I remember I had been looking forwards to getting a body piercing for ages. I think I was about thirteen when I decided that I was going to pierce my navel at the age of sixteen, just because that year is supposed to be a special year and well, body piercing was one of the most amazing things I could think of to add to who I was. I wasn't thinking like other girls when I was sixteen, you know, that I was going to get it done because it looked cool and everyone else had theirs done too. I wanted my navel pierced for different reasons. First, I wanted something that I could call my own, and that could grow to be apart of me. Second, I like pain, and the challenge of pushing my limits, so wearing a piece of metal through my skin seemed like the perfect thing to do. And lastly, my navel felt kind of empty like it craved a piece of jewelry. To add, I had seen some amazing navel barbells that had Chinese patterns painted on the bead, so I felt like I could wear my likes and dislikes on my body.
At A Glance Author Mia Contact Mia@bme.anon When Two years ago Artist Matt Studio Way Cool Tattoos Location Oakville, Ontario When it came to getting my parents to approve the idea, seeming that I was underage at the time, it took at least a year starting when I was 15 to convince them. I heard every excuse like "You might get a disease when it's pierced, or it'll scar, or you'll never get a job if you're pierced." Believe me, I really did hear them all. Finally when I did get through to them that this was more than just a piercing, this was a part of me that I wanted to do, and then they reluctantly allowed me to get my navel pierced but nothing more. Now that I look back, I realize that that didn't work out seeming that I've got a total of 8 piercings now.
I first started researching navel piercings a couple months before I actually got it done. I'm one of those people who likes to know all the risks of such a decision as this. I mean, I had heard so many things about navels and piercings in general that I wanted to make sure that these things were either rumors or really true. For one, yes, you can get diseases from piercings, but to me, the risk was low enough to risk it. Secondly, navel piercings really do take a year to heal. They really are the piercing most likely to get infected too. I mean, all the sweat and dirt from the everyday really does get into that one little place you don't think about everyday. There were other rumors too, but in all, I felt confident in the place that I was going to, especially since my friend had got her tongue done at the same place a week or so earlier.
When it came to the actual day, I was really nervous. I first had trouble with getting ID. The place was really strict about 2 pieces of ID, so I had to go home the first time. I think that was the main reason I felt confident in the place, they were clean and strict. My piercer Matt took me to their basement which was like a doctor's office. He explained everything to me as he opened each package of sterilized metal and such. My friend came with me, mainly cause I was so nervous. It took a couple tries to mark out the right place for the piercing, which was really worth it, seeming that if I had gotten the first placement, I don't think I would have liked it as much. When the needle actually went through my skin, I finally realized that it didn't hurt at all. I like pained, but my nerves were screwed up from finally getting what I had been waiting for for ages. It was the days afterwards that were sore, not directly after the piercing itself. But I was marveled at the simple barbell that adorned my navel. Finally it was no longer naked.
The aftercare was fairly intensive, I wanted to make sure everything healed well, but it got really sore and started to ooze white gooey stuff. I found out that this was normal for most piercings so I just kept up my cleaning routine, even though it didn't go away from months. About a year after the actual piercing, everything cleared up, and it was finally healed.
Today I look back and realize that my navel piercing was one of the greatest things I've ever done, next too my other piercings and my tattoo. (I will warn at this point that piercing can be addictive) When I take out my navel barbell for cleaning or just switching, it feels naked, like all navels should be pierced. I've spent hundreds of dollars on navel jewelry, so it does get expensive if you chose to change it often. Personally, each barbell or ring shows off my personality, and I love to accessorize it. My navel piercing is a part of me, and I haven't grown tired of it at all. If anything, I've grown even fonder of it. Not having that feeling of being complete and not following something I wanted so bad just doesn't seem right to me. That's why I'm so glad I took the plunge and got my navel pierced all that time ago.