j_kat - at least she’s capable of seeming intelligent on an internet message board.
Now I was going to fly into “damn the man” mode, but upon further reflection I will have to agree with matt_mcl.
They have let you get away with a lot already, so it isn’t like they haven’t bent on the issue. 'Course, I still say go for it once you’re 18 whether your under pop’s roof or not, but you probably shouldn’t listen to someone who was kicked out of their own home.
On the other hand, your parents seem to be more lenient than mine, and the circumstances surrounding my own expulsion were rather pathetic on their part.
…Growing more common…for how long? Nehru suits were in for a while too. Much like your wash, everything in life comes and goes in cycles. In the '60’s, some people made fun of the '50s; in the 70s people made fun of the '60s. I can’t tell you what will be popular 10 years from now, but I can tell you that how you look now will be laughed at. That’s what I’m basing this on.
I must say that all you people who are making the point, whether implicitly or explicitly, that “when you’re older and smarter you’ll realize it maybe wasn’t such a good idea” should just get the fuck over yourselves. We’re not talking about doing smack or stealing cars here–it’s a piercing, ferchrissakes!
The fact that you, apparently in your dotage, have now decided that tattoos or piercings are not for you, and perhaps never were, does not make this an objectively correct choice for someone else. I fucking hate the “when you grow up, you’ll understand” attitude, especially when foisted upon a young person who is obviously intelligent and reasonable, rather than just a pouting infant.
And to those whining about the effects of piercing, you get over yourselves also. If done properly at a reputable place, it’s perfectly hygenic and no real threat to your health. And, as some have already pointed out, if you later decide that you no longer want it, you can remove the jewellery and let the hole close over. And anyway, what’s it to you if someone wants to be pierced or tattooed? No-one’s asking you to like it.
I certainly agree, Isper, that you should pick your battles with your father, and that it may not be worth disrupting the whole house over this issue. Whether we like it or not, when we live under our parents’ roof we sometimes have to accede to what can seem to be unreasonable demands.
Absolutely. The worst part is that it will be Isper and her friends saying, “Can you believe we thought that looked cool?” Trust us; most everybody above the age of 30 has done this and those those who haven’t have people laughing behind their backs about how 1995/85/75 they still look. Never do ANYTHING permanent in the name of fashion.
I have to add that the “once you’re out of the house and living on your own” thing is a bit of chimera. Once you are living on your own you will discover that most employers are just as ingorant and prejudiced as your parents are on the topic of piercings, and that if you want to wear them, you will have to wear them on what free time you have. That’s why they call it “free” time, I guess.
One other thing. The fact is that every child has the power to make their parents very, very unhappy, once they’re adults, and there’s nothing much the parents can do about it. You may not understand this, but your parents do, and this may be what’s motivating their concern over piercings.
11811, the OP didn’t say why her piercings closed so many times, but I know it’s possible for piercings to close many times even if you do take good care of them. I’ve heard that getting piercings during puberty makes them a lot more likely to close quickly. I got my ears pierced twice, took excellent care of them, and both times they closed up freakishly quickly. I had them pierced again at 18 and they’re just fine.
I’m not the OP, but I have this problem. My belly button closes up seriously fast, and my ears close up fairly fast. I lost my belly button ring (the clasp fell out) and I couldn’t get to the piercers before it closed up - in three days (because the rings I had needed to be put in with tools). And I’d had it for over six months. My ears close up if I have an earring out for more than a week. Because of this, I’ve had my ears pierced and re-pierced probably six times over the years. And I’ve got to go get my belly button re-pierced. It’s not a matter of me not taking care of my piercings - they are all very well-taken care of - no infections anywhere.
Thanks for your posts everyone. Thank you especially to matt_mcl and mhendo. And fuck you to j_kat_251. My mother has a nose ring. Nobody insults my mother. I kind of wanted Jomo Mojos opinion on this
I think I’ll wait. I’ve also considered how it might hinder my ability to get a job. I still want it though. The reason my ear piercings kept closing up was I kept having to stay at a place where they didn’t allow jewelry. .
This might be a little off topic, but does anyone know if its possible to make an unwanted piercing close up? My first ear piercings are really uneven and they won’t close. I didn’t wear earrings in them for like a year and they still didn’t close. Its probably permanent but it doesn’t hurt to ask. (I know some people are probably going to use this as an example of the downside of piercing but I don’t mind)
Hmm, I don’t laugh at people who have had their tattoos for years. My first one is over 10 years old, and I’ve yet to have anyone laugh at it.
Piercings aren’t my style, but if this girl wants to pierce her lip, I don’t see what the big deal is. If it looks stupid, or she grows tired of it, she can simply take it out. Not a big deal.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by quietman1920 *
…Growing more common…for how long? Nehru suits were in for a while too. Much like your wash, everything in life comes and goes in cycles. In the '60’s, some people made fun of the '50s; in the 70s people made fun of the '60s. I can’t tell you what will be popular 10 years from now, but I can tell you that how you look now will be laughed at. That’s what I’m basing this on. QUOTE]
:eek: Nehru suits are coming back?
Unfortunately, this can still happen. My girlfriend, who’s a grad student like me, went for a summer job teaching reading to underprivileged kids last year. At the interview, the guy told her that if she got the job, she would have to remove the small (and i mean tiny) stud that she wears in her nose. She told him she didn’want to do that, and left. She ended up getting an excellent summer job working in a professional organization that caters to academics and scholars in our field, where they realize that having a small piece of metal in your nose does not hinder your ability to do your job.
Dad here. I’m proud of my daughter for being able to write so intelligently and sensibly.
Her mom is from India where all the women have nose rings. I think the nose ring look is cool and was happy that my daughter was getting one to carry on the Indian tradition. (In India it’s always on the left side. I don’t know why, it just is. The right-side nose piercings you only see on Americans.)
When my daughter requested a “labret” for her lower lip, I suggested, “How about one of those wooden disks several inches in diameter to stretch out the lip used by some African tribes?” She countered with “How about the stack of brass rings around the neck used in Burma?” I said, “If you ever take them off, your neck could collapse and you would suffocate. You really don’t want to do that.”
I have always operated under the assumption that teenagers sit around thinking of things guaranteed to horrify the 'rents with the ultimate goal of “ooooh yeah, Perfect! This will kill them”
Deciding that I was not going to play that game, I adopted the uber-cool approach. I was not going sweat the small stuff (and really it’s all small stuff) and not fight with them over any matters concerning self expression. Instead I focus on things I consider important such as honesty, integrity, kindness and setting goals and working towards them.
When son decided to shave his head I asked him if he liked it. When he said he did, I went out and bought him a nice set of clippers.
When daughter said, “I’m thinking about getting a tattoo”, I told her it was her body to do with as she pleased.
But I also tried to teach my kids that you have to live with your choices as well and if you made a mistake, it was your mistake.
Nice, easy, no fighting, no blaming and both of them ended up as responsible adults.
That said, I really don’t think most well adjusted people decide to get pierced or inked just to annoy others. Some may but usually they are having other issues as well.
Facial piercings are not to my liking but to be honest, I just don’t like my face that much. I like my ears, nipples, and belly button just fine though.
Cindi, who most people would never suspect has 10 piercings.
