By Kay Bush
Elm Staff Writer
In today’s culture, it’s not uncommon for people to have multiple piercings. The present generation has broken through a barrier of wariness towards special piercings by experimenting with dermal (which is punched into your skin and the backing opens up underneath the skin), ear, and other body piercings. This development is fairly new and different from the status quo previous generations experienced. Unique piercings are rising in popularity and gaining acceptance from younger and older generations alike. The variety of piercings people can get nowadays has increased greatly since the traditional ear piercing.
The most sought-after piercings are unique, but versatile. The posts or rings can easily be changed or removed, which is an enticing feature for students since separation of professionalism and fun starts to become important in college years. Post or ring choices vary from males to females, but if you’re going out on the weekend a piercing can be a cute or edgy addition to your ensemble.
With the crop top obsession flooding the college women population, so has the rising interest in belly button piercings. Because the rings can be chosen to match certain outfits and are often very visible, this type of piercing is in increasing demand. For people that want to stick to strictly ear piercings, the tragus, helix or cartilage, forward helix, and orbital are stylish places to get them. These places are popular because you can get multiple ones in proximity to each other. They also allow room for mixing it up with the post and ring options.
A lot of people are uncomfortable with getting piercings that are exceptionally bold, such as gauges, industrials, and dermals. These are the piercings that require extra care. For example, with the gauge the earlobe is gradually stretched out over an extended period of time. It’s important to not only keep the area clean, but to also go into the piercing salon in a timely manner to get the next size gauge. Most people like to keep the hole on the smaller side, because it’ll be more likely to return to its normal state if they decide to take the gauges out. Industrial piercings are extremely similar to helix or cartilage ones. Instead of just one post going to through the top of the ear, there are two and they’re usually positioned at an angle to get the desired, typical industrial piercing effect.
Dermals are truly the debutants of piercings. My friend from home, has a lot of ear piercings, but she also has experimented with dermals. She has two on the nape of her neck, three right below her collarbone, and two on her lower back. When I asked her why she decided to get so many unusual piercings, she shrugged and said, “They’re pretty cool. You should see all of the posts I have for them. Besides, I have 10 piercings right now I only need one more to get my 12th one free.” According to her, they didn’t hurt any more than getting an ear piercing, but they definitely require a little bit more caution. Another slight set-back with dermals, is that they need to be replaced or changed by a professional, so proximity to a piercing salon is essential.
What was once considered too daring or indecent has become all-the-rage. After all, college is about change and experimentation with personal style to carry out into the world. It’s time to embrace this new, unique style.