High school is widely recognized as a time to grow, a transformative period where individuals find themselves, often navigating complex social expectations. It is a way for teens to take ownership of their identity, breaking free from traditional beauty standards by utilizing their body as a canvas. It is a way for teens to take ownership of their identity, breaking free from traditional beauty standards by utilizing their body as a canvas for personal art. Beyond just the initial price, there is the long-term responsibility. To start, aftercare, cleaning with saline and avoiding infection and finding a professional piercer who can ensure the jewelry fits an individual’s unique body anatomy, such as cartilage or nose structure. Also being faced with controversial thoughts, students often have to navigate the controversy, facing negativity about perfectionism or navigating the overall belief of people that view piercings as destruction rather than art surrounding their choices.
With the wide range of piercing choices, there is always something for everyone, whether people just want to pierce their ears and keep it traditional or take it a step further and go all out. Others might want belly piercings or facial piercings, which is where a lot of people say they look tacky and shouldn’t be allowed; this is caused by the disconnect between people understanding the difference between self-expression and rebelling. For many young adults, these modifications are actually a form of self-care and artistic reclamation, allowing them to feel more confident and in control of their own bodies, rather than acting in defiance. Typically seen with grandparents but not excluding parents, some may believe doing that to one’s body is going against something they believe in or think it’s destroying their bodies.
“My favorite piercing is my nose piercing because it makes me feel more like myself,” Ashley Goldthorpe said.
Going beyond looking cool, piercings are a way for people to boost their self-esteem, giving someone the confidence they didn’t know they could have.
Piercings have a wide range of prices, all depending on the piercing shop, what is getting pierced, and the jewelry being used, as there are many stunning gems to choose from. The recommended age to get pierced is 14 with parent consent, and the parent has to be present. Parents can get their baby’s lobes pierced at the youngest, two months old. Although it is not advised due to possible infections and irritation that can be caused to the piercing and the baby. There are important factors for aftercare and even the type of metal being used; many may be sensitive to a type of metal, causing it to reject and become quite a predicament.
Different placements for piercings come with a range of different prices; the cheapest piercings are typically the lobe ($25 – $65). Getting into the cartilage higher up the ear gets more expensive; that can get up to over $100. Facial piercings range around the same, with nostril being the cheapest, and dermal piercings that go under the skin and poke out the top are more expensive.
Aftercare is crucial for piercings; keeping it clean is needed to ensure the piercing will heal right and won’t cause more problems. Saline spray is the most popular for cleaning in many piercing shops. Cleaning products that they would absolutely not approve of are alcohol or hydrogen peroxide and essential oils or DIY cleaning, as they are way too harsh to the ear and will cause more damage. Without using the proper cleaning solutions, it can cause infection, irritation that causes rejection, and even keloid scars.
People who like getting piercings typically have a dream piercing that they can’t get or have to wait to get, whether parents want them to wait for an appropriate age, forcing teens to have to wait until 18 to get full control over their own body art.
“My dream would be an eyebrow piercing, but my mom said no face piercing until 18,” Mia Brown said.
Or they have other roadblocks, like needing to stay professional for potential jobs, present or future, or not having the right body anatomy for the dream piercing they want.
“I would love to get a triple helix, but I don’t have the right anatomy for it,” Elizabeth Colburn said.
Having the proper anatomy is important because it ensures a healthy piercing that won’t cause problems or lead to premature rejection, which is when the body pushes the jewelry out. Having proper anatomy helps prevent it. A good shop will be honest if a piercing won’t work—preventing complications like irritation bumps or migration—and will suggest a better alternative that fits your body, such as a floating industrial for an ear without a defined ridge. They prioritize long-term health over a quick sale, making sure the healing process is smooth for their clients.
While ‘my body is a temple’ is often cited to discourage body modification, it overlooks that the world’s most revered temples are covered in intricate art, stained glass, and hand-carved stone. Why shouldn’t our bodies be treated the same way? People cherish their bodies in different ways, and many choose to express their individuality through piercings, tattoos, or other modifications. Unfortunately, outdated stigma stops many from creating a body that truly feels like their own.