The Intrigue of Piercing

by Annaliese Alexander

My name is Annaliese, I'm 16 years old, and I have 23 piercings. That probably sounds crazy right? My piercing count is older than me. 

I became intrigued with piercings by seeing them on other people. My mom had lower and upper ear piercings on both sides of her ears and I always thought “ouu pretty.” Maybe that's what really started to get piercings imprinted into my mind, who knows. Not only did I see piercings on my mom, I’d see piercings on people I'd pass on the streets, or on social media, and I always thought they looked so cool and I had aspired to have cool piercings like them. It first started when I was 14. I started off sticking a rhinestone on my nose. I thought it looked cute, so I began begging everyone in my family to take me to get one. They all denied me so I then did it myself. It was a rush of adrenaline that brought me to do it. Two days later I pierced the other side. My face felt bland. I felt like another nose piercing would make me feel complete. After that, that's how I always felt. I felt like I needed a new piercing to change my appearance. Or really it became a way to cope. To make myself feel better. Despite the majority of my piercings being really hard to heal, I still continued because for me it was like an addiction. Maybe that's how other people who find themselves indulged in piercings feel. 

Vivid Ink says, “the earliest evidence of facial piercing was discovered in 2020 in the skeleton of a man who lived about 12,00 years ago.” It started as a cultural/tribal thing. Today in April 2025, thousands, millions, maybe even billions of people have piercings, a lot of which at this point are not cultural or tribal anymore. So the question is what's so intriguing about piercing that so many people are getting them with no significant meaning to it, or so you'd think?

Sherlijah has 9 piercings she says in her own opinion she finds them very unique, she believes it builds up one’s character and expresses who you are as a person. Sherlijah also feels like your body rejecting a piercing and not having the right anatomy for a piercing as well as getting keloids makes them less intriguing. Keloids are raised scars, often a darker color than your skin, that can develop after a piercing. Sherlijah has experienced  rejection herself. Even though her belly piercing had been rejected twice, she found herself so fascinated and intertwined with it she got it pierced a third time. To her a belly piercing is her biggest form of self expression 

Jvon has 4 piercings. He says he finds piercings intriguing because he believes it's the ultimate form of personal expression. “You can have all different types of jewelry, different types of placements,” he says.  Freedom of expression is so valued in today's world that piercings are a part of that. Especially because men were frowned upon for having piercings. “They were seen as un-masculine and as well unprofessional in the workforce,” Jvon says. He also stated that he loves seeing the young men not have a care in the world and are bold enough to express themselves through piercings. “Tupac led the way” stated Jvon, for the young men who are finding themselves in today's world getting things such as their nose pierced. Jvon has personally experienced stereotypes such as people believing he is more feminine than masculine. But this didn't stop him or make him want to remove his piercings. This shows that his freedom of expression with piercings is worth more than any stereotype someone has the finger to point at him. 

Kenna McBean wrote an opinion article called “Piercings are a form of self expression.” In this article for her school newspaper The Forest Scout, she states “Piercings are a convenient form of self-expression because they can be temporary. If you want them to go away, you can take them out and let your body take care of the rest. You can also switch up your jewelry to find the style that’s best for you and makes you feel most yourself.”

In an interview on Refinery 29, body piercer and PhD in the psychology of body art Stephanie Hutter-Thomas says, “Pain allows us to experience pleasure by presenting adequate contrast for our brain.” Many piercing enthusiasts describe the feeling after getting one as release and relaxation, she says. "Some people seek out a piercing procedure as a form of self-therapy, allowing them to release stress."

Of course, not everyone feels this way about their piercings, and for many people, it's just a way to express themselves. Hutter-Thomas says that someone's intentions for getting a piercing often dictate the type of experience they'll have getting it.

Piercings have been around for thousands of years as I stated in the beginning . The question was “What’s so intriguing about piercings?” If you ask me I think I gave you the best answer. Maybe this will encourage the ones who don’t already have piercings to get one, or a couple. Don’t be afraid to express yourself with a hole and a piece of metal in your body. #stayswag