Just out., July 18, 2003, Page 26, Image 26

IB. 2001
26
A hole of one’s own
Continued from Page 24
"Pierced people are a tribe," Williams muses.
“We yet pierced and stay pierced for many rea­
sons. It’s a personal celebration, a reminder of a
time or moment. It’s everywhere.”
ew holes usually result from one of four
types of piercings: surface, facial, midbody
and genital.
Surface piercings are those that do not go
through tissue or cartilage but merely enter and
exit through a few layers of skin, such as the
nape of the neck or webbing between fingers.
They tend to be temporary.
“Surface piercing,” explains Miss Corey, a
professional piercer at Black Hole Body Pierc­
ing, “goes with the grain of the tissue, which
makes the body want to expel or absorb the
jewelry."
Facial piercings include ears, eyebrows,
lips, cheeks, tongues and septums. “It’s the
Summer of the Nose,” says Kristi, also of
Black Hole. “Everybody wants to get their
nose pierced.”
Cine of the most popular facial piercings
among young lesbians lately is the Monroe: an
upper lip piercing that resembles a mole.
“Facial piercings sometimes compel people
to really look at you whether you want the
attention or not,” Williams says. "I’m always
getting compliments about my Monroe or the
configuration of my nose piercings.”
Midbody piercings involve two of the most
popular piercings among sexual minorities: nip­
ple and navel. “When that young woman got
her navel pierced in the Aerosmith video,
everyone had to get their navel pierced," laughs
Jesse, a member of the queer community and
the professional piercer at Captain Jack’s. Navel
piercings are actually one of the trickiest to per­
form and have the highest rate of rejection.
Nipple piercing has long been an expression
of kinkiness in leather and B/D/S/M communi­
ties. “I have a barbell in my left nipple,” says
Rivers, referring to a common nipple ring
formed of a long post with beads that screw
into both ends. “I am thinking about getting
the other tit pierced but kind of like having
the two different sensations.”
Genital piercings for women include clit-
hixxJs, which allow the bead of the jewelry to
lie directly over the clitoris for stimulation;
inner or outer labial piercing; and even the clit
itself, though it’s not recommended.
• “For women, it’s important that we check
the anatomy for its ability to heal," Miss Corey
cautions. “One out of 10 women can't have a
genital piercing; they just don't have the right
anatomy.”
Most reputable piercing shops conduct a
N
rigs are the frame ths
the work of art that
consultation before considering a genital
piercing. "There’s been a wave of hixxl
piercings lately,” Miss Corey says. “Women
want to honor their sexuality. It’s a libera­
tion thing."
Genital piercings for men include piercings
through the glans, through the connecting tis­
sues, through the scrotal sac and—one bf the
most popular piercings among gay men—the
guiche, piercing through the skin located
between anus and scrotum.
But by far the daddy of all male genital
piercings has to be the Prince Albert, which
goes through the urethra and exits where the
shaft and underside of the glans meets.
“One buddy of mine just swoons every time
he sees my PA," says Rivers, who admits hav­
ing had mixed reactions. “One buddy of mine
said he wixildn’t suck my dick any more
because of the PA.... He has, though."
hy do people get their genitals pierced?
“Getting my ‘treasure box’ piercing
gave me vaginal pride,” Williams points out.
“For a time, once the area healed, 1 was show­
W
ing off the gcxxlies. For me, it wasn’t
about being sexual. It was about liber­
ation and bold expression.”
Rivers adds, "Making these physi­
cal modifications gives me a certain
sense of ownership and control over
my fxxJy.”'
Miss Corey sums it up this way: "The major
reason people get a genital piercing is sexual: to
honor their sexuality, to honor their sexual
selves or to recover from something.”
And what about the pain?
“It’s different for each person,” Jesse
explains. “For a lot of people, this is thera­
peutic. A way of achieving a healthy release,
rather than by hurting themselves in a nega­
tive way."
The best advice for those interested in
piercing seems to be preparation and proper
aftercare. Do research, ask questions and be
prepared, Rivers advises. “Know what is going
to happen and how it will feel.”
Williams agrees: "Think about what’s moti­
vating you, and think about the consequences.
Arm yourself with questions and ask, ask, ask!
The more knowledge and info you arm your­
self with, the more pleasant the experience
will be.”
Then, “take care of your Ixxly," Snakie says.
“B;id aftercare leads to infection, rejection and
scar tissue."
Miss Corey adds: “Remember, scar or jewel­
ry, it’s pennanent. Someone is going to be
invasive with your Ixxly. You want someone
who knows what they’re doing.”
No longer thought of as a passing fad, pierc­
ings, Williams says, are “such a part of my per­
sonality...! hope to keep all my piercings.
Especially the naughty ones! I feel naked with­
out them.
G lenn S cofield W illiams writes poetry, prose,
plays, periodica and pom in Portland.
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