Because of my chosen profession I had thought body modification was out of bounds for me. Soon before my 30th birthday I discovered that some modifications could be done in ways that would be more subtle or could be hidden and that mods weren't just for kids, I hadn't missed my chance... So I stretched my lobes to 8g and pierced my tongue. These mods are discrete and pretty well hidden most of the time but *I* know they are there and they make me very happy. I now have one of the largest collections of jewelry around (check pics on here for my favourite pieces) and it is always growing and I am planning more mods: nostril, VCH, nipples, navel and more ear piercings (I love my ears!!) as well as hopefully a relatively large tattoo on my shoulder and arm. I feel I have hit a perfect balence; I get to be my authenic self AND pursue a stimulating career I can be excited about! :-)
iam: Individualist
iam: Community service worker
iam: Atheist
iam: Accepting of others
iam: Vegan for 2+ years and loving it
iam: Committed to social justice
iam: Dedicated to a practice of least harm
iam: Affected by depression and anxiety
iam: In a 7 year committed relationship
iam: Someone with a piercing fetish
iam: Too serious and intense for my own good
iam: Finally on iam :-D
Buddies
Rodger
Eric
The Wong Fuckin Person
jessicaellendank
Servant of the Storm
Dressed up for my friends wedding 01/23/10 .
Mod-Tracker
CONCH!!! First self piercing in 16 years and done properly :-)
01/31/10 - Day Five: Inner conch - Swelling starting to pass.
Tongue piercing journey
The end result - 5 months on: One hell of a healthy tongue and enjoyable piercing - I wouldn't be the same without it!
Stretched lobes
8g lobes naked - 10/20/09: Starting to loosen up and stay open w/out jewelry
Did that hurt?
2010/02/05 16:34 I now have a "did that hurt?" piercing LOL Since I got my inner conch several of my workmates have noticed and commented on it. I don't think they have seen one in this position before and they look at me like I'm a bit mad, especially when I told the young girl who works reception I did it myself WITH A NEEDLE!!! I should have gone to the hairdresser to have it done with a non-sterile gun so my cartilage could be nicely shattered, whoops must have forgotten!
The ironic thing is I have tried to give myself a bikini wax before, something considered completely normal, and that hurt a hundred billion times more then sticking an extremely sharp, sterile, medical grade needle though 1/4" of cartilage! I think the painful procedures women put themselves through on a regular basis and that are almost expected by society are WAY more masochistic then a simple piercing. AND I only had to do this once and it will be an improvement on my body forever.
/rant LOL
2010/01/30 17:24 We all break this rule but when it is broken in regards to you sometimes it can really hurt.
Some people have no desire what so ever to modify themselves; in fact they cannot remotely understand the deep satisfaction, challenges and fun this process can bring. And I know I am barely modded myself but I have still experienced these things.
They believe we do it just to fit into a subculture, to copy, to be a try hard. This hurts me because I know that the person closest to me thinks this way and the truth could not be more in opposition to this.
I, like many others I expect, felt I was taking a risk when I started stretching my ears or piercing beyond the standard 'one each ear for girls'. In comparison to some people on iam I look extremely conservative but in comparison with my peers who I relate to at work and home day after day this is not the case.
I know basically no modified people offline, so who would I be trying to fit in with? My friends online are awesome but it's not really the same, is it?
Everytime this happens I try to make sure it is a lesson for me not to do the same to others - we all know there is a lot of judging that goes on within this community as well as coming from outside.
2009/11/08 03:32 I love my tongue piercing but sometimes I cannot help feel immature for having one...it's not something any of my peers have and where I live I believe it is considered something for teen girls and perhaps would be described by crass types as 'slutty'. On the other hand I got a letter from a 16 year old homeless girl who is a client of mine that said this "I think you are cool because you have a tongue piercing just like me" among other very sweet things about how I was the first person who had ever tried to help her and that she could tell I was a "real person" who did the job for love rather then money *cries*
A reasonable number of my clients have piercings, including teenagers, a grandmother and a very cool man the same age as myself who is a trained piercer living with a serious mental illness which prevents him from working. Other then an admin worker who was once a client herself and has a monroe there is only one other staff member I know of who has body piercings and all of hers are below the neck (and she is a rather unusual person overall herself).
I feel conflicted about my mods, subtle as they are, *I* love them and my clients that notice or whom I tell feel it makes me someone relatable but I wonder what my co-workers would think of me if they knew. I am conscious of hiding my ears at work with jewelry that could pass as normal and the way I talk means my tongue is seldom highly visable.
I'm babbling shit I know...let me know what you think if this post inspired you to think anything at all :-)
