The first time I got my ears pierced I was in either second or third grade. All my friends had gotten theirs done at Claire’s, but my mother made me go to the doctor’s office instead. This wasn’t a huge deal to me, just because I was so excited to finally have my ears pierced! I remember my eyes followed the doctor as she sanitized the gun and showed me the earring. Right as she put the gun to my ear, I reached for my mom’s hand and squeezed as hard as I could. When it was all finished, my doctor asked me if I ever saw myself getting more piercings in the future. I simply shook my head and said “never.”
It’s now eight or so years later, and to my mom’s dismay I have three more piercings. For years I begged my mom to let me get doubles, but she wouldn’t budge. When my sister came back from college with a cartilage piercing, I decided I liked that look better. I waited until my 18th birthday and went with my best friend to get my cartilage done. Having my mother’s voice in the back of my head, I wanted to make sure the place I went to was clean. I called three or five places and none had available appointments, but my friend and I knew if I didn’t go on the day of my birthday it wouldn’t happen. We Google searched for a while, until we found Piercing Pagoda; a little stand set up in a mall nearby.
Piercing Pagoda, I later discovered, is a chain. It can be found in many malls around the country. They offer free piercings and all one has to do is pay for the earring. I was honestly surprised to find that they were as clean as they were, but they used a gun… I didn’t find out until right after the lady had pierced my ear, that using a gun to pierce cartilage is dangerous and can potentially shatter it. It was too late at that point. After getting my first cartilage piercing, I became addicted. I waited two months before I went back to get a second one right below my first. I had seen many girls who had done the same and worn one a hoop in the first cartilage and a stud in the second. I, however, wear a stud in the top piercing and a hoop in the lower.
After my second piercing, my mom found out and was horrified. Eventually she grew to get used to it, which justified me getting my midi on the other ear when I went to Portugal. My sister and I discovered this tattoo parlor in Lisbon on our trip there and decided to try it. This place was even cleaner than Piercing Pagoda. They went through the whole procedure in great detail. This time, they used a needle instead of a gun. In my opinion, it was much less painful than the gun.
I think that earrings can put together a whole outfit. They can truly make a statement. If someone were to wear a little black dress and put on hoops versus studs it can totally change how we see the outfit. I also think that piercings are fun! You don’t have to wear matching earrings and they add a little touch of yourself to everything you wear. I couldn’t help but notice that in “Mama Mia! Here We Go Again,” Donna has a cartilage that truly stands out and really adds to her persona. Whatever the occasion, I think that earrings are one of the best accessories anyone can wear.