Got pierced?

Mysterious

A shameless spinoff of the tattoo thread I admit, but I didn't want to hijack it. What piercings were "allowed" and not allowed in your area, what have you got, when did you get it, and what do you think of piercings now that you are no longer a JW?

Where I lived the rule was no piercings at all for men with no exceptions. Women were alotted one hole in each ear provided it was in an earlobe before anyone gave you strange looks. I know quite a few that had 2 holes in each ear but my own mother thought it was wordly and looked down on it even though there were adults in their 30's and pioneers she respected with them.

I wanted to get my cartilage pierced when I was 17 and even though a pioneer had it she wouldn't let me get it done. I bought a clip on to wear and she called it my rebel earring all the time and wouldn't let me wear it to meetings or out in service or any witness gathering but I wore it to school for nearly a year. When I quit going to meetings I got it pierced that week and it became my first symbolic piercing. When I went away to school I got second holes in both my earlobes and a third hole in my right ear just for good measure. They represented my freedom, my commitment to my education and turning my back on JW "standards" and habits.

At the start of my second year of university I got my eyebrow pierced which marked both the end of a relationship that was a mistake and the beginning of a new one that wasn't. It also represented my new self confidence that I could make things happen in my life unlike when I was a JW.

At the end of my second year I got the side of my lip pierced when I decided to stay in the same city as my school and get a job there instead of going home for the summer. Which in a lot of ways marked when my mom realized she no longer had any influence over my life or how I chose to live it.

The specs for those that are into that kind of thing: (all jewelry is silver surgical steel unless otherwise noted)
eyebrow - 14g curved barbel (ball end); lip 14g labret side off center (ball end); right ear 18g circular barbel (ball ends, blue, titanium), 14g circular barbel x3 (cone ends); left ear 14g circular barbel x2 (cone ends)

Plans: 14g off center lip piercing on the other side. The combo of both side lip piercings is called a snakebite.

freedomlover

sounds cool.

I got my second hole in my ears the week I left home when I was 18. I did it once when I was 15 and my idiot elder stepfather flipped about how no one in his family or HIS congregation would have worldly fads like that! I had to take them out. what an idiot.

got my bellybutton done about 5 months ago....STILL healing. that one is taking a while to heal. my nose is next. can't wait.

Mary

What piercings were "allowed" and not allowed in your area, what have you got, when did you get it, and what do you think of piercings now that you are no longer a JW?

It was strange.......when my oldest sister wanted to get her ears pierced, my dad wouldn't let her till she was 18 (and about to get married). I remember many an argument between the two of them on this subject. On the other hand, I got my ears pierced one day when I was 16 and over at a Dubs house. She did a "home job" where she froze my ears with two icecubes until I couldn't feel anything, then she put the (sterilized) darning needle through......my dad didn't show the slightest bit of concern or care....wierd eh?

The important thing though is submission, right?

***

w74 5/15 p. 319 Questions from Readers ***

. A married woman who favors having her ears pierced should rightly consult her husbandly head first.

ocsrf

Sounds as much fun as hitting my finger with a hammer...

luna2

Just my earlobes a couple years ago. I almost barfed so I think I'd better stop at that.

Mysterious

freedomlover,
Awesome. I heard bellybuttons can be hard to heal because of the friction on the clothing, also as a type of surface piercing there is more area to heal but I'm sure it'll work out for you. Where are you getting your nose pierced? I'm assuming the side but people also pierced the bridge and the septum. I'd pierce my bridge but I couldnt hide it for work. =( I remember a pioneer girl here was guilted into taking out her cartilage piercing by a CO talk. Ugh.

ocsrf,
Ever had a blood test? It's honestly no worse than that and in fact I found the blood tests more painful. I like getting pierced though it's a rush and I'm always excited to get more done. Call me weird I guess but I know I'm not alone. ^_^

luna2,
Sorry to hear you had a bad experience. Did you get them done with a piercing gun? Those are more painful than a piercing with a needle because it actually crushes the tissue, ouch! It's also better if you eat beforehand and drink enough fluids. If you're woozy stay lying down for a minute after it's done so you don't feel sick of dizzy when you stand up. But piercings aren't for everyone.

Mary,
Don't forget children should be in submission to their parents, for shame. =)

Odrade

Mysterious,
Single in ears only, and navel. Yeah, the navel took a long time to heal. Lowrise pants were just starting to show up in boutiques then. I did it about 13 years ago when I briefly "rebelled." Then I went back to the Witnesses, and refused to take it out. Several people told me quite pointedly that it was too "worldly," and it was a sign that I was rebellious. Hmm... guess so.
Freedomlover, 5 months and still not healed? That's tough. What gauge ring do you have? You might try going larger - Like a 12, it will heal faster. You can always drop back down to smaller gauge afterwards if you don't go too much larger.
I've been thinking about an ear cartilage piercing, but for now, I've got the 2nd half of my tattoo, so that's $$. eep!

Mysterious

Odrade,
Hmm I know a girl here did hers herself when she was in middle school. I at the time like a good little dub (2 years older than her) was aghast why he mother would tolerate it and wth was wrong with her for doing something like that.

If you do get cartilage keep in mind which ear you sleep on and use the phone with! I had to learn to sleep all over again. And keep laying down in mind with jewelry selection even healed the wrong jewelry can be painful to lay on.

Some people heal faster than others but the recommended healing time for navels is quite long 4-12 months in fact. Just make sure you are using proper aftercare including sea salt soaks and washing with unscented mild antibacterial soap. Use paper towels to dry it instead of regular towels which can harbor bacteria. Might need to step up the aftercare to help it heal up fully. I used qtips moist with warm water to remove the crust after soaking my piercings in the shower, I found them better than cotton balls because they dont stick to the jewelry.

Mysterious

Sorry for the double post but I found the recommended healing times from my piercer. I bracketed the exact healing times for the pircings I am more knowledgeable about.

Typical Healing Times

Earlobe: up to 2 months (6-8 weeks) Ear Cartilage: up to 12 months (6 months to a year) Eyebrow: up to 3 months (8-12 weeks) Navel: up to 12 months Nostril: up to 6 months

Lip: up to 2 months (6-8 weeks) Septum: up to 2 months Tongue: up to 6 months

I can testify my cartilage was not fully healed for a long time. It crusted for what seemed like forever and I couldnt sleep on it. My eyebrow bled a lot when I got it done and I didnt remove the blood so artfully so I probably extended the healing time there. Plus brows are really dirty so it still inflames sometimes and I have to go back to doing my soaks. The lip healed really well and didn't crust much after about 3 weeks. I took it out for the first time at around 7-8 weeks and the hole was nice and clean no redness or anything. I had a heck of a time getting the ball off the labret stud though they screwed it down really really tight.

Black Sheep

I pierced an ear when I was 17 using a needle and a cork.

I now have a custom made stud in it, just a short bar with a ball on each end. I tried to take it out a few years ago when I was going to a mainly JW family reunion, but I couldn't get either end through the hole.

I guess I won't lose it any time soon

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