Piercings & Gauges... Like them, hate them, or have them?

dawnstrassburg

i used to have 3 holes in each ear, my elly button and my left nipple, the nipple started forcing its way out so i took it out so it didnt tear (OUCH!!!), the belly button got infected and the second hole in one ear closed and the third in the other so i jsut wear one pair of earings. I cant stand gauges, when the ears close it looks like you have a *kitten* on your ear!!!!! but thats my own opinion and as long as its not on my body I dont care much. (but i still snicker a little when i see someone with "butt ears")

rc630

I only like ear piercings, but I think anywhere on the ear is fine. I have a left tragus piercing myself, two lobe piercings on my left and right ears, and a third lobe on my right ear. I really dislike gauges; I personally find them really unappealing, but to each their own I suppose.

Tiffaney82690

I have my Monroe pierced and 4 ear piercings I had 0 g in my bottom hole in my ears but it was a personal choice to take them out for a job (I had to dress up and it just looked weird) and I have 1 tattoo that I currently hate it needs a lot of work but if I get it fixed and actually like it I might get more.

imaprncs

12 earrings (7 and 5 ) but only am using 2 on each side currently, 2 belly button rings, 2 tong rings, and a nose ring

savage22hp

Anything reversible okay , gauges ? ...... there are going to be a lot of really weird looking old farts one of these days ...... same with tats , its pretty much for life so think past now , you might just outlive your love of the subject matter

Tiffaney82690

oh and my nose!

YassSpartan

Hopefully I'll be ready to (successfully) defend myself next time then. I'd prefer there not to be a next time tho.

I agree, I don't go around looking for trouble, and I always avoid, but I've gone thru a lot of *kitten* before and I had no choice but to learn how to defend myself.

lookslikeyoda

Hopefully I'll be ready to (successfully) defend myself next time then. I'd prefer there not to be a next time tho.

I agree, I don't go around looking for trouble, and I always avoid, but I've gone thru a lot of *kitten* before and I had no choice but to learn how to defend myself.

Exactly the same, I tried atleast, although in hindsight, I should have just ran like a wimp haha

Bahet

Why are people so discriminating against piercings and tattoo's. Its the way we look, yes its our own choice but why should people be denied the free will to appear as they like. I've got 40mm tunnels in my ears, septum, spiderbites and tattoo's down my arm, neck, partly on my thoat and I still managed to get a job as Deputy Store Manager in a large UK company. I can understand people who just don't like the look but can accept us for what we look like but people who reckon that we look disgusting or it somehow affects our abilities as a human cos were so 'gross' need a lesson in acceptance. I've gotten into a lot of arguments and even been put in hospital just for the way I look.

*Disclaimer-- all "you" references in the following post are general and not directed solely at the quoted person.


You absolutely have the freedom to look however you want. I also have the freedom to think it makes you look like a freak. I completely and totally disagree with anyone becoming violent because of it but I don't need to "accept it" and I don't need to hire you if you don't fit the norm of how I want my company to be represented. Oh I'm sure someone will come back and say "Well you may be missing out on hiring someone wonderful then." Yea, I doubt that someone with Hotwheel tires in their ears is really going to be the absolute best fit above and beyond a person who looks normal.

Why should I have to accept you as looking normal when you've gone out of your way to intentionally try to look abnormal? That makes no sense at all. You didn't get tattoos and piercings and stick Hotwheel tires in your ears so you would fit in with regular society. Why would you get offended when it works and you no longer fit in? If I wear short shorts and skimpy tops and try to look like a tramp I'm not going to get offended if someone thinks I look like a tramp. That's my goal. If I put my hair up, put on my glasses, button my collar to the top and wear a long skirt I'm not going to get offended if people think I look like I'm uptight. That's my goal. So why do people who do weird things to alter their body get offended when people think they look weird? If that wasn't your goal then what was? It's obviously not to look normal. You wouldn't have Hotwheel tires in your ears and neck tattoos if that were the case.

rinnismom

LOVE THEM!!!!

i've got 16 total.

i have my first and second hole in my right ear gauged to 10 and a cartilige gauged to 14.
i have three holes in the lobe of my left, which are all gauged to 10. i also have two cartilige piercings gauged at 14.
i have my eyebrow, tongue, and snakebites.
i have my right nip and three in my right labia majora.

i would have much more. i want to experiment with dermals but i feel bad about the money spent. i've played with the idea of gauging further but we'll see. the next piece i'm spending any money on is my nightmare before christmas sleeve. it's gonna be AWESOME!!!

lookslikeyoda

*Disclaimer-- all "you" references in the following post are general and not directed solely at the quoted person.


You absolutely have the freedom to look however you want. I also have the freedom to think it makes you look like a freak. I completely and totally disagree with anyone becoming violent because of it but I don't need to "accept it" and I don't need to hire you if you don't fit the norm of how I want my company to be represented. Oh I'm sure someone will come back and say "Well you may be missing out on hiring someone wonderful then." Yea, I doubt that someone with Hotwheel tires in their ears is really going to be the absolute best fit above and beyond a person who looks normal.

Why should I have to accept you as looking normal when you've gone out of your way to intentionally try to look abnormal? That makes no sense at all. You didn't get tattoos and piercings and stick Hotwheel tires in your ears so you would fit in with regular society. Why would you get offended when it works and you no longer fit in? If I wear short shorts and skimpy tops and try to look like a tramp I'm not going to get offended if someone thinks I look like a tramp. That's my goal. If I put my hair up, put on my glasses, button my collar to the top and wear a long skirt I'm not going to get offended if people think I look like I'm uptight. That's my goal. So why do people who do weird things to alter their body get offended when people think they look weird? If that wasn't your goal then what was? It's obviously not to look normal. You wouldn't have Hotwheel tires in your ears and neck tattoos if that were the case.

I never asked to be accepted as 'normal' it's the people who don't accept appearances like mine as human. Obviously I did it so I don't fit in, I don't get offended with being called weird or a freak. It's when I get called things such as 'a disgrace to humanity' or 'a bad dad'. How does the modifications of my appearence affect my ability as a father or a human? People get their hair cut to appear how they want to don't they? Plastic surgery is pretty much accepted everywhere now so whats so different about this style. If I was an employer and said 'I don't want to employ you because you've got barbie tits' that would be wrong of me wouldnt it? Its called DIVERSITY, the world would be a ****ing boring place if we were all the same wouldn't it?

YassSpartan

*Disclaimer-- all "you" references in the following post are general and not directed solely at the quoted person.


You absolutely have the freedom to look however you want. I also have the freedom to think it makes you look like a freak. I completely and totally disagree with anyone becoming violent because of it but I don't need to "accept it" and I don't need to hire you if you don't fit the norm of how I want my company to be represented. Oh I'm sure someone will come back and say "Well you may be missing out on hiring someone wonderful then." Yea, I doubt that someone with Hotwheel tires in their ears is really going to be the absolute best fit above and beyond a person who looks normal.

Why should I have to accept you as looking normal when you've gone out of your way to intentionally try to look abnormal? That makes no sense at all. You didn't get tattoos and piercings and stick Hotwheel tires in your ears so you would fit in with regular society. Why would you get offended when it works and you no longer fit in? If I wear short shorts and skimpy tops and try to look like a tramp I'm not going to get offended if someone thinks I look like a tramp. That's my goal. If I put my hair up, put on my glasses, button my collar to the top and wear a long skirt I'm not going to get offended if people think I look like I'm uptight. That's my goal. So why do people who do weird things to alter their body get offended when people think they look weird? If that wasn't your goal then what was? It's obviously not to look normal. You wouldn't have Hotwheel tires in your ears and neck tattoos if that were the case.

Sure you're entitled to your opinions, to hire or not whoever based on your judgmental mindset, that doesn't mean you're a better person than the freak who has piercings, tattoos and a weird haircut, etc. Appearances have nothing to do with the quality as a person. And trust me, I'm not offended by any of your comments or classifications towards those like us with piercings and tattoos, I'm just stating my opinion in a general way that it is amazing people would rather jump into conclussions just because of how someone looks instead of seeing what kind of person they really are. Clear example? Priests who sexually abuse children. They all look neat and give the image of men of God, yet they do evil things. Those who wear ties and suits, yet they sexual harasse women at their workplace or even rape them in some cases. And the list goes on and on.

This stupidity starts at a very early age, and although adults focus more on classifying people with "names", when in school kids go beyond names and make the life, of those other kids with an alternative style, impossible. They only grow to be less aggressive physically but they're still playing the name calling.

lookslikeyoda

Damn! You hit it right on the head with that priest thing

ashli_rose

Belly button, 7 ear peircings ( two on each bottom, one on top on one side, industrial on top on the other, and one on the little flap thingy on the inside haha, dont know what it's called) Used to have samll gauges but took them out. Plus two tattoos and two or three more on the way (foot- wolf paw print, back/shoulder-sailboat + my sons name and DOB. To come: outside/shoulder-realistic wolf + tribal background, toe-celtic toe ring, and maybe some kind of ankle tattoo). AND I LOVE THEM ALL!!

YassSpartan

Damn! You hit it right on the head with that priest thing

They're a bunch of FREAKS and nasty pigs! lol

peterson_jessica

I have a bunch in my ears & cartilage, industrial, belly button and my septum which I love to death! I've been considering surface piercings on my chest, my nipples and a vertical hood piercing. I've turned into a big chicken as I've gotten older, though, so I haven't been able to bring myself to do it yet.. I absolutely LOVE gauged ears when they're like the size of a pencil. Super cute

alexbelly

I got my tongue pierced when I was 21... but then I shipped off to boot camp less than two months later so it didn't last very long. By the time I got back, the mood had past.

Aleciajones

Love them. Both myself and husband have 1.5" lobes. My septum is 00g, nipples are 8g and the others are basic 14 and we both have our tongue split, sadly mine regrew a little bit. Years ago when I worked in a piercing studio my cards had a sentence at the very bottom. "stretch is a verb, gauge is a unit of measurement." was something that drove me batty (still does but not nearly as much).

Opheliac_Xx

I have stretched lobes (4g, 0g is my goal) and am doing it purely for all the gorgeous jewelry I will be able to wear! I have quite a few piercings but recently took out my belly button one as it was pushing itself out (which is common with surface piercings).

I love them all, but I have seen some stretched lobes which should have been taken better care of... People want to get instant results, but fail to realize that by jamming things in their ears when they aren't ready will mess them up... I've been doing my lobes for a few years and am still only 4g!

SmallerBecky

I pierced my left eyebrow myself when I was 16 and only wore something in it for a few months. It never healed up so there is still a hole there. I also have two holes in each ear but I rarely wear one pair of earrings, nevermind two! I just don't wear a lot of jewelry since I was in high school.

My 15-year-old daughter has gauges--pretty big ones. I couldn't tell you what size they are, even though she talks about the sizes she "upgrades" to all the time. These days, she is wearing some wooden gauges that almost match her skin color so they're hardly noticable (she does have short to medium-length hair too). I don't care for them but I also don't care that she did it.

I think some tattoos and piercings and gauges look good on some people. What I DON'T like is piercings around the lips and tattoos on the neck. It just looks like a disease to me, for some reason!

ashli_rose

*Disclaimer-- all "you" references in the following post are general and not directed solely at the quoted person.


You absolutely have the freedom to look however you want. I also have the freedom to think it makes you look like a freak. I completely and totally disagree with anyone becoming violent because of it but I don't need to "accept it" and I don't need to hire you if you don't fit the norm of how I want my company to be represented. Oh I'm sure someone will come back and say "Well you may be missing out on hiring someone wonderful then." Yea, I doubt that someone with Hotwheel tires in their ears is really going to be the absolute best fit above and beyond a person who looks normal.

Why should I have to accept you as looking normal when you've gone out of your way to intentionally try to look abnormal? That makes no sense at all. You didn't get tattoos and piercings and stick Hotwheel tires in your ears so you would fit in with regular society. Why would you get offended when it works and you no longer fit in? If I wear short shorts and skimpy tops and try to look like a tramp I'm not going to get offended if someone thinks I look like a tramp. That's my goal. If I put my hair up, put on my glasses, button my collar to the top and wear a long skirt I'm not going to get offended if people think I look like I'm uptight. That's my goal. So why do people who do weird things to alter their body get offended when people think they look weird? If that wasn't your goal then what was? It's obviously not to look normal. You wouldn't have Hotwheel tires in your ears and neck tattoos if that were the case.

Sure you're entitled to your opinions, to hire or not whoever based on your judgmental mindset, that doesn't mean you're a better person than the freak who has piercings, tattoos and a weird haircut, etc. Appearances have nothing to do with the quality as a person. And trust me, I'm not offended by any of your comments or classifications towards those like us with piercings and tattoos, I'm just stating my opinion in a general way that it is amazing people would rather jump into conclussions just because of how someone looks instead of seeing what kind of person they really are. Clear example? Priests who sexually abuse children. They all look neat and give the image of men of God, yet they do evil things. Those who wear ties and suits, yet they sexual harasse women at their workplace or even rape them in some cases. And the list goes on and on.

This stupidity starts at a very early age, and although adults focus more on classifying people with "names", when in school kids go beyond names and make the life, of those other kids with an alternative style, impossible. They only grow to be less aggressive physically but they're still playing the name calling.

IM GLAD IM ON YOUR SIDE!!!

bellevie23

I got my tongue pierced when I was 21... but then I shipped off to boot camp less than two months later so it didn't last very long. By the time I got back, the mood had past.

Pretty much same here, not my tongue though, but boot camp and piercings just didn't go swell with me, low crawling on rough terrain with piercings just wasnt comfortable for me, so I gave em all up, then ended up getting pregnant over and over lol, so now that my 'baby producing' parts are gone, I will once the weight is gone.

lookslikeyoda

Damn! You hit it right on the head with that priest thing

They're a bunch of FREAKS and nasty pigs! lol

Pocket_Pixi

Anything reversible okay , gauges ? ...... there are going to be a lot of really weird looking old farts one of these days ...... same with tats , its pretty much for life so think past now , you might just outlive your love of the subject matter

Actually.. ears are totally fixable, I had a friend who had a lobe get tore and he had his ears fixed, by a plastic surgeon and they look absolutly fine.

Me personally.. I have my ears done 3 on one side (18g, 14g and 6g) The 6 guage may be going bigger- but at the moment I have stopped. My septum is pierced, and I have a vertical labret. I have had both nostrils done, my eyebrow was done 3 times and I had my belly button done. I have had my labret done for over 8 years and it has never once stopped me from getting a job - neither have my tattoos.

I also have several tattoos, most of which have some type of meaning and had a lot of thought put into them. While everyone is entitled to an opinion and I know you just stated yours and I am not arguing but a lot of us with tattoos do put a lot of thought into things we are putting on our body.

YassSpartan

IM GLAD IM ON YOUR SIDE!!!

lol

YassSpartan

jedibunny

A few points to make:
- I have piercings (2 in each ear, one cuff, and formerly a tongue piercing). I used to dye my hair black/fire engine red and wear spiked bracelets. I did these things not to "be a freak," but because they intrigued me as a form of expression. I had friends who did similar things, and it wasn't freakish; it was our "normal."
- I also work in management and have a Master's degree, and will be starting my Ph.D. in the next year. Five of my piercings are regularly visible and it hasn't been a deterrent in terms of advancing my career.
- I plan on more piercings and at least one tattoo when I'm at my desired body weight.
- My bf is among the more conservative people I know politically and also has a slightly slanted view towards "freaks," yet has both ears pierced, both nipples, and two tattoos. Does not consider himself a freak. Also has a senior managerial position.
- My sister-in-law has tattoos on the inside of her lip and her legs and back, has multiple ear piercings, a brow piercing, nose piercing, and lip ring. She is a director of food service and nutrition at a local nursing home. Also, not a freak.

Overall, I'm trying to say what's normal for some is definitely not normal for others - and who cares? Self-expression is just that, and it comes in many forms. How someone chooses to express him or herself should be appreciated, not insulted. Would I, in the theoretical position of hiring manager, hire a kid with "Hotwheels" in his ears? I am intelligent enough to gauge how well that person has prepared for the interview by his attitude, demeanor, dress, etc. and not his piercing. If I were that kid, I might tone it down for the initial interview so as not to convey a "I don't give a f" aura to my potential employer since I haven't met them yet and don't know their opinions on body modification. I go to interviews dressed smartly and prepare myself with background knowledge of the company, and yes, my piercings are visible, but muted (small studs or hoops, usually). If it turns out that the company is a more casual atmosphere where I can feel comfortable wearing spiked bracelets, cool - but I won't wear them to an interview. (I don't wear them now as I think I moved away from that phase some years ago, but you get my point.) If that Hotwheels kid came to me wearing a nice shirt and tie, spoke to me about my company and goals and how they align with his career goals, and presented me with examples of what he could do to contribute to my company, ABSOLUTELY I would hire him... even if he didn't tone down the appearance of the piercing. If he did, all the better - it shows more respect. And anyone in the position of hiring manager should show the same respect back to the candidate.

Professional appearance obviously makes a first impression, and first impressions are irreversible - so I'm obviously an advocate of proper attire; but I'm open-minded enough to know that there's a notable difference between whether a person went the extra step to dress well and whether they have a visible piercing or modification. A piercing isn't indicative of how well a person will suit a position nor does it say anything as to whether an interview candidate respects his interviewer and surroundings. It's something that person chose to do to himself which had no relationship to his future job prospects... unless and until, of course, he's discriminated against because of it. Choosing to dress well, on the other hand, is directly related to job prospects and respect for the workplace. MAJOR difference.

xo

Bahet

*Disclaimer-- all "you" references in the following post are general and not directed solely at the quoted person.


You absolutely have the freedom to look however you want. I also have the freedom to think it makes you look like a freak. I completely and totally disagree with anyone becoming violent because of it but I don't need to "accept it" and I don't need to hire you if you don't fit the norm of how I want my company to be represented. Oh I'm sure someone will come back and say "Well you may be missing out on hiring someone wonderful then." Yea, I doubt that someone with Hotwheel tires in their ears is really going to be the absolute best fit above and beyond a person who looks normal.

Why should I have to accept you as looking normal when you've gone out of your way to intentionally try to look abnormal? That makes no sense at all. You didn't get tattoos and piercings and stick Hotwheel tires in your ears so you would fit in with regular society. Why would you get offended when it works and you no longer fit in? If I wear short shorts and skimpy tops and try to look like a tramp I'm not going to get offended if someone thinks I look like a tramp. That's my goal. If I put my hair up, put on my glasses, button my collar to the top and wear a long skirt I'm not going to get offended if people think I look like I'm uptight. That's my goal. So why do people who do weird things to alter their body get offended when people think they look weird? If that wasn't your goal then what was? It's obviously not to look normal. You wouldn't have Hotwheel tires in your ears and neck tattoos if that were the case.

Sure you're entitled to your opinions, to hire or not whoever based on your judgmental mindset, that doesn't mean you're a better person than the freak who has piercings, tattoos and a weird haircut, etc. Appearances have nothing to do with the quality as a person. And trust me, I'm not offended by any of your comments or classifications towards those like us with piercings and tattoos, I'm just stating my opinion in a general way that it is amazing people would rather jump into conclussions just because of how someone looks instead of seeing what kind of person they really are. Clear example? Priests who sexually abuse children. They all look neat and give the image of men of God, yet they do evil things. Those who wear ties and suits, yet they sexual harasse women at their workplace or even rape them in some cases. And the list goes on and on.

This stupidity starts at a very early age, and although adults focus more on classifying people with "names", when in school kids go beyond names and make the life, of those other kids with an alternative style, impossible. They only grow to be less aggressive physically but they're still playing the name calling.

I never said I was better than someone else and I never said it shows the quality of the person. But my first impression of someone with a neck tattoo and a spike through his nose isn't going to be the same as that of the person without those things. Yours won't be either. Whether you think the tattoos and spikes and hotwheel tires in the earlobes makes the person look cool or the khakis and polo shirt make the clean cut guy look boring, everyone makes a judgement based on first impressions and those first impressions are more often than not how someone looks.

Alma_Sana

I used to have my tongue and a few other piercings . . .they all closed now Except the ears lol. I think piercings can be really hot!

BriskaPacojame

I have a bunch in my ears & cartilage, industrial, belly button and my septum which I love to death! I've been considering surface piercings on my chest, my nipples and a vertical hood piercing. I've turned into a big chicken as I've gotten older, though, so I haven't been able to bring myself to do it yet.. I absolutely LOVE gauged ears when they're like the size of a pencil. Super cute

Have the three you're considering... nipples, go for it as for vertical hood, just felt like a pinch and bam it was over. The receiving tube is irritating and I had a friend go with who wanted to watch, and did lol. It was a little awkward but I love it. Healed quicker than other piercings.