At A Glance
Author	Steph
Contact	davelillies@yahoo.com
When	A month ago
Artist	Renee
Studio	WayCool Tattoos Uptown
Location	North York, Ontario

My tongue. What history I have had with wanting to get it pierced. Let's start back in August of 2000. I was to be 16 in a month, had 7 earrings (6 lobes, 1 cartilage), and that was it for body mods. Pretty plain, nothing out of the ordinary. So one day in mid August I'm on the internet in a forum that I frequent, when the topic of tongue piercings came up. I'd never though about them before. Hmmm.. so I started researching them online. I got a TON of information on them; I printed it all, and stuck it in one of my drawers. I REALLY liked them. That very night I brought up the idea to my parents. "What would you thought if I got a tongue ring? CAN I get a tongue ring?" My Dad, right away, "NO". My Mom was okay with the idea .. at first. She didn't think they were "classy" or whatnot, but she wasn't against them like my father. So fine, we all sleep on it.

The next day, I begin with more prodding. By mid-day my Mom has changed her mind. "No, you can't get it. I asked some people and they said it can bang against your teeth, and what did I pay so much money for braces for? You'll wreck your teeth. You can choke on it." So fine. What could I do? I was 15 and living in my parent's house, where they did basically everything for me.

A few days later I decided I would go against their will and get it pierced anyways. So I head downtown to a place on Queen Street (in Toronto) with a girlfriend of mine who is going to pierce her belly button. They know I'm downtown, and they probably know why as well. Once I had gotten the idea in my head, it was stuck there and that was the topic of the month. I make the appointment at New Tribe for 4:30 (it is now 2, and my friend is getting pierced), and walk around downtown with my girlfriend. We eat some food and forge a note (you gotta have permission to get it pierced if you're under 18 and not with a parent at the place we had booked). 4 O'clock comes, and we're standing across the street from the parlour. I decide to call my Mom and ask her for permission one more time. "I said NO." "But Mom, pleeeease? Just grant me your blessing." "No. That is the final answer. You cannot have my blessing." We get off the phone, and I am PISSED. What do I want more – the piercin g, or my parents to do things for me? Finally at 4:15 I decide 'fuck it', and we take the subway home. I was pretty pissed. When my Dad picked us up from the subway station, he made me stick out my tongue before he let me in the car. Ugh.

So I wake up the next day and go back downtown (my parents don't know this – I think they thought I went to the mall). New friend, new day, same place. Once again, I chicken out. It was purely because of my parents, not because of the pain (even though I am the BIGGEST chicken when it comes to needles and such).

Time goes by. Come April, I get another earring. My parents are fine with it, they just think I look like 'a freak'. Not a big deal.

So the prodding continues. Every few weeks, I bring it up. Every few months, I start a big argument about it. The answer never changes. I come to see how dead set against it my parents are, especially my Dad. He threatened to kick me out, never let me drive, never give me money, never do anything for me, etc. Argh – I was frustrated beyond belief.

So this summer comes. It's July, and I'm in our swimming pool at 3 in the morning with my Mom (who's drunk :p) and my Dad. I bring it up, we get into it, we have it out. My Mom makes a comment along the lines of "I would never kick you out, even if you did that." Goooood, we're finally getting somewhere. An hour later, nothing has been resolved.

So it's now August 5th, 2002. I worked at a day camp this summer and had the week off. Me, another girlfriend (Erin), and 4 guy friends were gonna go up to my friend Erin's cottage, but find out that night we can't. We're all pretty upset. So Erin, my guy friends Mike and Chris (Chris has a tongue ring and has had one for two years), and I go out for subs. I decide then and there that I'm GONNA do it the next day. Fuck that, I REALLY wanted it. The plan was to go camping at about 2ish in the afternoon the next day, so I was gonna sleep at Erin's that night, and then her and I were gonna head to WayCool Uptown on Yonge (between Finch & Sheppard) beforehand where I would pierce my tongue and she would pierce her nipple.

Morning comes, and we find out the parlour opens at Noon. We grab a bottle of Listerine from the drugstore in her area and then we head down there. We arrive at about 12:30. We're both upset to find out that Erin can't get her nipple pierced – she lost her purse with all her ID and they won't let her do it. We thought they would do her because she got her tattoo there in June so she'd be on file, but we had no such luck. On top of that, we thought her having a tattoo (which would prove that she's at least 18) would help, but it didn't. At this point, I was about ready to call it quits. She starts on me – "But Steph, you've wanted to do it forever, this is the perfect opportunity; you have the week off camp for it to heal, we'll be camping for two nights so you won't be home while it's at it's worst, and if you need, you can sleep at my house the two nights after that. Just doooo it." She was right – when would there be a better opportunity?

So I decide, hell yea, let's do this. I pay my $67 for the bar and balls and the piercing itself, and head downstairs with my aftercare sheet while Erin waits upstairs. I sit on a little couch and begin reading over the sheet. Not even 2 minutes later, my piercer Renee comes out to meet me. She seems nice, professional. She starts talking to me about the form I filled out upstairs – Am I a vegetarian? (yes, but she said it didn't matter for a tongue piercing). Did I eat in the last two hours? (no). Etc. I ask her if I can use the Listerine I had just bought, because the sheet says to use Oral-B. She says I have to use Oral-B because Listerine has too much alcohol in it and that it will hurt my tongue.

So we head in to the piercing room. I lay back a bit, and she starts explaining to me what she's going to do. The door stays open. She tells me "I don't have three hands, so you'll have to hold this Dixie cup in your left hand, and this (folded) paper towel in your right. All I want you to do it move either the cup or paper towel under your mouth when I tell you." Sure.

So she starts by telling me to stick out my tongue. She dries it well with the paper towel, then tells me to mouthwash with this solution she hands me. I do it. She then dries my tongue out again, and marks it with a purple marker (I *think* this came after the mouth washing). Come to think of it, I never looked at the dot before she pierced me. Well .. whatever. Then she clamped my tongue. I think it was a little sore, but it didn't actually HURT like you hear some people say. Maybe it was the rush I was experiencing, but I wasn't really scared, at all. Anyway, she takes out the needle, and I keep my eyes averted to the left (she's kinda standing in front of me and to the right), scanning the room's posters and what not. OWWWWWW. The needle hurt like a BITCH! It hurt sooo much (I did mention already what a sucker for pain I am. I have friends who have said it didn't hurt them at all – they described it as sticking a needle through butter). However, that was the worst pain I felt regarding the piercing at all. Right after it, the healing, it didn't hurt as bad (which is a GREAT thing because the needle only hurts for 10 seconds if not less, so don't let what I wrote scare you out of getting one if you want one). She then put through the bar and did it up.

Right after, I got reallllly dizzy, and that was the first thing I said. "Um, uh, am I supposed to be this dizzy?" She told me it wasn't uncommon, that I could lie down if I wanted. Yes please! She offered the outside couch or the room, and I chose to stay in the chair I was in. I laid down for about 5 minutes and she brought me some ice-cold water. And it set in. I had a tongue ring! Holy shit! I ACTUALLY did it! But what the heck was this big thing in my mouth?! I thank and tip Renee and head upstairs.

I walk upstairs and see Erin. A HUGE smile crosses my face. She sees me and kinda shrieks, and gives me a huge hug. She was impressed with me that I did it. We walk to the car as I try to talk. I decide it kinda hurts so I shouldn't talk so much, but I just can't friggin help it! We then drive to get Mike and Chris, and head off.

So I stop at home, actually speak to my Mom FACE TO FACE for about 5 minutes, and then leave. Ahh, freedom. I go camping from Tuesday til Thursday, sleep at Erin's Thursday night, and come home Friday night around midnight. I didn't have to face the rents til Saturday afternoon.

Being with someone who had a tongue ring and went through everything I went through for the next 48 hours constantly was a help. Chris told me everything I needed to know. It was good. Of course, I broke a few rules (as I assume most people do) – I drank (vodka, nothing dark), I smoked, I kissed – but it was OK. It swelled, but not worse than anyone else's does. By Sunday (Day 6), the pain started to subside (and it wasn't that bad of pain in the first place. It was just sore when I would wake up, and really late at night, about an hour before I would go to sleep). My little lisping started to go away (I had a tiny problem with S's and TH's, but now I have none whatsoever). It was doing great =). I did all my mouth washing the first week (every hour), but a few days into the second I started to mouthwash only about 3 or 4 times a day. I recommend anyone getting one mouthwashes as much as they're supposed to (usually for about 3 weeks [but in the second week every two hours, in the third every three]), even though mine was great without it.

Don't be scared – if you get a keloid around the piercing (a bump of scar tissue surrounding the piercing) – this is normal. I had that for about 3 weeks until it completely went away, but now I have none (scar tissue, that is), so don't worry.

I guess for anyone curious about how it went with the parents, well, here it is. I told my Aunt (Mom's younger sister who is TOTALLY cool) about it the Saturday after I got it (Day 5), and my brother who is 16 about it after a week and a half. They didn't say a word. Finally, 3 and a half weeks into the piercing (on my parents anniversary mind you), my Mom saw it. I was at a family dinner at my Grandparent's house, and a few aunts, a few brothers, and the grandparents themselves were present at the table. My Mom just saw it while I was talking. My Dad didn't talk to me for a few days, but my Mom was OK. She expressed her disappointment in me, but she never actually got MAD. My Dad on the other hand has lost a lot of trust for me – I "went against his word." So yea – I can't drive his car, and every other word out of his mouth has to do with *my* mouth. But I suppose slowly, he's getting used to it (not accepting it though!).

It'll be 6 weeks this Tuesday that I've had it, and I love it. Two weeks ago I went out and bought a ton of balls for it. They're so pretty – it's so much fun! Right now I have a rainbow one in on top =p. I haven't yet changed the bar, and I don't plan on it anytime soon. I like that it's long enough for me to play with, and I'm scared to change it on my own. I don't really want to anyways. Changing the balls is enough for me.

I still mouthwash with a solution of 50 percent Oral-B and 50 percent water every morning. Why not, right? No harm in doing so. I plan on having it for a good 10 years (if not longer), so I'm gonna try to take care of it.

For anyone who wants one, I say go for it. The pain really isn't THAT bad. If this big wimp over here can handle it, I'm sure that anyone can! Just take special care of it the first little while (first week especially), and enjoy it. It's a lot of fun, and I think it looks great. It also reflects part of who I am – fun, courageous, and open to trying new things! Any questions, comments, whatever, feel free to email me. I'd love to hear from ya!