I think piercings are great on the right person - even earrings can look awful on the wrong person. Also depends on what you're trying to do - some people do it to shock (recent quote from a friend who'd just got her lip done 'I sort of did it just to see people's reactions') while others do it to look good. Then there are the people with real issues and it becomes more about mutilation than jewellry, which is just pretty sad.

I had my nose done when I was 13 and all cool and rebellious, it healed up because school kept making me take it out. I think I was probably too young anyway and am now really glad it healed up (most of the time). Surprisingly, my mum took me to get it done when she'd only let me get my ears pierced a couple of years before (I also think that was too young). It freaks me out when you see kids in buggies getting their ears pierced, boys included - it should be up to you whether you want to pierce your body and I think it's so wrong to do that to a child.

Tongue, eyebrow, lip, belly button and nose are all cool, but like I said, only on the right person. Especially with the face. I'd like to get my belly button pierced (I just love finding new places to wear diamonds ), but I can only really wear gold and I hate gold with a passion as jewellry.

Personally, I don't have a problem with piercings. Nearly had my eyebrow done and still am thinking about it. My girlfriend has the bit that sticks out on the front side of your ear done (Tragus??) and thats the only one she has, so I do see that as individual, as she has no others. She only wears earrings for an occasion as well.

My opinion is, if you want it done, go for it.

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by JtB
I join Maff's and gobstoppers bandwagon. I personally dont like them but im not going to treat anyone differently becase they have them.

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General ditto-ishness

I like septum piercing, there are so pretty oh and flesh tunnels...and lip rings...and...no, im going to stop now.

I dunno why T but I kinda see the opposite to you. My lovely Matt has his eyebrow done. The thing his, he is a rock bloke. Baggy trousers, tattoo, spikey hair, vans etc. And he wears a spike in his eyebrow. It looks too sexy for words. The things that remind me of burberry people are gold earrings in men. Yuck! *sorry to all who have that done*.

I have two holes on my lobes and one on my top ear. I love my top ear one. I've suffered cos of my piercings though. I have had them all infected. The top one didn't hurt having it done but it hurt to sleep on it. But after 8 weeks I took it out and put a ring in, you can't feel that at all. Its been playing me up a bit recently so I shoved a stud in it, which looks a bit tacky and I can't sleep on it cos the back goes into my head! I hopefully am gonna get my nose done soon. Whilst on the subject of this...What is the age for piercings? Is it 16 for nose?

I love piercings, except earrings on blokes. Other than that I find piercings incredibly attractive.

I dont mind pearcings. i might consider one but only because when i'm 70 and it looks funny at the OAP's home, i can remove it with only a teeny bit scaring left.

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by Sydney
(quotes)

I also tried getting the top of my ear done, but I didn't think that one through properly and had it done on teh side that I normally sleep on. I removed it after two days as it was too painful to sleep with.

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Ditto, I had to start sleeping on the other side, then got my tragus done and had to swap back again! I have the lobes pierced twice aswell.

As for the comment about trying to be an individual, for the number of piercers around and how common piercings are now I dont really think thats a major reason anyone gets pierced anymore!

I got mine because I really like them, I dont regret them and I want more, I want my labret done but seeing as my mum freaked over my tragus I might leave that (I did also come home with the underneath of my hair bleached and a blonde chunk through my fringe so she had reason hehe :angel

I think it can change peoples perceptions of you, they used to try and make me cover them when I worked at Morrisons and i was only on checkouts (might scare the customers or something, not too sure!) but I never used to and the only thing I'd get said to me is either that it looked nice or old people cringing and asking if it hurt. My mate Jo has loads of piercings but they dont look out of place on her, i think if someone was pierced excessively then people would have something to say but if it suits you and you like it then why should you particularly be bothered what other people think of you??

Hope that helps hun, loads of my friends have piercings so email me if you need anything else!xx

(Edited by Eve 13/01/2004 23:40)

I have no piercings, but I do like them a lot. I've thought about getting pierced a few times. In fact I once went to get my eyebrow pierced. I was drunk and in the middle of Finsbury Park at the time, but I was very up for it. It didn't happen though.

On other people I think they can look great. Just like tattoos I much prefer the minimalist approach, not too many and not too big. Eyebrow piercings can look very cool. And I must admit to finding navel piercings particularly sexy. I remember dancing with a girl in a club once who had a navel piercing, and I couldn't keep my hands off it!

As for whether I'll ever get one, I dunno. I've also been giving serious thought to getting a tattoo lately. So maybe I'll get one or the other at some point. Or maybe not, who knows...

No piercings, absolutely no desire to get one done (despite some pressure from a girlfriend once upon a time). They also do nothing for me whatsoever. Feel pretty much the same way about tatoos (including one time pressure to get one). No problems with other people getting either though other than sometimes finding the more extreme visible examples of either distracting.

I 'had' an eyebrow piercing which I absolutely loved. Unfortunately I lost it during summer 2003 and I still feel kinda naked without it.

Anyway, i got it when 3 of my flatmates all decided to get there belly buttons done, and I thought i'd join in the fun though didn't think getting my belly button done would suit me, being a boy, so I opted for an eyebrow piercing.

I rember the huge rush of adrenalin I got when I was first pierced, it was kinda addictive as I wanted to go back right away and get something else done. I guess this is why some people go on to pierce every bit of there body.

I once interviewed a guy who had loads of tattoos and piercings, and he said he always felt that that's how his body should have looked. He was simply putting things right by tattooing and piercing his body. Fascinating.

So in summary, I think piercings are VERY sexy, though don't like the fancy coloured ones.

(If you look real close, you can just make it out on my profile pic)

(Edited by CJL 14/01/2004 15:24)

've got a tongue and labret. had them for about 4 years now. i love my tongue piercing the best. i sit all day and chew on it and stuff. its a strange size, i have a fat tongue so its kinda big compared to most people i know.

when i got it done my mother didn't even notice, for a whole week which is very odd as i didnt talk or generally eat for a while (two of my fave things)

i dont think its changed peoples perseptions of me one bit. people hardly even notice

I've no piercings and have never had any desire to have any done but who knows what the future holds.

Personally i think navel piercing look good, but only if chosen well, and lip piercings look pretty cool, best being the short studdy type spikes, and just to be annoying i hate standard ear piercings, holes and sccaffolds are okay, but earings, nah. Oh, and every time I see "bling, bling" stupidly large hoop earings I want to rip them out. Sorry if that offends anyone but there it is.

Edit: bloody typo's

(Edited by Havoc 14/01/2004 16:30)

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by Havoc
Oh, and every time I see "bling, bling" stupidly large hoop earings I want to rip them out.

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Yep, that's Havoc's quaint, peaceful nature shining through yet again!

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by Havoc
Edit: bloody typo's

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You missed some... [/pedanticsod]

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by Havoc
Oh, and every time I see "bling, bling" stupidly large hoop earings I want to rip them out.

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At one airsoft skirmish, there was a girl on our side who was wearing that type of earring. I couldn't help thinking that, with those on, a hit on the ear could be very unpleasant indeed. She was also wearing those fashion urban camo trousers, the ultra baggy sort with the straps and flaps in all sorts of places guaranteed to catch on undergrowth and the like. Still, she was using a P-90 so she clearly had redeeming features!

I've had the top of my ear pierced twice & but times it wen't really manky, so I don't think I'm gonna try that again.

The ongue was fine (apart from the not being able to eat bit)

The tragus (bit of cartilidge in front of the ear) was OK apart from the sickening crunch as the needle went through.

I always wanted a tattoo but couldn't decided on a design that I wouldn't hate after 2 months or a place to have it that wouldn't (a) stretch the design beyond all recognition if I gained/lost weight, or (b) hurt like hell. When piercing became more popular I decided that was the answer as you can change the jewellery or even take it out of you get bored of it, but I still had to make the decision of where.

I didn't particularly want my ears pierced as a kid but when I was bored at art college (and didn't want to change my hair colour again), I got them done... twice. So, where to go for the next step? Although I like facial piercings on other people, I don't think that's a look I want for myself and my tummy isn't the flattest so anything there would just dig in when I sat down. In the end, I decided to get my right nipple done and I love it. It didn't hurt at all, and is totally personal as it will only be seen by me and selected people.

Piercing and body modification in general is a very interesting topic. Good luck with the project.

thankyou for all your replies, im sure i'll get lots of useful stuff for my project
just in case anyones interested im trying to create a booklet to inform and educate people about piercings, those who maybe don't understand what its all about, to learn people's motivations for doing it and to help more acceptance of it to come about
so i hope you don't mind me quoting stuff, i will make sure anyones opinion i use is mentioned in a thanks section thing, ive got to do it anyway, im not allowed to plagiarise!