Back in high school, I really wasn't into body mods. I had my earlobes gunned, twice, and that was it. But when the other girls started getting their belly buttons pierced, I was secretly intrigued. I can remember hearing people complain how their parents wouldn't let them get their belly buttons pierced and how upset they were. So when my own mother presented me with the opportunity, I was shocked. And of course, I refused. For four years.
At A Glance Author Sarah Contact s_koslow@yahoo.com When It just happened Artist Jacqui Studio Sacred Art Studio Location DeBary, Fl At first, she kept asking me because she knew I wouldn't do it. I was too chicken, and needles freaked me out. I cried when I had to get shots or blood drawn. Then she told me that she would go with me and we could get it done together, as a sort of mother-daughter bonding experience. I said no. She would ask me at least once every other week, and every time I would say no. Since I went away to college last year, my mom hasn't asked me as often to do it.
Since going to college, I have gotten two real mods, my rook and my tragus. Both of these piercings left me with the itch to get something else, but I didn't know what to get. Sadly, my rook had to retire early when I couldn't get the jewelry back in. When this happened, I decided that I'd humor my mom and get my belly button done. It couldn't be that bad, and it'd give us the chance to bond again. I called her and told her that when I came home for Spring Break, I wanted to get my belly button done, finally. I think she was more excited about it than I was.
So tonight, we went out with my dad and brother and our neighbor and her son for dinner. We had decided that afterwards, my mom and I were going to get our belly buttons pierced. And our neighbor, who wanted a tattoo, was going to go with us and use us for moral support. Being a spontaneous affair, we really had no idea where we were going to do this. The first place we tried had a wait, and I don't think the piercer was there, and it IS Bike Week. So we got in the car and drove to another place in town, hoping they were still open or else we'd have to wait until tomorrow and go into Orlando. Thankfully, Sacred Art was open.
My mother and I walked right in and told the receptionist we wanted our belly buttons pierced. She said okay, and started us on our paperwork. We met the piercer, Jacqui, and she was super nice. My mom was joking around with her as we filled out the forms, and she answered all the questions my mom had about the process. When that was all done, she asked us who wanted to go first, and I volunteered, knowing that if I did it first, I wouldn't get too freaked out.
So we all walked back into the piercing room and Jacqui pulled everything out of bags and set it all up in front of us. She cleaned my belly button before marking it and asked if the placement was alright, which of course it was. I layed down on the bed, and she cleaned the area again. I really had no idea what to expect. Being all spontaneous, I hadn't really done my homework and read up about it on BME. Jacqui put the clamps on and told me to take a deep breath. On the third inhale, she poked the needle through. It hurt a lot more than my tragus, but it wasn't unbearable. It felt like someone was pinching me with the tips of their nails.
When she was done putting the jewelry on, I stood up and was totally fine. I checked the placement again, and it was great. It stopped hurting in just a few minutes. Jacqui cleaned up and set up for my mom's turn. It was so wierd to watch as my mom went through all the set up and placement. I hadn't really thought she'd do it until she layed down on the bed and Jacqui put the clamps on. I asked if she wanted me to hold her hand, but she was brave and didn't need me to. She said it hurt a little, but she was fine afterwards too.
It was a little wierd to share this experience with my mom, because it's my mom and it is odd to see her doing it. I used to tell my friends about how my mom kept trying to get me to pierce my belly button and they all thought she was either crazy or incredibly cool. After I found out she had a tattoo, I knew she was crazy and would definately hold me to my word. But I think it was very cool and definately a good bonding experience after not getting to see her in a few months.