To Pierce, or Not to Pierce

In case you didn't know....

...we take our bling very seriously around here!

Something I have wondered since having a child is: At what point, and age, and stage of life, is it ridiculous for a woman to have a nose piercing. I

have asked a few friends, but I don't think anyone has ever given me an answer. I do have a nose piercing, and have had it for 10 years now, I think. I have only ever worn a stud; I've never done a hoop, although that is something I've wanted to try. As I said, though, I'm wondering if there is a stage in life where a nose piercing, stud or hoop, just starts to look ridiculous.

As for other piercings, I've pretty much been content with just a nose piercing. At one point in my late teenage years I pondered over getting a tattoo, ears pierced, and nose pierced. I finally came to the decision that I didn't ever want a tattoo, or my ears pierced. But I wanted to get my nose pierced. I really don't know why the nose and not the ears, but wearing earrings never really appealed to me. The tattoo- well, it's pretty permanent, and I have never figured out anything that I'd want permanently tattooed on my body. Or where I would even put a tattoo! And at this point in my life, that decision hasn't changed.

I know people would argue that a nose piercing is probably just as permanent as a tattoo, and yes, at some point the hole is my nose passed the point of ever growing shut...I think. I did have trouble with it a year or two after I got my nose pierced- I had to take my nose ring out for work, which was fine, but putting it back in after a shift sometimes implied that the hole was still able to grow shut. After 10 years, though, I don't have that issue anymore. So the hole probably is permanent. But if I don't have a nose ring in, I really doubt anyone can see that there is a hole there. You'd have to get up close and personal, I believe. And not many people get into my "up close and personal" space bubble.

Even though I decided I would never pierce my ears, there came a day when it was requested of me. My good friend, and room-mate at the time, was getting married and wanted all of her bridesmaids to wear matching earrings and necklaces. She knew I didn't want to get my ears pierced ever, but she may have begged a little bit for me to please consider it. Just for her. So that all the bridesmaids would be matchy-matchy. Either I can't stand up to peer pressure, or I really love Brittany. I gave in and got my ears pierced just for her wedding. And I wore the matchy-matchy earrings and necklace just like the rest of the bridesmaids. You can't even tell in the pictures, though, so my ear piercing was in vain.

Photo courtesy of Brittany M.

Since there were now holes in my ears, I decided that I might as well wear earrings. One of my good friends gave me a couple pairs of earrings, and I think I may have bought a set or two. I didn't wear them all the time, but tried to "dress up" my look by wearing earrings. 

On the 88th floor of the Eureka Tower in Melbourne, Australia

I even put together an earring/necklace/bracelet set with the jewelry that I purchased in Australia and New Zealand to wear as part of my wedding dress ensemble.

Our wedding in Montego Bay, Jamaica

At some point in the past 2 or more years, I stopped wearing earrings altogether. I'm not sure why; I think I just didn't take the time, and also fell into a state of "I don't really care about "dressing up" my look." Just since the beginning of the year, however, I started thinking about my former earring wearing days, and began to wonder if maybe it would help me in my endeavors to care about "dressing up" my look once more. I know I talked to my sister, Katie, about it, but I don't remember what her advice was. I looked at my ears a few times, and the indentation from being pierced was still there. I knew that the actual holes had kind of closed up, but I was pretty sure I just needed to "re-poke" through the holes if I wanted to wear earrings again. (That had happened sometime after Brittany's wedding when my ear piercings were still kind of new- I had not worn earrings for a short period of time, and the holes kind of grew over. They were easily "re-poked" with no issues.) Before I made up my mind though, I figured I should ask my spouse if he had a preference because I know some guys do.

Just a few weeks ago, I asked Jason if he liked earrings, or not. His answer was as I suspected: if you want to have pierced ears, you should do it. I told him that wasn't the question; the question was if he did, or did not, like earrings. That's when he said he didn't know; since I'd never worn earrings before, he didn't know if he liked me with, or without, them.

Well! Now I knew how good his memory was! I reminded him that I had pierced ears when we started dating, and wore earrings for our wedding, and for a couple years after that. It was a few days later that he said, "Oh yeah! I kind of remember you having earrings back then. I think I kind of liked it." He went on to say that if it was something I wanted to do, go ahead and do it, but it was my decision.

I thought about it for a bit longer before I decided that since I already have the indentation from having my ears pierced, I might as well try it again and see if I like "dressing up my look" with earrings. So one day while Claire was napping, I got out a pair of earrings that I still had, the rubbing alcohol, a sewing needle- sterilized with a lit match, and stood in front of the bathroom mirror. I told myself that it shouldn't hurt since it was just scar tissue I was trying to poke through. And that I did it once before, and it was fine. I dipped the needle in alcohol, and proceeded to try and poke it through the indention in my earlobe. But, I used the "eye" end of the sewing needle because I was afraid the pointy end would hurt!!! For some reason, I could not get that end of the needle to even go into the old indention. I have no idea why. Or why I didn't just give up. Instead, I used my actual earring, dipped in alcohol, and tried again. And this time, it went through. It may have taken a little pressure, and it wasn't completely sensation free, but I just re-poked through the hole that was previously there.

I didn't tell Jason about my actions for a few days, and since my earrings were not conducive to sleeping with them in, I only wore them during the days. But overnight, the "body juices" that came about from my "re-poke" would scab over the hole. (I wasn't really expecting there to be body juices resulting from this event...) I was keeping them cleaned with alcohol, but they kind of ached a little bit. One evening Jason finally noticed that I had earrings in and asked when I went and got them pierced. He was not super impressed with the method I used for re-piercing my ears, and told me he hoped my earlobes didn't fall off. 

Since that time (all of about a week or so), I did get a pair of earrings that I can leave in all the time, and have been treating it like a new piercing. And they don't ache anymore. I have not gotten any more feedback from Jason about whether he likes, or dislikes, me wearing earrings. And since it will be a few more weeks before I start wearing other earrings to "dress up my look," I haven't decided yet if I like it or not. Little Pumpkin, who is all about wearing beads, and apparently dog collars, has noticed my earrings and pulls my hair back to look at them. So for better or worse, I'm giving this ear piercing thing another try, but this time it is because of my own want to. Not because someone wants their bridesmaids to be all matchy-matchy! And, I still don't know if there is a point in life where having a nose piercing just looks ridiculous!