It was an idle Tuesday night. I just finished eating an entire bag of Sun Chips for dinner. I look down at my phone, expecting nothing special. What I saw on my phone that night was one of surprise - "Guys, I got my vagina pierced today" - words that showed up in a group message from one of my friends. From then on, I knew I needed to share with everyone how it really is to pierce your vagina and love it, by conducting an interview with her for the bold and the faint of heart.
How old are you?
Anonymous: "Nineteen."
What made you decide to pierce that area of your body?
A: "I've played around with getting my clitoris pierced in the past but was never too serious about it. Lately I've been wanting to switch things up a little bit. I first considered dying my hair, but then a coworker and I were talking about her upcoming nose piercing and the idea struck me again. I've always been a bit impulsive so I made an appointment the next day and now less than a week after that conversation, it's done."
What were your thoughts going into it?
A: "I did some research and there's always a risk when getting something pierced, in this case it was that I would lose all sensation in my clit or even that it would get over sensitive. Needless to say, I was freaking out. What if I never orgasm again? But what if it goes too perfectly and I start getting an orgasm walking up the stairs? Also, I think I parked illegally in a sketchy neighborhood, so here's hoping my cars still here when I leave - let's do this."
You finally get pierced - how did it feel?
A: "It felt like I had a needle poked through a part of my body with 8,000 nerve endings - pretty freaking horrible. I swear to god the second that needle went through skin, it hurt so bad my legs flew out of the stirrups. Luckily, the needle went in so fast it already was over by the time my body reacted."
If you don't mind me asking, how much does it cost?
A: "I paid a $63 down payment when I made the appointment (the cost of the piercing itself), then another $55 for the bar. They had less expensive ones available but I wanted to get one with a gem on it. "
How did you decide on the placement? Where is it placed?
A: "Well I always wanted a vagina piercing and I like to be different. I considered nipple piercings, but half my friends already have that. I looked up different kinds of female genital piercings (there's a lot) and decided on the vertical clitoral hood piercing. It is essentially a bar from the bottom to top of the clitoral hood. I chose this one because not only does it look amazing, it has some serious sexual benefits (apparently... I don't actually know yet). It can potentially heighten the feeling of every touch down there."
What is the after care like?
A: "I'm not sure yet. She gave me a whole explanation before they did the piercing, but I was not listening to a word she said. I know I can't swim for 10 days, I can't do anything rigorous, and I clean it with a saline solution, once a day? Twice a day? Who knows. All I know is I sat on the toilet for half an hour terrified to pee after I got it pierced because I wasn't sure if the pee would get in the piercing. Gross. It didn't, don't worry."
Does that mean no sex?
A: "No rigorous sex. They don't recommend it, but if I do it has to be very gentle. They say it won't be fully healed for at least six to eight weeks."
Piercing your vagina may seem taboo to some people. What would you say in response to that?
A: "It's not your vagina. I've never justified my actions to anyone and I don't need to. Anyone who is my friend knows that I'm more likely to get rid of the judgmental person who has a problem with the choices I make for my body than I am to take the piercing out because someone decided to slut shame me for something they have no business in talking about."
To anyone interested in piercing an area of their body like this, do you have any advice? Would you recommend it?
A: "I would absolutely recommend it, I love it so far. As for advice for others, if you're interested in it then hell yeah, get it done (as long as you can handle the pain and the recovery time). I would not recommend it to someone who wants it to please their partner. Don't get it done for anyone but yourself because if you do it for someone else, you're never really going to love it, and that goes for every piercing."
Well there you have it, folks. Now go on, be informed, and pierce whatever your heart desires.
