It’s not a question of whether body piercings have gone mainstream. Even 60-year-old Harrison Ford showed up on Entertainment Tonight sporting an earring, suggesting the stereotypes associated with piercings are on the decline. In recent years, this form of body art has evolved into a culture all its own, with intricacies warranting analysis.
Primal Body Piercing owner Justin Smith agreed.
“It’s not a question of increased popularity. It’s more about what types people are asking for more often,” Smith said.
High Priestess Piercing head piercer Lisa Blue said the business, located at 675 Lincoln St., pierces between 20 and 30 customers per day, and the demographics vary widely.
“We pierce a lot of older people, too,” said the seven-year piercing veteran. “It’s spread pretty equally among all age groups. Everybody’s getting pierced.”
Ear, navel and tongue piercings have become commonplace. With this increased popularity comes the challenge posed to those seeking to emerge from the fray of piercing conformists. And when it comes to modern trends, all bets are off. Among the more obscure locations are the torso, hands and temples — sometimes all of the above.
Smith, who has been piercing since 1995, has owned Primal Body Piercing, located at 509 E. 13th Ave., for three years. He said nostril piercings are very popular right now. Labrets, a lower lip piercing, and inner ear work have also been on the rise. And most recently, Smith said he’s noticed more and more interest in general body surface piercings, such as the back of the neck.
Blue said High Priestess has seen an increase in demand for earlobe stretching procedures.
“Stretching ears has become a lot bigger now than it was five years ago,” she said.
For the more adventurous spirit, there’s “pocketing,” a style of body art involving adornments resembling giant staples that are imbedded atop the surface of the skin — most commonly on the arm.
Although both Smith and Blue acknowledged that some people get these types of piercings for simple body adornment, they said other motivation extends far beyond simple physical decoration.
“I think, for many people, it’s a sign of moving on — a way to take their mind off things,” Smith said.
Blue pointed to healing as another explanation.
“There are a lot of people who take kind of a spiritual approach to this stuff,” she said.
For some, piercings may represent a sign of sexual empowerment. From “Prince Alberts,” piercings at the head of the penis, to inner labia piercings, there’s little below the waist that hasn’t been pierced by someone.
And finally, Blue said, “A lot of people just (get pierced) because their friends are, because it’s fun — it feels good, it makes you feel good, it’s something new and different.”
Whether spiritual cleansing or spirited fun provides the inspiration, the experts have several recommendations for anyone considering meeting up with the needle.
The University Health Education Program operates an informational Web page at www.http://healthed. uoregon.edu/piercing.htm. For students with new piercings, the program stresses aftercare.
“Piercing generally produces an open wound somewhere on the body. In order for the wound to heal properly, it must be kept clean until the body can heal the area,” the University Health Center advises. “If not treated properly, the site can become infected, and any infection is a major health risk.”
However, the Health Center said infections are rare if the piercing is performed by a professional.
Blue said High Priestess provides a pre-piercing consultation session that can last from 20 minutes to two weeks, depending on the client. This session might involve everything from information on possible locations for the perforation to types of metals, solutions and health care.
“There are so many different factors involved (with piercing),” Blue said. “It seems like a simple thing, but it’s not.”