I have a piercing which subjects me to constant judgment. Anyone can try to deny it, but when you have a piercing—especially on your face—it is very common to receive blatant stares from strangers. Even if I notice the judgment, I politely ignore it with a smile. People that judge a piece of metal on my body are probably too closed-minded to attempt to understand me anyway. Despite the criticism I have received for the way that I choose to decorate my body, I still believe it is a temple.

Many people have sarcastically stated how "proud" my parents must be.

Here's to those people: sure, my parents weren't exactly thrilled when I came home with a pierced septum, but they were rational. They realized that I am over the age of 18, and I have the right to control my own body. They have raised me to accept others, and in doing, so they accept who I have chosen to be. In all actuality, I would be proud if I were them because they raised someone who is strong enough to retaliate against criticism with a smile.

Once, in public, a man who I did not know grabbed my left hand, jabbed my ring finger, and told me that I would be wearing a diamond ring if I did not have one in my nose.

Here's to that man: I have no interest in being with anyone who has a problem with a simple piece of metal in my nose. If you cannot accept a piercing then I assure you that you will not understand the open-mindedness that exudes from my cranium. Furthermore, if you are intimidated by a nose piercing, you should focus on your maturity because there are scarier experiences that my future spouse and I will have to deal with like income taxes and possibly raising children.

While helping a male customer at my summer job, he proceeded to tell me that I looked like one of his farm animals.

Here’s to that customer: I was willingly pierced and was still in a great deal of pain. Your animal most likely had no idea what was happening; therefore, it was probably in extreme amount of pain. For that, I am sorry. I am sorry that one would willingly subject a helpless being to a pain that they could not endure themselves. I’m also a little concerned because if your farm animal did look like me, it was probably wearing winged eyeliner.

Once, I was wearing a shirt with my college’s name on it, when a woman stopped me, laughed, and asked why a college would accept a student with such a thing in their nose.

Here’s to that woman: if colleges were to discriminate on looks, what sort of world would we live in? That would be equivalent to not accepting an intelligent student from a poor family, simply because their clothes were not up to your standards. Cognitive ability should never be degraded based upon appearances. After all, Albert Einstein had some crazy hair, but beneath it was an ingenious brain.

Many times people ask when and if I will ever take my piercing out.

Here’s to those people: I could wake up tomorrow and decide to remove it or it could be when I’m 30. I will take it out whenever I feel that it isn’t "me" anymore. For now, it gives people a glimpse of who I am without having to speak a word.

To every single one of these people:

I am unconcerned about your comments because they say more about you than they do about myself. If you really took the time to know me, you would understand that while you were taking time out of your day to openly criticize me, I was still trying to find the good in you.