Ever since my 15th birthday, when my grandma suggested that I would look cute with a nose piercing, I have been obsessed with the idea of getting one. I began studying people’s faces to see if they had one, and if so, how it looked. A friend even told me I have the “right nose” for a piercing, which still doesn’t make sense to me, but I’ll take the compliment. The pandemic struck before I could book an appointment, but after almost four years, I finally got my nose pierced!
When I was home a couple of weekends ago, I finally found the courage to call a local tattoo shop and book an appointment. My 15-year-old self would never have had the confidence to call and make an appointment over the phone without the help of my mom. It was one of those little, but still special accomplishments. In addition to booking my nose piercing, I also decided to add a third lobe piercing to each ear. I already had two, and I figured another one would be a good place to start in my journey of getting more and more ear piercings.
Getting these piercings was a big deal for me, and I wanted to make sure everything went as perfectly as possible. To quell my anxiety, I searched on TikTok for videos of professional piercers giving someone a nose piercing. I figured that if I knew exactly how the process worked and what was going to happen to me, it would make me feel better. After scrolling through dozens of videos, I felt reassured that I would be able to go through with getting the piercing. I wasn’t as worried about getting my ears pierced, because I had already been through the process twice. Once my fears were gone, I began to fill with excitement at the thought of finally getting the piercing I had wanted for so long.
When I was home for President’s Day weekend, the big day finally arrived. My nerves returned a tiny bit while sitting in the waiting room, but the staff was so kind and helpful that my anxiety didn’t overwhelm me. The presence of a 10-month-old bulldog named Winslow also helped to put me at ease. He waddled around the waiting room and happily accepted attention from everyone. I then found out that he was my piercing artist’s dog, and he hung out in the room while I got my piercings. The piercing artist was incredibly kind and made sure I was comfortable throughout the whole process. The actual piercings did not hurt at all, I thought it was very similar to getting a vaccination at the doctor. After it was over, I was so proud of myself for going through with it and achieving my dream of getting a nose piercing.
I am so in love with my new piercings, and I’ve been obsessed with cleaning and taking good care of them. I can’t wait to get more!