced I would be exiled from my home. Well, about five years later, my little brother (15 at the time) came home after a night of drinking with an eyebrow ring. Man did my parents freak!! (Not particularly about the piercing but because the cops had called and said he had supposedly been smashing holes in the wall of this girls house at her party) He was grounded for a week or so, and after that my parents slowly began to accept his piercing. They saw that the tiny ring in his eyebrow did not actually affect his personality and turn him into some 'bad-ass street thug' like they had feared. (You've got to love stereotypes, "He has a facial piercing? Oh man, must be a really bad kid.") In fact my mom even liked it. My dad, well, to this day he still refers to me and my brother as freaks (somewhat jokingly but he is very closed minded) I am glad to say that he has accepted the fact that this is the way we are, and are always going to be. So, now that I knew my parents would not be able to banish me from my home I no longer feared punishment for getting pierced. I mean after all my little brother (younger by 2 years) had gotten his eyebrow done, and I am a lot more mature than he is. (People say that I am very mature for my age) Well, about 6 months ago I got my labret done at the local shop here. I had always thought labrets to look incredibly sexy (on guys and girls) and I felt that it would be the perfect extension to my face. Man was I right, it was the best thing I had experienced in my life. It just felt so right, like I should have come out of the womb with that little stud below my lip. It healed great and there were no problems. I always took excellent care of it and cleaned it thoroughly, twice daily, with Bactine and Listerine. (I think I actually developed dependence for Listerine because now even though it is healed I still have an overwhelming urge to use the stuff) Anyhow, the seed had been planted within my psyche and I knew that I could not (even if I wanted to) stop at that. 3 Days ago my Brother took out his eyebrow ring. He now has both ears done and it looks REALLY good on him. His eyebrow was somewhat misplaced by the "Professional" that did it (with an ear piercing gun!!! - When he told me that I freaked) and he just got tired of it I guess. I took his ring and placed it up next to my eyebrow. And something magical happened. It completed my face. I have my left ear done, (got it done when I was 11) and my labret, and when I held the ring up to my brow I felt like without it my face was not what it should be. I somewhat got this idea in my mind that it would complete a triangle of happiness. Because if I were to join lines to all my piercings it would be a triangle. I had never really even thought about getting my eyebrow done (other than when I was 12) Partially because lately there have been more than a few trend followers who have just got there brow, and only their brow, pierced. (I guess eyebrow piercings are one of the more mainstream piercings for teens looking to fit in nowadays) But the fact that a few other people in town have it done was not going to sway my decision.
After like an hour of begging my brother to sell me his jewelry (he did not want to part with it because he wants a few more piercings in his ear and he had planned on keeping the jewelry until he could figure out where he would put it) he finally caved. I bought it for 20$ which I really didn't mind because you have to pay at least 50$ at the ONLY piercing place in 100 miles for the same jewelry. I was extremely excited about this and he (my brother) was beginning to get excited as well. Two weeks earlier we had pierced his right ear. The lady down at the local salon/'in it for the quick buck' Piercing studio had been very nice and had given us a needle which was the exact gauge for the jewelry we had. We had kept the needle of course because we knew we would be piercing ourselves again, - and sooner than we had thought. We went to our bathroom, I looked in the mirror and tried to find the exact spot that I wanted it done. I really wanted to be careful and make sure that I pierced it EGZACTLY where I wanted it, because even if it was misplaced just a tiny bit it would bug the hell out of me and I would end up taking it out and re-piercing it again later on. My brother was somewhat scared that he was going to hurt me or that he would misplace it. So I told him I would just do it myself. I cleaned the area with some rubbing alcohol, and cleaned the jewelry and needle with bactine. I did not feel that I needed to (nor did I want to) use any ice or anything to numb my brow. I had gotten my labret done naturally, and my ear (although it was done with a gun) and so I wanted this to be done naturally to. I want ALL my piercings done naturally without anything to lessen the 'pain' (I really don't find the feeling of metal going through my skin to be that of pain, its more of a wonderful, breathtaking, enchanting feeling of new birth or something. It's hard for me to explain it. The lady that did my labret jokingly said that I was a Masochist when I told her that it felt completely awesome when she pushed the needle through my lip.) After cleaning the area and the needle I placed the needle in my hand and very carefully stuck the tip of the needle in my brow where I wanted it to begin going through. I hit the perfect spot, right where I wanted it. I got what my brother described as a 'maniacal smile' on my face and then I just carefully forced the needle through the rest of the way. It came out right where I wanted it to. I just stood there for a minute in front of the mere cackling wildly as I stared at the big needle that was sticking through my brow. I was actually bleeding quite a lot but that did not bother me at all. I almost just wanted to leave the needle in there.. but I knew that there was no way it would heal properly. And my dad would freak if I just had a needle sticking out of my face. So I put the ring through, sealed the ball onto it, and cleaned it with bactine. The bleeding stopped shortly after and for the rest of the day I could not really even feel any soreness or anything. I kind of wish that it had hurt more, because the pain reminds me that it is there.

Its been like a week since I did it and other than when I accidentally bump it or when I lay on it to go to sleep I cant feel any pain or soreness at all. It didn't even swell or really get red or anything. This is definitely my new best experience. And I really want to do MOST of my piercings myself from now on. I plan on getting a few more rings in my left ear, and my earl done this summer. And when I am 18 (and full-grown) definitely going to get my P.A. done. And don't worry, not by myself. ; ) If there is anyone out there who truly wants to get something pierced. Be it an eyebrow, an ear, a labret or anything else, but is worried about what people at school or what society might think of you. Just remember that only you matter. And truly, anyone who would discriminate or look down upon you for it, is someone who you don't want to know, and who definitely does not even deserve to know the real you. Happy Piercing, Cheers. Skate Naked in B.C