Piercing Your Septum and Other Ways to Make Your Mother Cry

“You’ve been talking about this for months,” said my best friend, Emma, “Just do it already!”

Her and I were talking, once again about my indecisiveness regarding a nose piercing. I had been tossing the idea around in my head since January, and it was now August. It didn’t want just any nose piercing either-- I wanted a septum ring.

When I first brought it up to my friends their reaction was universal, “You mean, you want, like the bull ring?” And the answer was, yes, I did. The only problem was how people would respond to it. While I have never been one to shy away from experimenting with my appearance (see my hair transformation), a septum ring seemed more daunting than say, dying my hair. There was an air of stigma surrounding it.

I didn’t want to be labeled a “freak” and I didn’t want stranger’s first impressions of me to revolve around a ring in my nose. However, I also loved how it added just a bit of uniqueness to a girl’s appearance. Unlike some people, when I saw a girl with a septum, I always thought how cool she must be. It meant she was daring and not afraid of judgement, two things I hoped to identify with.

I even went so far as to buy a fake nose ring at Claire’s and post a picture to my Snapstory. People’s reactions were tentative. A common response was: “I mean, I’m not a fan of septums, but if anyone can pull it off it’s you, Grace!”. When I finally admitted it was a fake, people’s true opinions were completely mixed. One of my closest guy friends even went so far as to say he thought it was “disgusting.” Yet, some of my other friends told me how cool they thought it looked and were upset to find out it wasn’t the real deal. These also happened to be the friends whose opinions I valued the most, thankfully.

That social experiment led me to call out of work sick on a Tuesday afternoon. Emma was right, it was time I stopped talking the talk and started walking the walk. Her and I took the train into Philadelphia and I finally got my nose pierced. You would expect it to be a much more liberating experience, but it wasn’t. I felt no different. Actually, I was still just as insecure about the piercing as before. Walking down the streets of my small town, I felt like everyone was staring at me.  

However, as time went by, I started to realize those stares were just a figment of my imagination. Sure, some people probably make assumptions about me but at the end of the day those people are few and far between. If there’s one thing I learned from getting my septum pierced, it wasn’t about myself, but about others. People are generally more open-minded and accepting than you think.

I have grown to love my nose ring over the past few months. Wearing it has given me a sense of originality, and surprisingly it has become quite the conversation starter. People are intrigued about how much the piercing hurt, what made me decide to get it, and of course what my parents thought (yes, my mom cried at first). Having it done was one of the best decisions I ever made, and I feel as though it has become a part of my identity. For that reason, I strongly urge anyone who is thinking of a getting a piercing to go for it. Remember, it’s not permanent, and trust me, you won’t be labeled a “freak.”