When I was in cosmetology school eight years ago two of my friends [I deleted the apostrophe on friends. why did nobody call me out on this?] got their noses pierced. More accurately, they pierced each other’s noses. On a morning break we went to Sally Beauty Supply, they bought a do-it-yourself ear piercing kit, split the cost, then went back to school and took turns piercing the other’s nose in the spa room as someone stood on lookout.
When my friend Shalonda first broached the idea of nose piercing she asked if I wanted to split the kit with her. And I was like No way, only scary people have nose rings. So Tessy went in with her instead. But then I looked at their noses with their pretty rings and they were ADORABLE. So at lunch break we went back to Sally’s, I bought a do-it-yourself nose ring kit on my own, we went back to school and Shalonda pierced my nose in the spa room. Dang was it cute.
But it was also a hassle. See, when you get it done by professionals they use a small gage ring that leaves a teensy hole. The ones at Sally were quite large. So immediately after piercing we took out the Sally earring and put in a stud cut down to size. But the stud I had didn’t have a back, it wasn’t bent at the end, so it always fell out. Every morning upon waking for the day Hubby and I would squint at our sheets to find the makeshift nose ring and I’d stick it back in my nose.
We spent the Sunday after the piercing with my in-laws. My mother-in-law, she who was not allowed to get her ears pierced growing up, looked at my nose ring and her loving orneriness bubbled to the surface. “Why don’t you go show my mom and see what she thinks.” So I went and talked with her mom, turned my nose ring to her, but she didn’t mention it.
A few months later Kelly Clarkson showed up on a talk show with a nose ring. The hipster in me screamed in agony. That girl from American Idol has one? Now everyone will. And I can’t have something everyone else has.
Then Hubby and I moved to Tulsa and I started an apprenticeship at my first salon. I went from being one of the only people I ever saw with a nose ring to one of the thirty-three percent of my workforce sporting the unique look. The hipster won and I took that thing out.
But I grew up, the hipster in me died, and I looked at cute little nose rings on cute little noses and pined for them. I decided I’d get one before moving to our forever town. That way I’d show up and people would say You know, Erin, the girl with the nose ring? Instead of Why in the world did Erin get a nose ring? But then we moved here and I didn’t get one. The time passed.
A few months ago my sister mentioned that she was thinking about getting one. And I was like Yes! Get one! Then I will get one, too, and it will be a fun sister experience! But she works at a respectable law firm and they kind of frown on those things.
Little Missy wants her ears pierced. And I thought how cute it would be if I took her to the tattoo parlor where I got my tattoo (yes, pedestrian and common, but I love the heart on my ankle. it’s pretty) and we did a mother-daughter piercing, me with my nose and her with her ears. But she’s still a bit young to get her ears pierced.
Yesterday morning I was at the beauty supply store in Wichita buying hair color when I stood at the counter and surveyed the women around me: two cashiers, two customers. Seventy-five percent of those women had a nose ring. The hipster choked back to life with a feeble Don’t get one! Everybody has one!
But dang they are cute. And maybe they’ll be like capris that showed up my sophomore year of college. Remember how they were so trendy but now they’re just a staple in every woman’s wardrobe? Maybe nose rings are poised for the same fate.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh, nooo..oo..o…………
consider a belly button ring; 2 of my running buddies have one.
Yeah… no. Just, no.
I had my nose pierced twice while in college and I miss it soooo much! They are so cute!!