When I was 10 my dance teacher had a nose piercing. It was cute, you could barely tell that it was there and I was absolutely in love with it, even at age 10. I knew at 10 there was no way my mother would let me get my nose pierced, so patiently I waited, never losing sight of the end goal. At 16 I asked for the first time, since it was still illegal for me to get my nose pierced without parental permission. My request was declined. At 18 years old I considered it again, I didn't have to ask anymore but my parents still paid(and still do pay) for my tuition so I wasn't necessarily in the mood to make them mad.

I came back to school my junior year, 20 glorious years old and 10 years older than the first time I considered the idea of getting my nose pierced. I had spent the whole summer trying to convince myself to follow through to get my nose pierced and finally in September of my junior year, I did it, and I was ecstatic.

However, when I would talk about it, I wasn't always met with the nicest of replies or comments. Instead most of the time I was met with disapproval. It was as if getting a nose piercing was the most horrific thing I could do. I got eyebrow raises, I got called names, I got told I would NEVER get a job with a nose piercing. I got so much negativity that I considered not getting my nose pierced. It was absolutely ridiculous.

Looking back on those weeks, I was so easily swayed and I am ashamed that I was. I wanted my nose piercing for 10 years. 10. It wasn't an impulse decision, if anything it was the most thought out thing I had ever done in my entire life, but other people's opinions almost talked me out of it. Looking back, I'm a little bit disappointed in myself for considering not standing my ground.

What was funny was that even after it was all said and done no one even noticed it had happened. No one was automatically drawn to the little diamond stud on my nose. Which was fine, I wasn't piercing it for them, I did it for me, and by some miracle, the world didn't end.

It's crazy to look back and think about how something so small was something I wanted so bad. It's crazy to think that something that makes me feel so good about myself almost didn't happen because of other things that people told me. It's crazy to look at myself in the mirror and think that a tiny piece of metal in my nose makes me feel more confident. I guess, the moral of this story is to not let other people make you feel bad. That sometimes you have to do things that make you feel good, no matter what other people say, I've never regretted my decision and I'm glad for that every day.