Edited by: Tanmaya Ramprasad
I have always been a pushover who has done what others have wanted me to. I decided when I was 14 that I would one day get a nose ring. My nose has always been a huge insecurity of mine. I have a mole on the right side of my nose, which slightly sticks out and the end of my nose turns downwards rather than up (like Florence Pugh’s does). Wearing masks inside during COVID-19 has not been the end of the world for me; I’ve been able to cover my nose with my mask and feel better about myself in a public setting. Now that the world is beginning to open up again, I’m back in phase one of my insecurity.
Whenever I’ve talked about getting my nose pierced, those around me would tell me not to for various reasons, but the main one being that it will look bad on me. In the past week, I moved out of my childhood home, leaving because I now have in-person classes that I need to be close to campus for (YAY!). On my first day in my new apartment, my roommates and I went to Queens Street for a day out. We stepped into a piercing place, and I got it done; I finally pierced my nose.
While it seems silly to be so excited about one piercing at 20 years old, it has given me a newfound sense of independence and confidence. I did something that I was nervous about, something that others told me not to – something for myself and only myself. While my nose is still far from perfect to me, I have a new reason to show it off and be confident about it. I think I look awesome, and it feels great. It felt absolutely amazing to do something that I’d wanted to do for so long, I was looking in the mirror constantly. It really is a form of self-care to do something that’s been on the ‘To Do List’ for so long. Even if I didn’t like the piercing, I’m able to take it out in 4 months anyway…no biggie. For the record, though, I’m putting in a hoop as soon as I can.
What I’m trying to say here is that if you’re on the fence about doing something to change your look, this is your sign to hop over to the other side and DO IT. Change your hairstyle, get a piercing, maybe even a tattoo (tattoos are permanent, though, so think about it … LOL). I’ve dyed my hair purple throughout the past two years, cut 8 inches off of my hair, changed my hairstyle with bangs, and pierced my nose. Sometimes, you need to change a tiny part of yourself to remember how beautiful and badass you are, and there’s nothing wrong with that.