Body piercing, tattooing, painting in the galleries of the University of Pennsylvania Museum. What does it mean to you? to others? Take our survey or start over. "There is no Excellent Beauty that hath not some Strangenesse in the Proportion." --Bacon

this is Page 6 of Your Stories | previous

Can anyone help Beth? Hi. My name is beth and I am doing a research project on Piercing as ritual in adolescece (ages 12-19-approx). I am hoping to get some narratives of peoples' personal experiences with piercing. I am wanting to know specifically what are the reasons for doing this, what is the meaning behind it, and details of why you have this done. I am fascinated by this aspect of our culture and am also interested in the spiritual or ritual elements of this activity. Please share any of your own experiences with piercing that resonate with that experience. I want as many details as possible of your'story or narrative' explaining why, what it meant to you? how it feels now? do you feel like a different person? I am deeply appreciative of your feedback and will honor your personal stories. Thanks.

I have been interested in body piercing and tattoos scince I was a kid. But I never bothered to get anything untill a year and a half ago. I had always thought ear piercings were dumb. Then I made friends with a kid who had streched his ear piercings to 14 gauge. That was the coolest thing that I had ever seen so I pierced my ears,I started at 10 Gauge. It's been a year and a half and my lobes have been streched to 5/8 of an inch. I also pierced my cheek an got a tattoo of a skull and crossbones on my calf. Forrest, Manchester VT

To me, tattooing is your very own personal work of art, one that will be carried forever more. Something unique to you alone. My aim is to design my own personal work of art, something that I can look at,something of beauty for my partner and myself to share, something that distinguishes me from everyone else. Something that is with me till I die. Shannon, England

i got my tongue and a tattoo right whEN i turned 18....and it was the best thing i ever did. the females love the tongue ring...and the tattoo is in honor of my grandfather that passed away. but for guys who are thinkin bout gettin a tongue ring....GO FOR IT MAN THE FEMALES LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well I stated out with getting a tattoo of a taz. Then I fell in love with it so I decided to get on more and that one more turned into 5 tattoos instead. Then I wanted to get my belly botton percied so I did. Then the next thing I know I got my tonge done. And I have alot more to do All I have to do is wait for the money. --unknown

I have my tongue & belly button pierced. One of my ears is pierced 6 times the other 4 times. I have a tattoo of a rose with tribal behind it on my right shoulder blade and cat woman smoking a cigarette on my stomach. They are a sign of my independence, my wild side and the crazy days I've lived as well as the ones to come. --Brandy, age 17

i put a trible skull on my left arm 2 years ago --unknown

My best friend in the whole world died the same time my father died. I got my ankh tattoo to remind me that life is ever lasting and so would my love for both of them. -- rajan_bajan_1970

I got a body piercing. I did it 4 weeks ago. My belly button. 14,Crystal,Irving,Texas Its tha bomb.

I have been interested in tattooing since the age of twelve. I finally received my first professionally applied tattoo in my twenties and have continues since then. I admire the large scale tattooing of the Japanese. I am getting only large pieces so as better to integrate them into one unified tattoo of the same theme(oriental). In tattooing like many ohters things, you only get what you pay for. -- unknown

I am a conservative heterosexual male of 53 in Indiana. I pierced both nipples two years ago. This, for me, was part of a process of reasserting and reclaiming a measure of control over a body which is slowly being destroyed by multiple schlerosis. I am very pleased with their appearance, find them erotically stimulating, and feel that they fulfill a psychological need to express individuality and mild rebellion. -- anonymous

I had my belly button pierced! November of 1998...I was told no pain....well it really didnt hurt that bad it was just i felt like i was in labor cause everyone kept saying breath and i thought they were all strange well i found out why. If you dont losen your body and take deep breaths you pass out. In my case i did more than pass out i went into convashions.. but i recomend getting it done. (fun for guys to play with) Im going and getting my tounge done in 3 days!!!!! --17,Lindsey,Ohio

I first got pierced when i was five (ear lobes), I wanted it done b/c every other girl was getting her ears pierced and I didnt want to be the only one with out pierced ears. Now,13 yrs later i have three piercings in each lobe, one cartledge , and one naval. I think piercing is addictive. i got my second ear lobe piercing b/c i thought that they looked pretty...that is also why i got my third. i got the cartledge b/c i thought it was cute on other people...and my naval b/c its what was on special last night at the piercing studio and what i could get my mom to let me have done. I really want to get a few more piercings. The reason I keep getting pierced is after a while i get an itching to be pierced...I didnt want to get pierced while my other piercings were healed...but I wanted something...so i got my first wholes streched. I am so addicted. For me its like that...and I have heard its like for a lot of people (tattoos also) but for some people piercing does nothing for them. ya, some kids do it to fit in...but once you pass that stage and you still get pierced you must have a different reason. Society might contribut to some piercings (such as ear lobes) but it is still thought of as "freaky" to have more that a few piercings (i have eight and i am on the border according to my mom!). so...I think it depends on the age of the person ...and their mind set.....its a different reason for everyone!!!! --Rachel

I have 3 tattos and 2 facial peircings... My first tatto was a dragon it is purple and blue, above my left boob. My second was a /\/ | \/\'s thing, on the back of my neck. and my latest one is a petagram in the middle of my back. I also have my septum and my labret peirced. I had my dragon done last fall my labret this february and my /\/ | \/\'s tatto this april.the pentagram early june. And my septum early july. I am 16 and my name is amanda. I am from grand Blanc. Why I did this... hrmm... well lets put it this way the people who see me and don't like it they call me a freak so i guess tha is why I did it.

I got a peircing May 21, 1999 the right side of my lip.--jennifer age:16

At 30, I had a small peace sign tattooed on my right foot, to celebrate the peace I found after years of torment in a relationship gone wrong. At 35, I had a celtic cross done on my left ankle to recognize the spiritual love that I finally acknowledged was there all along. As I've recently turned 40, I have a much better understanding of why I'm on the planet, and soon I'll be getting a symbol on my lower back to celebrate. I had the tatts done because I think you should decide who you are and adorn yourself accordingly. --Julian, USA

Tattoos are body art, your skin is a living canvass. In my area of Canada Celtic Art, Music and Culture is growing by leaps and bounds.  The increase in Celtic Designs as tattoos is keeping the artists working over time. Just one year ago we had to travel a long distance to be tattooed, now there are two new shops within a twenty minute drive. --Doug, Holyrood, Ontario

I have a tattoo on my left shoulder blade. It is a tribal sun design that I had done about 4 years ago. I wanted a tattoo for years..I chose tribal style and a sun to represent my zodialogical planet..also the sun is representative of energy and positive life forces. --Genta

I'm proud to say that I don't have a single piercing or tattoo on my whole body!! I feel like I'm unique. Tattoos and piercings are just so common now that it seems like it is the norm now! Well, I'm different, baby, and I like it!! --CuteRei

i dont yet have a body modification but i was wondering how i could make a tattoo gun? my boyfriend gave himself a tatto a few years ago and kept it properly and now has a great looking tattoo, but cant remember how the gun was made or what it was made out of, i know it has something to do with a part out of a walkman and a certain type of needle. can you help me out? -- Jesi

I got a tattoo of a seahorse on my upper thigh. I did it last year because I just felt the need to add something special and creative to my body. The reason that I choose the seahorse was because my grandmother used to always keep them in her fish tank and I thought that they were the most exciting and mesmerizing things that I had ever seen. It gave me pleasure to have something so beautiful that was constant reminder of my grandmother and great memories. -- Nikia, 19yrs, Chicago

I've always believed that skin art in all forms is like an ancient form of story telling. Almost like cave paintings, your skin is your journal or canvas. I have cuttings, tattooes, piercings, and brandings, and they all mean something very deep to me, and tell a story about me. I waited until my late 20's to modify my body, giving myself time to have a story to tell, and being mature enough to know what I would be able to live with for the rest of my life! -- A. Jafari

Can someone help John out with some info? Hi: I am doing some research and wanted to find out if you could direct me to the cultural and mythic significance of Maori tattoos - what did they symbolize and what were they supposed to imbue the wearer with? I was told that some of the whorls in the Maori tattoos were emblems of Tree Fern croziers. Is this so? Were tree Ferns a powerful part of Maori culture? Any guidence you can give will be helpful. Thanks, John

My name is Craig and SO far I have both my ears pierced once and my right eyebraw. I will soon be geting my tounge and my right eyebaw pierced again. Allong wit about 4 more in the ear. I also want my nipples pierced. Why? Because it makes me stand out and I have a need to be noticed.

I pierced my lip all by myself one day just out of the blue. I used a bag of frozen peas to freeze the area and just stuck a sterilized needle through as quick as I could. It never got infected and over a year later it's doing fine so I saved myself about 80$. Ha Ha! --olde17

< previous

Body piercing, tattooing, painting in the galleries of the University of Pennsylvania Museum. What does it mean to you? to others? Take our survey or start over.