What People Ask About My Piercings - FreshTrends Blog

I’ve wanted to have piercings ever since I was a kid. One of my friend’s older sisters came back from India with a nose stud and I knew I wanted to get a piercing exactly like it. It escalated from there, and I’m up to eleven piercings in total. Most of those piercings are visible, especially the two nose piercings and the septum. And because they’re visible, people often feel the need to question me about my fashion choices. Friends, family, strangers, colleagues, you name it. So here are some of those burning questions that the curious folk enjoy peppering me with. 

“So why’d you get them?”

I don’t really know what to say. For some of my piercings, like my nose piercing, I do have a backstory. But for the majority of them, I just thought they looked pretty fabulous. I mean, I get piercings for the same reason people buy clothes. I just thought “Hey, you know what, I think that would look super cute on me.” 

“Why in ____?”

Why is there a stud in my nose? Why’d I get my belly button pierced? Why…? I hate to answer a question with a question but… Why not? The joy of fashion is that it may not make total sense most of the time. Some people may find one trend aesthetic, while other people will not. I happen to find body piercings very enticing. I simply like putting metal in various places throughout my body. Some people enjoy showing off watches or new pairs of shoes, I show off my piercings. 

“What happens when you have a cold?”

I really would love sounding like a smart ass and answering “I blow my nose”, but the truth is that it is a little more complicated than that. When I got my right nostril pierced at 18, I would hold that side a little longer when I had a runny nose that needed attention. With my left nostril pierced, it became slightly more complex. I would always be careful to poke each side of my nose afterwards to make sure my piercings didn’t come away with the Kleenex. But with a septum added into the mix, I kind of had to change the nose-blowing experience slightly. I end up tipping my septum clicker forward and then I work on doing my business behind it. This all sounds pretty gross typing out, but I am confident that other people in my shoes with three extra holes in their nose know exactly what I’m talking about. 

“Aren’t you worried about getting a job?”

Body modification has been a hot topic in the workplace. Do they belong there? Do they not belong there? Fortunately, with more start up companies and young people setting up shop creating businesses, the attitude is beginning to shift towards piercings and tattoos. While most employers may still be rather uncertain about hiring someone with large, noticeable tattoos on their face/hands/somewhere else super visible all the time, they’re slowly becoming more understanding about body mods. If you’re worried about getting jobs with your piercings or tattoos, try branching out and tapping into resources you may not have thought of before. Find an occupation that allows you to work remotely from home. That way, nobody will be eyeballing (read: judging) your body mods on the daily. 

“Awh, why would you want to do that to your pretty face?”

I hate this one so much. It’s like, thank you so much for the back-handed compliment. How can I ever repay you? This sort of query is super condescending because it implies that what I’ve gotten done managed to cancel out my attractiveness. Yes, there’s a big ole “bull ring” in my nose. But I’m still sufficiently pretty, thank you very much. With some of my friends, they were just surprised that I would risk getting my septum done because it would end up being one of the first things people notice about me. But it actually makes for a great screening process. If people can’t get past my piercings, I don’t need them in my life. The less negativity, the better. Am I right?

“Did it hurt?”

Last but not least, “did it hurt?” This is hands-down the most popular question I get. It blows my mind. Do people somehow believe that, regardless of where a piercing might be, that it just magically caused no pain whatsoever? More importantly, people have varying pain thresholds. The amount of pain I could handle may not be the same amount of pain someone else is willing to undergo. A small prick to someone else could be enough to make me cry. It varies so greatly. So honestly, yes, my piercings hurt to a point. But that shouldn’t stop you from getting a piercing you want. Because at the end of the day, the piercing may take 20 minutes to do altogether but could end up sticking with you for the rest of your life (if you want). I think that’s worth it!

What are some of things you often get asked about your piercings?

Laurrel Allison