By Ashley from White Plains.
I’ve never been the most confident person. I never thought I was gorgeous (I mean, I’m attractive and all), and I never really thought I was that sexy. One day at school, my friend runs up to me and goes “Guess what?!” and yanks up her shirt. My eyes almost bugged out of my head. I instantly bombarded her with questions: how much? Where? When? Did it hurt? The more we talked, the more I knew that I wanted one. Who know? Maybe it would give me the self-esteem boost I needed.
That was almost 2 yrs ago. I never brought it up to my parents since I already knew they would reply with a big fat NO. Then, a few weeks ago, the unthinkable happened! My dad walked right up to me and said, “For your high school graduation, my present to you is that you can get your belly button pierced.” My response? =D =D =D. Mind you I’m 18, so technically I didn’t need his permission, but still, it felt great to know that I had his approval.
I talked to my friend again, and shegave me the details about the place she had gone to, Big Joe & Sons. She told me they were very clean and very professional. I talked to a few more of my friends who I knew had piercings, and they all recommended the same place.
Finally the day came. When we got to Big Joe’s, I found that my friends hadn’t been wrong. The place was very clean and sanitary. My piercer was very nice and polite and explained the entire process to me. She made sure I was ready, before taking me into the back room alone (my dad hates needles).
She washed her hands and put on gloves. She cleaned off the area with alcohol, and lined up my belly button, marking the spot with a dot. “Let’s do this!” I said.
The clamp actually hurt more than the piercing itself. She told to me take a deep breath, and when I exhaled, I felt a two pricks (one for the needle going in & coming out the other side) and it was over. That was it? No lie, it did hurt, but waaaayyy less than I thought. After that, she screwed on the ball, !
and wipe
d me off. I stood up and wow! I was in love with it.
Afterwards, she gave me a sheet with all the aftercare instructions: for 2 months, soak the area with warm water & sea salt 2x a day, and then clean with antibacterial soap 2x a day. Don’t be alarmed if you see a little discharge, that’s normal, but don’t be afraid to call if you’re unsure.
For the first few days, it was a little uncomfortable for me to touch, bend over, or lay on my stomach, but the following week, I almost forgot I had it! I told my mom about it, and I could tell she wasn’t too happy, but all she could say was, “It’s done.” It’s been about 20 days now, and I honestly love it. I can’t change it yet, but when I can, I’ll probably get a Bioplast ring, just to be on the safe side. It makes me feel more confident and sexy! I couldn’t be happier!