Walking in the hallways, one can spot many different forms of self-expression, ranging from the clothes students wear to the body piercings they have. Ear lobes, cartilages, noses, lips, eyebrows, hips and belly buttons are some places students reportedly sport their piercings.
According to an Oracle-conducted survey of 125 students, 66 percent of students have piercings.
Junior Hannah Pellouchoud has both ears pierced, but her most recent addition is her nose ring.
“I wanted [a nose ring] for a very long time, and I liked the way they looked,” Pellouchoud said. “It was kind of a symbol of getting older for me. It was something new and something fun that I could do […] I wanted to decorate my face.”
Pellouchoud is not the only student wearing piercings. Boys have also been sporting ear piercings and lip rings.
Sophomore Michael Colon got his first piercing at the age of 14 on his lip.
“Basically, I would see pictures online and I would [get] a lot of inspiration,” Colon explained. “I would think, ‘Hey, this is cool.’”
Colon was hesitant regarding his decision to get a piercing.
“At first it was really overwhelming and I didn’t even know if I wanted it,” Colon said. “It took a lot of thought, but after a couple of months I finally decided to man up and get it.”
Junior Kris Hansen also recently decided to get his ear pierced.
“My friend was going [to get his ears pierced], and he asked me if I wanted to go with him, so I decided to go,” Hansen said.
Hansen believes the decision to get a piercing was not a risky one.
“I thought, ‘Why not? It’s not like a tattoo; you can take it out if you don’t like it,’” Hansen said.
Pellouchoud explained that it was difficult convincing her mother to allow her to get her nose pierced, but she was finally able to do it.
“My mom, for a long time, was very much against it,” Pellouchoud said. “One day I sat down and I made a list of 14 reasons why I should be allowed to get my nose pierced and a month later I got my nosed pierced.”
Both Colon and Hansen’s parents were supportive of their children’s choices to get piercings and had to accompany them since they are minors.
“If you’re going to [get a piercing] don’t have a friend do it, make sure to do it at an actual piercing place,” Colon advised. “It’s worth the time and it’s worth the money and not worth [risking infection].”
Colon also explained that he thinks piercings are a form of art and self-expression.
“The reason I think that people like to get piercings is because it’s a way to express how people want to go about life,” Colon said.
Hansen considers his choice to get a piercing an example of him trying new things.
“I think [my piercing] symbolizes a side of me that says, ‘Why not?’ and is not afraid to try something new,” Hansen said.
Pellouchoud acknowledges that a stigma exists regarding piercings.
“There is definitely a negative stereotype that goes along with getting a piercing, Pellouchoud said. “You can tell when you’re talking to people that they are staring at [your piercing].”
According to the same Oracle-conducted survey, 41 percent of students believe that having multiple piercings is considered “trashy.”
Senior Drew Maki believes that the negative stereotype of piercings holds true because he considers piercings to be unattractive.
“I think that [piercings] should only be in the ears because anywhere else is just unnecessary and kind of gross,” Maki explained.
Pellouchoud disagrees with Maki, stating that the negative connotation associated with piercings is false.
“People think there is a direct correlation between [having] your face pierced to your way of life, even though that doesn’t hold true,” Pellouchoud said.
Maki believes piercings attract unnecessary attention, which is one of the reasons he doesn’t condone piercings.
Pellouchoud, on the other hand, loves her piercing for the new opportunities it has given her.
“It’s a good conversation starter,” Pellouchoud said. “Whenever I meet people for the first time they’ll ask me about [my piercing] and why I got it.”
However, Pellouchoud recognized that piercings are not a good topic of conversation at all times.
“In certain situations, [having piercings] is not appropriate, and you have to be prepared for [these situations],” Pellouchoud explained. “If I were to go to a job interview, I would take [my piercing] out.”
In the future, Pellouchoud plans on getting more piercings because she believes she can handle the negative view some people have about piercings. She has a triple piercing on one of her ears right now but wants to get her double cartilage, her tragus and her anti-tragus pierced.
“It’s kind of a symbol of my individuality,” Pellouchoud said. “It is kind of the same reason I dye my hair or wear makeup– because I want to see myself as different from everyone else.”