Chain Link Piercings Gone Bad (Well, Duh!)
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Monday March 12th, 2007 @ 4:26 PM
Filed under: Body Modification, Body Piercing, Funny, Risks
So the fifteen year old DIY-piercer in this photo came in to Color Works in West Des Moines, Iowa with their mother after their doctor refused to help with the problem he’d caused. He’d decided to do the piercings himself — a pair of lip rings and a septum — using, and I kid you not, pieces of chain link that he’d clipped off with wire cutters. They weren’t pierced in place — they were just “crushed” in place with a pair of pliers and brutally crimped into his flesh!
Evan removed them (and one was even rusted), cleaned him up, and told him to go back to the doctor. While Evan was dealing with the problem, the kid refused to stop touching the problem areas no matter how much he was told, and his mother let his four little brothers and sisters come running into the piercing room from the lobby, upon which the one kid immediately starts going through the garbage. Jarret (who took the photos) got them under control as the mother told him about how she’d tried to cut the piercings out with scissors. Darwin Award anyone?
Seriously, this is why in my opinion laws need to allow young people to get body piercings. “18+” and “16+” laws do nothing but hurt young people. Doctors don’t give a fuck and don’t know what they’re talking about most of the time and are so constrained by liability insurance that they often can’t help even if they want to, parents are clueless, and there are plenty of fly-by-night shops and nomadic piercers willing to abuse pierce kids anyway… High quality shops need to be accessible to people of all ages, because the fact is, people of all ages want piercings, and they’ll get them one way or another.
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212 Responses to “Chain Link Piercings Gone Bad (Well, Duh!)”
fucking IDIOTS.
veronica on March 12th, 2007 at 4:43 pmShannon, I have to agree… The laws should allow body piercings… They need not to allow all of them (like genitals or something like that), but they should allow the “normal” piercings, which the teens want most… like a labret, nostril, eyebrow, septum and so on…
GotPierced on March 12th, 2007 at 4:44 pm& honestly, even if 18+ & 16+ laws weren’t in place, kids would find some dumbass reason to do piercings themselves … like cost, or w.e.
veronica on March 12th, 2007 at 4:44 pmHoly shit, is all that comes to mind.
And I think if they’re going to allow piercings, allow all piercings. Why should we allow diy mangled genitals any more than faces?
CreativeNonFiction on March 12th, 2007 at 4:45 pmI agree on the legal piercings for kids. I self pierced my nipples at 14 with safety pins, and when those rejected, again with sharpened knitting needles. I was such a retard. I used Ice, and lighters to ‘clean’ things, and dealt with infection with rubbing alcohol.
If there had been a legal way to do it, I’d have been a lot safer.
CutThroat on March 12th, 2007 at 4:46 pmYou wont find much support for changing the piercing laws to free up under 16s to be honest regardless of the reason.
People will still use unprofessional piercers regardless of the laws simply because of the cost. Many will think (wrongly) that there will be no difference between a piercer charging £15 and one charging £25, they will vote with their pocket until they are affluent and mature enough to make a professional decision. e.
This entry shows clearly that even when told not to this kid still kept touching the areas that were infected, I don’t think dropping the age limit will help that matter. Teenagers are obstinate and often don’t have the experience necessary to understand the implications of their actions such as demonstrated here.
If you drop the age limit you simply put many people of limited income into the ‘can be pierced’ category and I guarantee they won’t be choosing the most expensive, experienced piercer in their town.
Giles Wallwork on March 12th, 2007 at 4:47 pmConsider the parallel with underage sex - my parents said “Sure, have sex with your boyfriend if you want,” at the age of 15… I did. Now, we’re still together, with a nice kinky sex life, and are getting married as soon as possible.
His sister, however, was SCREAMED at for having sex a month off the legal age - guess what, she never learned about sensible decisions, and now regularly cheats on her partner using no protection.
My parents knew they’d brought me up well, so they could trust my decisions. A society that treats its youth like crap will never allow them to take on responsibilities, even minor ones like healing mods…
Em on March 12th, 2007 at 4:53 pmI really think that is one of the most ridiculous DIY piercings I’ve ever seen.
Edd Cunningham on March 12th, 2007 at 4:54 pmThat kid (and brothers too actually) all seem like they have ADD. Routing through the garbage? WHAT THE HELL!
As stated before, I think that people do and until educated enough, always will vote with their pockets. To the uneducated, someone charging £25 for a piercing will just seem like they’re out the make a profit. Where as the education will understand why they are priced the way they are.
Jesus Christ. I think there has to be something more to this story, there seems to be something off about the kid.
As to the legality of underage piercing, I think it’s a subject that’s quite like the one we dealt with here in BC recently with Safe Injection Sites for drug users. Those that are anti piercings (or anti-drugs in this case) would say that allowing those things would only perpetuate the problem of usage.
A lot of restrictions, regulations, and annual check-ups would have to be put into place to make sure that shops everywhere were doing the best they could for their clients.
And no matter what happens, there are always going to be stupid parents and stupid children that attempt to do bullshit like that.
yourpamphleteer on March 12th, 2007 at 4:57 pmwhat a fuckin idiot!! chain links???
Michael Collins on March 12th, 2007 at 4:58 pmWell, I don’t know about current days (since now i’m “legal”) but I got my nose pierced (three times), my smiley (twice), and my navel, all at 13-14, in the old fashioned proffessional studio way. I don’t think we had age constrictions on piercings in Israel back then, but even if we did, it was a parent’s approval thing (and I think it was more of a personal choice for piercers rather then the law, though I can’t remember.)
I Don’t know how it works in other countries but it’s an ok way to do things. if a kid was really doing it against his parent’s wish he’d find a way to trick the piercer, sure, but at least they wouldn’t resort to sticking safety pins through their faces (I know at 14 I’d rather trick a piercer then try and do that).
For me it was easy since my mom was ok with most of what I wanted, I’d sit down and explain to her what I wanted, how it’s done and how it’ll look, and she’d take me and ask the piercer questions about safety issues etc.
This way, it’s all the buisness of the child and his parents, no need for the government to intrude on a kid’s personal choices.
Yuli on March 12th, 2007 at 5:00 pmA society that treats its children like adults loses a strong element of the growing up process where boundaries are formed and discipline helps show the consequence of actions.
Simply allowing children to partake in every exercise that mature adults take part in does not benefit anyone.
Puberty during human teenage years causes great hormonal changes and the decisions one takes at 13 are not necessarily the ones you would take at 20. By 20 though you have a greater understanding of the consequence of your actions.
Em - Your story about having sex as a youngster is all very well but in Britain we have the largest number of underage pregnancies in Europe. That is a hell of a lot of young girls forced into losing a valuable part of their formative social years due to taking part in an activity they are asked to wait for. Simply asking their partners to use condoms has not worked.
You will not find much support for under 16s piercings amongst a society that looks down on modification as a w(hole).
Giles Wallwork on March 12th, 2007 at 5:02 pmWow. This should definatly be up for a Darwin award. We had kids like this running around in middleschool, safety pins thru thier lips and complaining when it started getting swollen and infected.
The laws really need to be changed and parents need to talk to their kids about piercings. If mom is against taking her 16 year old to get her eyebrow pierced then mom needs to talk to her daughter about how dangerous it is to DIY or let friends do it. Then again a lot of people wouldn’t expect kids to ask their friends to pierce them. The whole topic of piercing needs to be addressed in some way with kids.
And the mom is a fucking moron for shredding up some scissors near her kids lip. Control you kids lady! :(
L1ZZARD on March 12th, 2007 at 5:05 pmWhat the FUCK?
And what the fuck at all of you saying he should have been allowed legal piercing. This dude is off in the head and it seems like the rest of his family is too. That mother is NOT raising her children right if they think it’s okay to root through trash and run wild in a place with sharp objects and expensive jewelry.
wocket on March 12th, 2007 at 5:13 pmSomething tells me that even if he had legal access to a piercer he would’ve done the retarded thing anyway.
I completely disagree.
Lexci Million on March 12th, 2007 at 5:16 pmIn what part of that story makes you think that that child or his guardian parent are mature enough to look after a punture wound held open for weeks by jewelry?
Those “laws” (which aren’t even really laws where I’m from, but a minimum standard put together by piercers observing their clients)
Sure EVERYONE wants to get pierced.
EVERYONE wants to drive a car when they’re 4, 9, 12, too! But there are laws based on statistics that are put in place to keep EVERYBODY safe.
I think for a lot of kids it’s something to look forward to when they finally come of “legal”age to come get a piercing or a tattoo.
Giving kids something just because they “WANT” it is why our Young Offenders act is bunk and why kids are killing each other at bus stops.
Kids have this mentality that they should be able to do what they want because they’re going to do it anyway and it’s frankly scarey.
When *I* was 15 and wanted my lip pierced, my mom said no.
And that was that.
No way in hell would I go against my mother’s rules of the house and pierce my lip. The wrath was NOT worth it.
i don’t think the laws should be changed, i think kids should just be taught better. you can’t use this kid as a reason why the laws should be changed…he obviously doesn’t give a shit about his body or proper piercing procedure. he doesn’t even give a shit about trying to learn. he should deal with the consequences of his actions and learn from them, otherwise he will never learn. he could’ve used a computer or gone to a piercer and learned how to self-pierced properly, but he obviously didn’t want to. if he can’t respect his body or professional modification techniques, he doesn’t have any business getting pierced.
Lindsay on March 12th, 2007 at 5:16 pmIt has been my experience and observation that almost every person involved in heavy body modification or body play started experimenting with it at the age of puberty. I have no idea what the correct sociopolitical approach is, but I can tell you that the time period in which they most need help/information/etc is 10-16.
Shannon Larratt on March 12th, 2007 at 5:35 pmThank you #15 and #16 for saying what I wanted to. I was just so angry after reading this that I couldn’t articulate what I was feeling.
wocket on March 12th, 2007 at 5:36 pm#15, I agree…
I grew up with very strict parents… I knew that I wanted piercings from the time that I was 9 years old. My parents said No, and I listened. I bothered them constantly, and they always said no, and I listened, no matter how much I disliked them for it… I started stretching the lobe piercings I’d had since I was a baby when I was 14. After doing this for 3 years, my mom felt that I showed enough responsibility taking care of myself, and that I was mature enough to handle getting another piercing…. She had my dad come with me and sign paperwork so that I could get an industrial. He wasn’t exactly happy about it, but he figured that I was responsible enough to see what I was getting done.
Now, I have a friend who began piercing herself at 13, using any sharp-ish object she could get her hands on… I once saw her pierce her cartilage with a large, dull sewing needle that she found in my sewing kit (the majority of the items in my sewing kit were from my grandmother, who died in 1991.) without even cleaning it. She told me about how she recently got drunk, and did a horizontal hood piercing on herself with a rusty safety pin.
The point that I’m getting at by this is, even with access to professional studios, and still, some people will still use horrifically bad, unsafe techniques to pierce themselves and others… regardless of whether there are laws allowing it or not, some people will still choose to mutillate themselves instead of going to a studio and having it done right….
Xalia on March 12th, 2007 at 5:41 pmI really think that accessibility to shops is an incredibly small part of the puzzle, and that, as lots of other people are pointing out here, accessibility to information and education is key in having shit like this prevented.
How do you disseminate information about body mod’s, though? It’s not like they’re going to start teaching it in health class. Obviously BMEzine is a big part of this; simply having a centralized wealth of knowledge and experience about body mods is going to contribute in some way toward people’s education, especially with the internet use being mainstreamed.
But is it enough? Will it ever be enough? I think there’s only so much you can educate before you have to step back and realize that there are just going to be a subset of the population that is stupid, reckless, and totally apathetic about fucking around with their bodies in an uninformed way.
carolyn on March 12th, 2007 at 5:46 pmOh my god.
Stardust on March 12th, 2007 at 5:47 pmI’m fifteen, and I have my nostril, eyebrow, and monroe all professionally done (Florida laws require notarised consent forms, picture ID for you and your parent/ guardian, and they have to be there). I might have been dumb enough to try DIY repeatedly had I not had BME to eventually educate me.
Agreed with #16. Though this kid is the sort that makes most underage kids who want piercings and such look even worse.
What a fucking tool…!! nuff said
unquestioned_answers on March 12th, 2007 at 5:56 pm#20, I make it a point of my work (I’m a piercer) to include speaking with the public.
Lexci Million on March 12th, 2007 at 5:58 pmI DO go to schools for their health classes and give talks on safe body piercing and how important it is to seek out professionals to do the job. It goes over VERY well and I often see bunch of those same kids that summer with the same little card I give them when they go to get their first professional piercing.
I also take a lot of pride in what I do. I’m not going to start piercing minors because they “want it”. I want a new puppy! We don’t always get what we want.
Sometimes we’re not ready for it.
Physically, emotionally, etc.
If I start piercing every 14 year old coming in the door looking to have a tongue piercing and they grind it all over their teeth to show their friends and their teeth fall out of their head - that’s two steps backwards for every piercer out there trying to get the point across to concerned parents and clients that “all tongue piercings destroy your teeth” .
Are you picking up up what I’m putting down?
If I do a surface piercing on a developing body, or that kid decides he wants to go swimming with his friends with a piercing not healed because they TAKE an indefinite amount of time to heal - then they’re left with a big infected piercing and they tell everyone they got pierced by me and it’s infeted…
No kids.
if the laws are designed to protect people… this is point and case
Liz on March 12th, 2007 at 5:59 pmWhat an idiot. I agree with #12, 15 and 16. But hey, he’s gonna have some hella rad scars to show all his friends that he’s so cool and hardcore, right?!!1
starless_dark on March 12th, 2007 at 6:00 pmSince I’d been brought up able to make my own decisions (not treated like an adult, treated like a child with sufficient intellect) there’s no way I’d have slept with anyone who refused to use a condom (or anyone who didn’t love and respect me, for that matter).
Em on March 12th, 2007 at 6:02 pmOften, the parents of pregnant teens have gone all “thou shalt not” without educating them… rather like the piercing laws do… which I’m sure allows both the parents and the older modified community to feel very sanctimonious and moral, but is no bloody use whatsoever.
and the dumbass of the year award goes to……
jeez have some fucking patience, its not worth the scars or infection
maya on March 12th, 2007 at 6:03 pmThis is the 2nd wake up call I’ve had on poorly researched home done mods on youths. The first was on a girl I had dated a little bit ago. She had the worst home done (prison style) tattoos I’ve ever seen. And in the most public places. Like knuckles. The tattoos were done with real (cheap) machines from the back of bad tattoo magazines. Reusing the same needles over and over.
I would love to see Miami Ink, or Inked show this side of the mod community and the risk and so forth. It’d be a great change of pace from the garbage they normally show. Asking people to be more emotional over and over and shooting the same interviews over and over.
John Logic on March 12th, 2007 at 6:09 pmwhat a stupid fuckin kid.. trash!
robert on March 12th, 2007 at 6:14 pmI’m not going to make any comments on age restrictions for piercings but I will say that this kid is fucking insane, I can only imagine how bad it hurt to not pierce but crush fucking chain links through his lip and septum especially the septum, mine was dermal punched and that hurt bad enough, so as the saying goes…if your gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough
Joe on March 12th, 2007 at 6:21 pmI work at a shoppe that sells body jewelry and a fair amount of young kids (ages 12-16) come in. Many of them think it’s cool to show off to me their DIY piercings done with random objects. I do my best to explain to them how dangerous it is and reference them to a reputible piercer- but most of them just shrug. I agree with #23 in that education is the key. With proper education about piercings (and all body mods for that matter) it might help keep most of these cases from occuring, in both adolecents AND adults. When kids come in asking why their lip/eyebrow/nipple is oozing and twice the size of normal, it makes me very sad. Young people should have their health protected, no matter what.
Jaderz on March 12th, 2007 at 6:22 pmIf someone wants to do something bad enough they will do it no matter how stupid it is I guess. I’d like to speak for myself and say that some under 15’s aren’t that damned stupid and I’m pretty gosure that after that experience he will learn how to get it done, or do it, properly.
I got turned down at the best piercing shop in my city, and ended up at a crappy unclean place to get my anti-tragus done because I was desperate. Surprise, surprise, it got infected loads and hasn’t healed yet. I think I’ve learnt from that. I don’t care when I get my mods done as long as at the end of it it turns out well done and was done in a safe place. It’s just very unlikely that I will be able to get any like that for the next 3 years.
twoplustwoisfive on March 12th, 2007 at 6:25 pmA lot of you have this “If a person is older, they know better” attitude. That’s not the way to look at things at ALL! Age doesn’t dictate maturity, not in the slightest.
Yes in most cases it does, and maybe I just know too many stupid people, but I can honestly say I know a lot of people older than myself, and wonder when the hell they became so stupid.
Now i’m only 17, so I don’t claim to know everything, but I feel that i’m better informed about certain things and more mature than some of my peers.
“Teenagers are obstinate and often don’t have the experience necessary to understand the implications of their actions such as demonstrated here.”
If find that to be an INCREDIBLY offensive generalisation. Everyone is different, everyone develops differently, and certainly everyone matures at different rates. My sister is 29 with a 12 year old son and I can swear to God that she is still nowhere as mature as some people have told me I am. I’m sort of blowing my own trumpet here, what i’m trying to say is that since people mature at different rates, some people may know exactly what they want at 14, and some still might not know at 20. Hell, you may get to 34 and change your mind. It’s not about age, age doesn’t define maturity, that’s such a daft thing to say.
To say all teenagers will make the wrong choice is thoroughly unfair.
To judge a person based on maturity, you’d need to spend a great deal of time with them, and that’s just impractical as a piercer, so where lowering the age would make some very mature teenagers safer, it’ll also put some very, very stupid and immature teenagers in slightly more danger of infections when they don’t look after their piercing properly.
Stacey on March 12th, 2007 at 6:29 pmnice parenting…
Delta9 on March 12th, 2007 at 6:38 pmNow thats what I call using your initiative. We are all stupid in one way or another at that age. He managed to peirce himself THREE times, shit that’s gotta hurt, Thats dedication.
johnthescon on March 12th, 2007 at 6:48 pmNow thats what I call using your initiative. We are all stupid in one way or another at that age. He managed to peirce himself THREE times, shit that’s gotta hurt, Thats dedication.
johnthescon on March 12th, 2007 at 6:50 pmewww *___*
really, how could he do that?!
ketosis on March 12th, 2007 at 6:50 pmi would have died of pain.
In general: Education, education, education. Some people are going to be dumb, but I researched and go my mom to take me to a reputable piercer to get my navel done when I was 15, and then again with my lip, my christina, my tattoos, etc.
To #30: Your brain does not stop maturing at least until you’re 20. I do agree with you that people should be judged as individuals, not as groups, but you have to take realities into account. I agree with the piercing laws that are in place. I’ve wanted to have my tongue pierced forever, but the laws prevented me, and finally I discovered that I am tongue-tied, and need to have surgery if I want it. Being forced to wait and obsess over it forced me to research, and research made me wise up. Not all teens will make poor choices, but they seem statistically predisposed to do so. I was lucky in that I have a good home that taught me the value of waiting for things you really want. My friend who pierced her cheek with a safety pin wanted it right then, damn the consequences, and many (NOT ALL) other teens would agree! You have to have some sort of lesson that, sometimes, it’s best to wait for things you really want. That’s not something you can get without experience, and experience comes with age.
Summary being, age does not DEFINE maturity, but maturity and age cannot be completely divorced from one another.
Melissa on March 12th, 2007 at 6:53 pm*hits head on desk* yer kidding right?…
Masticate on March 12th, 2007 at 6:57 pmDidnt it hurt the fucker? I mean pliers and blunt piece of metal the fuck?…….
all I can think if fucking owwww… and then geting them out rusted and all…
tut tut
I really don’t think this entry has much to do with the fact that the laws need to be bent, this kid was just a dumb ass. No matter what the laws are there are still going to be people doing shit like this. On the other subject… I’m all for modifications, but however there does need to be some law on it. If not, then kids are going to be going behind there parents backs then showing up at home with all sorts of things pierced just to spite them. Another point is that if kids are getting pierced at a young age, most of them are no where near competent enough to care for it. It’s not that they are stupid, they just don’t know the correct way for things. They may just see it as something that looks cool therefore letting all their friends touch it, not even realizing all the bacteria they are letting in. Ok, I could go on and on so i’m done…
Acidic6Tears on March 12th, 2007 at 7:05 pmhis parents should be both in jail. if you have children, you should also take care of them….
format_you_all on March 12th, 2007 at 7:20 pmI agree with #36 - I’m not too sure that even if there were laws in place allowing minors to be pierced, and a good shop in town to do the piercing, that this kid would have had the common sense to go and get it done professionally… Considering that chainlinks and pliers seemed like a good idea.
skylark on March 12th, 2007 at 7:26 pmI understand how changing the laws could seem like a good idea. Although I agree with the otheres who believe the laws should stay. *Most* 16yr olds aren’t mature or responsible enough to take care of their piercings. Hell, I know some kids my age (20yr olds) who don’t even know how to take care of piercings! I also know some 24yr olds who drink and drive. Should we change the drinking laws? No. Although I’m responsible enough to drink, most people my age aren’t. That’s why we have the laws out there. Yes, there maybe a minority of people who are responsible at the age of 16 and should be able to go get piercings, but that’s for their parents to decide.
Sar on March 12th, 2007 at 7:34 pmI piecered my cousins tounge with a corn on the cob poker in the back of my sisters camaro because well, I was 12 and didn’t know any better. My cousins tounge got VERYYY infected and he had to go to the hospital because of it.
But if we would have known instead of being sheltered then all of this wouldn’t have happened.
Change the law.
Jp on March 12th, 2007 at 7:39 pmInform.
While I’m all for minors getting safe piercings, if this kid’s as dumb as the pictures and the story let on, I probably would have refused to pierce him no matter how old he was.
redneckzombi on March 12th, 2007 at 7:41 pmI agree with you, Shannon.
I’m a big advocate of kinky groups lowering their entrance ages from 21 or 19 to 18 for similar reasons. At 17 I despaired of finding any information about doing SM safely and experimented on myself. I have scars. I still thank the Goddess I had no partner — I knew I needed to know more before actually getting started, but I was a horny teen at the end of her wits. With a blood fetish. I could easily have something bloodborne today if my life had gone just the tiniest bit different.
I wish I’d encountered the message “We’re out there. Just hang on for a couple years. We’ll help you. We’ll embrace you and accept you and it’ll be all right” I would have been able to hang on a lot easier.
And if info had been out there for anyone of any age, the way safer vanilla sex info was always out there for me and my peers? It probably would have spared me a LOT of grief.
If society expects people to be responsible and thoughtful, and gives kids the message “It’s okay to want what you want. Your desires don’t make you bad, or immature, or overeager” I think a lot will be more willing to be careful, wait, and think about what they’re doing.
I could be wrong. But that’s what I’ve seen from kids. If you expect them to be responsible, they often rise to your expectations. If you expect them to be unruly and obnoxious, they stoop to what you ask of them, too.
trinityva on March 12th, 2007 at 7:45 pmthis is completely beyond the realm of what i like to pretend really goes on. in other words, EW… those look totally mingin
Emily on March 12th, 2007 at 7:55 pmwell he’s is from iowa.not saying that all people from iowa are dumb,but they do have that stereo type.and from what eve heard i dont think they have piercing law in iowa,ive had some minors come to my shop with below the belt piercing,and they told me they didnt need there parents consent,which is fucked up
dustin on March 12th, 2007 at 8:00 pmI don’t know about the whole age thing, I mean you can make pretty silly decisions when your young and its not too good if you can’t reverse these things.
Maggi on March 12th, 2007 at 8:06 pmI’ve seen so many young kids with their earlobes stretched. I don’t think that is wrong but I think alot of kids, when they grow out of the “trendy” scene (emo type stuff) and don’t want their ears like that anymore, theres nothing much they can do about it. I’m not saying its wrong, just that kids can get caught up in what their friends are doing and could maybe regret it in later life.
I honestly don’t believe changing a law will make kids any wiser in their decision making. There are smart ones and there are not smart ones (as in this case).
Jay on March 12th, 2007 at 8:08 pmI think we need less legislation and more parenting, frankly =/ Yeesh.
Cedes on March 12th, 2007 at 8:12 pmNothing that this 15 year old did is unusual or anything I haven’t seen probably MORE 60 year olds do… Take a look at the older sections of the genital piercing areas on BME and you’ll see some equally creative and inadvisable techniques. That’s what happens when you force people to run blind.
By exposing people to quality shops, rather than forcing them underground in one way or another, you force them to confront quality information even if they’re unwilling to search for it online and so on. Sure, plenty of people will still ignore aftercare, etc., and this kid may well be one of them, but he’d STILL be significantly better off if he’d had access to a quality studio.
Shannon Larratt on March 12th, 2007 at 8:20 pmYeah, eliminating age restrictions is not going to weed out the clueless.
av3ry on March 12th, 2007 at 8:24 pm#49
i stretched my lobes when i was 17, now, 3 years later i don’t have them anymore but i don’t regret that i’ve got the expierience. that’s life.
either you stay the same forever or you have to deal with the consequences. being reasonable means, that you can live with things you did in the past as well.
i think it’s wrong to tell people: “don’t get bodymods unless you’re sure you want to keep them till the end of your life”. what’s true for most of the tattoos (but not really either, did you see lucky diamond rich?!) isn’t the same for piercings.
no matter if you are going to keep the piercings for the rest of your life or if you decide to remove them later, the most important fact is, that you’re pleased with the result (and you don’t kill yourself ;) ).
but i don’t think that this boy is satisfied with what he’s got anyways. he should have informed himself.
ketosis on March 12th, 2007 at 8:32 pmDidn’t read through every post, so excuse me if someone already brought this up. Regarding the comment,
“And I think if they’re going to allow piercings, allow all piercings. Why should we allow diy mangled genitals any more than faces?”
I understand your thought process with that comment. However, in most states in the US (don’t know much about laws in other countries), piercing a minor in the genital region or breasts can get you time in jail for statutory rape, child molestation and/or child genital mutilation. Not something you want to mess with.
Cody on March 12th, 2007 at 8:47 pmBesides, people that young are not mature enough for a majority of piercings, let alone something like genitals. If they are mature enough, then they can stand to wait until they’re 18.
Wow, what a winner. The whole family sounds like winners.
I’d just like to say that even in places where younger people can get piercings, they still do stupid shit. I know grown people who have gotten tattoos in the kitchens of the ‘artist’, pierced themselves and the like. Even with laws that are looser about age, kids (and adults) still do stupid shit like pierce each other, tattoo each other, etc. regardless of whether they can go to good, professional places.
My parents were cool about piercings at a young age and let me get my tragus and tongue pierced at 13, tongue pierced again at 14, and various other ear and navel piercings until I was 18 and able to go and get things done on my own. I was also smart enough to not do shit they didn’t let me do. They would not have allowed me to get a tattoo (legal or not), but I was smart enough that when I was offered home made tattoos by people I knew, I politely refused.
lippi on March 12th, 2007 at 8:47 pmCody - You’re 100% right on the legal aspects, to say nothing of the fact that I would have serious concerns about minors being abused by predatory piercers with inappropriate motivations.
However, I don’t agree at all with “if they’re mature enough, they can wait until they’re 18″, because:
- We all know how well “wait till you’re married to have sex” works (ie. the entire statement is totally pointless, because they won’t wait, whether they’re 16 or 60).
- I believe that the kinds of people who NEED piercings (and I’m going to guess that’s about 10% of currently pierced people) will often seek out genital piercings FIRST, because when people are “hard wired” with this desire, I believe it’s a part of their sexual nature.
It’s a pretty complicated issue… I really don’t know what I’d be arguing for if I was a piercer or even a sympathetic legislator, since there are so many obvious pros and cons for every age line.
Shannon Larratt on March 12th, 2007 at 9:12 pmOk I think what alot of people are looking at are laws concerning legal age for piercings. Quite frankly it doesnt seem that this kid would have benefitted from a host of knowledge and a reputable artist.
What he would benefit from would be a call from the local childrens authority, because clearly his mother suffers from dementia or some other kind of psychosis. Also, the idea that he didnt try to pierce himself first but just push the metal through his skin shows he is also off balance.
It also dissapoints me that the doctor he went to see turned him away instead of helping him, this is quite a serios situation.
Lily on March 12th, 2007 at 9:16 pmIn order to qualify for a Darwin Award, the person needs (among other things) to have died or been rendered sterile as a result of their stupidity. Jethro there doesn’t count.
Stupid people are going to do stupid things regardless of the law. Changing it might help some people, but it will never help people like this.
bravemenrun on March 12th, 2007 at 9:21 pm1- Put yourself in the mindset you had when you were that age? So many of us started doing home made tattoos a piercings young, what would have disuaded you?
I got into an argument with a customer the other day, he was talking about how much of an accomplishment it is to pierce your self, how cool it is. I said to him, “graduate from Yale or Harvard and then I’ll be impressed”. I told him how dangerous it is to pierce your self when you know nothing of sterility or proper technique
2-As a tattoo artist, I have to admit that if the laws were changed and I COULD tattoo a 12 year old, I’d have to say there is no way in hell I would do it! It would make me feel VERY uncomfortable and morally I just wouldn’d want to.
3-I think Lexi Million has the best Idea! Tattoo artists and Piercers should design a lecture and offer to speak at local schools. There have been enough horrible badly infected piercing pictures on bme to scare the crap out of any kid into waiting until the proceedure can be properly done.
In my area we have such a bad problem with tattoo parties and bad shops that charge 5-10 dollars for piercings and tattoos. People who will spend $200 on air jordans just don’t want to spend more than 20 for a permenant safe and professional modification. It makes me want to scream, they don’t care that their health is at risk!
I wish I could make a flyer about the dangers of un-professional tattoos and piercing and drop them of cities from planes. I agree with #28….If only The tattoo T.V. shows would take one greedy minute to spread the word.
vega on March 12th, 2007 at 9:25 pmSo fucking funny. I agree that piercing should be for all ages when accompanied by an adult if under 18. There’s a lot of dumb kids out there like the one pictured above. Luckily for me, I’m not stupid and the only thing I pierced myself were my ears. And I used needles and real jewelry.
Dizzy Chair Time on March 12th, 2007 at 9:32 pmThis flips both ways:
I can see why the age is 18+ for piercing. A lot of people do not start to mature before that age to make life long decisions. Some would have the same piecings just to be in with their friends, just like a lot of kids start smoking for the same reason to appear kool with their mates.
On the flip side, we see horror stories like the above photos. I dont know anything about this young mans parents skills in bringing him up. Maybe he’s a kid thats gone off the rails. But if my kid came through the door with piercings of this nature, I would want to know the full in’s and out’s of the wrong thing.
Even if he decided to take them out he would be left with life long scares, I guess thats why the age limit in the first place.
As for the doctor turning him away surely his medical ethics should be bought into question. A doctor should treat without making judgements about an individual.
Personally if I was a piercer I would ask an individual to return when they are 18, old fashioned I know. I guess this is why a lot of kids get crap work done they go to back street people.
And hey mother get them kids of yours in check, you should be teaching them life long skills to see them through life. Not standing by while they rummage trash cans!
ÈMþRꧧ on March 12th, 2007 at 9:36 pmFor the people on here who say that people my age will probably grow out of liking modifications, can I just say that if you’re on here, you probably do, and you must have started doing so at some point. At that point you might not have firmly believed that you wouldn’t change your mind, but just because I think I won’t, dosen’t mean I’m wrong.
Mabye I just had to get that out somewhere, here seemed like the ideal place. I had a long conversation about it before with some friends (all of whom believe piercing is a bad idea).
twoplustwoisfive on March 12th, 2007 at 9:44 pmIt makes me sad that a doctor just turned him away. wow
quinnn on March 12th, 2007 at 9:49 pmsomeone should report the doctor to Iowa medical board and make him loose his licesce.
ELY M. on March 12th, 2007 at 10:08 pmI’m from Iowa and this makes me really sad. While not everyone I know from home is as stupid as this kid, this story really doesn’t surprise me for some reason. There are certainly areas of the state where knowledge of piercing safety is as uncommon as a full set of teeth. In response to the comments on Iowa’s piercing laws, I have encountered the normal “16 with parental consent, 18 without” laws that are in place in most states. Unfortunately, there will always be those shady shops that will pierce 13 year old belly buttons and such.
I think that the most disappointing part of this story is the lack of respect for the piercers and the shop. They are expected to fix this kid’s mistakes even when the little idiot refuses to listen to the piercer’s advice, and the family’s behavior inside the shop is ridiculous. What’s even worse is the doctor’s refusal to treat the kid; body piercers are good at what they do, but they should not be expected to treat possible cases of tetanus. This kid needed medical attention, not a trip to the piercing shop.
B Squared on March 12th, 2007 at 10:15 pmInformation is key. Shannon said it best.
t on March 12th, 2007 at 10:31 pmOn that…I also have seen my fair share of adults make some very stupid makes as well. Piercing and otherwise.
The issue isn’t legal piercing for this guy; he wouldn’t stop touching the problem areas even when the piercer was working on it! Kid’s non-compliant. That proves his immaturity and lack of ability to handle a piercing more than any age limit can.
instigator on March 12th, 2007 at 10:57 pmThis is just plain horrible. I was going to try and think of something insightful to say but the sheer stupidity of this just leaves my mind at a blank.
Christian on March 12th, 2007 at 11:22 pmThat went over well.
a person on March 12th, 2007 at 11:29 pmit just looks retarded. period.
milky on March 12th, 2007 at 11:43 pmHey! there were comments about the doctor, who sent him to a studio - it wasnt that bad of him, i think it’s not that he didnt want to help him, or hated modified people, but i think he is right in his opinion that someone who must have met more fucked up piercings than a doctor, could help this kid more easily …
karibo on March 12th, 2007 at 11:48 pmsorry i did not me to offend,people from iowa.hopefully they have changed there laws,and this was a few years back,and from what they told me it was not from a shady shop.but kids will be kids.and that Dr should be reported.
dustin on March 12th, 2007 at 11:53 pmI must admit when I was a young teenager (I’m talking about thirteen), I began piercing myself, experimenting with “cutting” myself by running sewing needles through my skin shallow like… Was this a smart thing to do? Of course not, I had no idea what I was doing. I had pierced my second holes in my ears myself in my bedroom mirror with a needle as well, which my mother later lectured me on for hours and days on end… But did that make her take me to a respectable shop to get piercd at instead? No. I continued to pierce my navel later on among other things. . . If I had been able to use resources such as a professional piercer, I really believe that I would have went to them, and not set myself up for such a risk of infection, crooked piercings/shallow piercings, etc.
I discovered BMEZINE when I was around fifteen. I then printed out lots of information on a navel piercing and presented it to my mother, and she ended up letting me have it pierced, but that was all until I was eighteen.
I turned eighteen and have became more and more into body modification every single year. I am thankful I stumbled upon bme as a teenager and was able to learn so much information that helped me realize I wasn’t the only person in the world who was so fascinated with I later found out was “body modification”.
Dawnie on March 13th, 2007 at 12:06 amI always knew I wanted a number of mods - labret, septum, ears, nipples etc - right from an early age, and had it not been for BME, I’d have gone down the DIY route.
BME made me wait till I was 18, and getting everything done professionally, and in doing so, probably saved me a lot of painful infections and health risks.
If professional piercing was available to me at 14/15 (when I was considering doing it all DIY), I would have gone for it. Thats not saying that I was mature enough to handle a piercing.
Ultimatly, I dont think it’s a question of legislating for or against this or that - the issue is education, and the general stupidity of the public (and especially 14/15 year old boys, who run entirely on hormones).
Hope that made some kind of sense!
- Dan (UK)
Dan on March 13th, 2007 at 12:07 amWhat a fucking mess! I agree, especially since I pierced my nose at 16 (back in 1989!) with a giant safety pin… on the upside, it’s a piercing that never closes… but I’m lucky my nose didn’t rot off!
Sugar on March 13th, 2007 at 12:40 amCompletely separate from any questions of allowing piercings on young people or not - what the hell was the kid’s family DOCTOR thinking, refusing to help him with his problem???
I would have thought that even those who are against piercing to the nth degree would at least realize that an injury is an injury, self inflicted or not, and help fix it. And at the point this is, there’s no saving it, it’s removing a punctured wound, like stepping on a nail.
I do think information would be helpful, however the law is. Over the past 10 years or so piercing has gone FAR more mainstream, and people are wanting mods earlier, seeing far more people with them, etc.
And finally - add me to the list of people who are surprised the kid didn’t try to at least pierce himself with a boiled needle and ice before shoving the chain link (!!) in.
akibare on March 13th, 2007 at 12:45 amI love Oregon, we keep it real.
Mikhail on March 13th, 2007 at 12:46 amlots of judgements on here about the mental health status of this boy - are any of you medical doctors? for real. im asking, are you M.D.’s, or able to diagnose because of belonging to another profession? Or just making judgements based on one type of behaviour? Dont’ forget we have all done things that other people would deem “stupid”.
and when i was younger (maybe underage, maybe just shy or maybe just uneducated about piercing) i pierced my nose (actually when i was 11) and i pierced my outter labia (i think when i was 15) both were ok, both were taken out eventually. i just never asked my parents, and when i had visible piercings, i still dont really remember them ever saying “no”.
For a needle exchange in Toronto that I used to work out of, I, with a reputable piercer developed a “safer piercing kit” and about half of the people picking it up were hovering around the legal age.
the kit came with good, easy to read information, disposable everything and strict instructions about never sharing. in addiction we gave them more gloves than they needed, sharps containers, way more needles than they needed (prepackaged, sterile) and jewlery (prepackaged, sterile). and having them come to pick it up, they had time to ask questions (and did they EVER) and to be reminded (almost to death) about HIV/AIDS, HEP and why the exchange exsists…. (because of how people contract these diseases) i never had a person there that just wanted to kit and left - they were all very interested in their wellbeing.
the whole mandate of the exchange was to prevent infection (obviously) and this (safer piercing kit) just fell into it.
these programs have recieved the harshest critisism from piercers and people “in the scene” and recived praise from harm reductionists and people in the health/social services sectors.
because what happens when anyone (including kids) can’t get access to a professional piercer or safe equipment (untill its too late in this case)?
….you just clicked on it.
Toser on March 13th, 2007 at 12:54 amI Don’t think the legal age should be changed. What about alcohol products, smoking products and sexual products? If we change one law we change them all. I wanted my labret pierced *so fucking badly* when I was 13. My dad said no, so that was it. I waited 5 years until he would allow me to go to a professional, and in that time I researched heavily. I didn’t even consider doing it myself. Utterly out of the question.
The special thing about piercings and tattoos is that you have to wait for them - it’s like a rite of passage, a coming of age. You are now old enough and mature enough to make your own decisions about your body. Granted there are some very mature 14 and 15 year olds about. But personally, I find anyone who self-does piercings and tattoos just because they’re not old enough yet simply proves how immature they are about the situation.
I’m sure there are a shitload of people who self pierce and self tattoo without any problems whatsoever, and good luck to them.
I know that children are growing up faster but boundaries are there for a reason. I think information on piercing and infection should be more readily available and parents should talk to piercers if their children start talking about piercings… But I also think parents need to show more discipline
My parents treated me very fairly - if I could be mature about things, then I deserved the privelage. I think parents these days are not raising their children - seriously, look at his smug smile! He thinks he’s the best thing since sliced bread! It sounds to me like that woman has no control over her children.
So, in short
~ I don’t think the laws should be changed,
~ I think parents should be more attentive and proactive to their children’s interest in piercing
~ I think both parents and children need to learn and show more respect for each other.
and finally:
WHAT. A. DICKHEAD.
Steph-knee on March 13th, 2007 at 1:15 am…eff this kid, his scene hair, and the horse he rode in on.
exROBBIEex on March 13th, 2007 at 1:22 amThis makes me so sad. I’m crying rivers of BLOOD from now on. -_-
elasticrock on March 13th, 2007 at 1:23 ami am a strong believer that people should go into schools and have it set up for teachers, students, parents and even siblings if they want should have a day set aside for a knowledged piercer and tattooist come into the school and teach them many different things they should know, like jewelry quality, what they should look for in a shop, what kinds of questions they should be asking before they decide to get work done, and all other kinds of angles…….as well as WHY THEY SHOULDN’T BE PIERCING LIKE THIS.
also educate the parents that no matter how much they try to restrict their kids from growing as individuals that they will find some way to go against their parents wishes and this is when the nipple piercings and genital piercings definitely come into play. there are so many other things i could get into that could be covered but i just think that it would be a great idea for us as responsible people to start taking the time to go into schools to talk to these people and educate them.
Valon on March 13th, 2007 at 1:28 am#79 are any of you guys Dr’s what the fuck.what do medical Dr’s know about mental health,but any way we dont need any more laws,but we should aleast be tested,beCAUSE THERE IS WAY TO MANY HACKS,JUST TRYING TO MAKE MONEY,sorry i do this work out of love.and ive been doing this before it was cool and trendy to be a piercer,what we really need is more people in the biz with morals.
dustin on March 13th, 2007 at 1:51 amI find myself needing to quote the great Wil Anderson (Australian comedian) -
“We should not let bogans fuck!”
Neejchee on March 13th, 2007 at 2:19 amOoooh that’s determination, yeah, that had to hurt. Well done, kid. Nice high pain threshold there, I’m impressed.
On the other hand, I get the impression he found out from landing on his head, and finding he could get right up and land on it again.
Sorry, I’m not being objective there, but it’s gone 2am.
I’m not convinced this kid is unusually stupid for 15 based solely on the piercings - he’s not too sharp, no, I’ll grant you, but surrounded with peer pressure and a similarly not-too-sharp social grouping, I can see how he came to the conclusion that it was more important to get his piercings done TODAY, not to get them done RIGHT.
That said, I’m not standing up for the kid’s right to breathe n’ breed, either. Just trying to widen the net of people who shouldn’t…
toast on March 13th, 2007 at 2:29 amNow I’ve done some stupid stuff in my day but MY GOODNESS! “Crushed” in place with pliers?? That’s like a larger guage piercing gun with all the speed, strength and power of your hand into your lip, after having a few dogs lick and piss on the jewelry/piercing apparatus. What a shit-eating smile. Something tells me this kid wouldn’t properly care for a piercing even if it was by a professional (not a blanket statement for everyone his age though)
lilish on March 13th, 2007 at 2:36 amI have done close to thirty DIY piercings. Most of the one’s that I actually kept were done at home before I moved out. I have some shitty tattoo work done by some friends that claimed to be better than they were. Do I regret any of it? Fuck no!! And yes, I have permanent scars, I have been to the emergency room, and I have had my parents threaten to disown me. Big fuckin deal. I think that this kid is going to go through life with some minor scarring and feel rather proud of it, cause he pierced his fucking lip with chain link!! And then he will check out modblog and read all this and think to himself “I am one hardcore muthafucka!!” Kid’s shouldn’t get pierced at MY shop because I feel like I have a moral obligation to keep my clients safe, but if it’s him, on his own, let him give himself a bisection, it’s his meat. He won’t really have a choice but to live with the reminders of his cool lip piercings, but that’s a GOOD thing!! The body is a map. Without landmarks you will never know where you have been, and without pain and suffering there isn’t any reason to go anywhere.
P.S. I wanna read what Yttrx has to say about this. :)
Dorian Antes on March 13th, 2007 at 2:51 amI, like many of you, assumed that Iowa law was 18+ for piercings. However, when I went to get my septum at 18, they asked my age but didn’t check a card. When I inquired as to why, I was informed that Iowa law actually DOES NOT regulate piercing. So the 18+ thing is imposed by shops, most strictly on genital piercings and sometimes not at all on other piercings, and it is mainly to prevent angry, lawyer wielding parents from attacking the shop. As a Des Moines resident, I am aware of at lease 3 nearby shops that would pierce anyone without asking questions and several others that will take you at your word to be 18. So this kid was an idiot, it has nothing to do with the law.
And maybe not a Darwin award now, but wait until he tries a transcrotal with an exacto knife from his tech-ed class.
anon on March 13th, 2007 at 2:52 amShannon,
I completely agree that the standards of age are ridiculous and kids WILL do what they want because they are uneducated or shut their ears in ignorance to the reasons for safe piercings. However, I am upset at the berating of doctors. There are always exceptions which define a stereotype, but the majority of medical professionals are there to help you and just want to encourage safety in your life. One thing that could be beneficial is the education of medical professionals on the safety of piercings when done by a professional. I know many MDs who hide their piercings because of dress codes within the hospital because some ignorant patients feel threatened by the presence of modified individuals. I too hope to serve in the Medical Profession and I hope that I will be able to encourage a child to explore his desire for body modification without the risk of extreme infection or rejection. This is just like the case of many people thinking most pharmacists are Pro-Life because a few refused to distribute the Plan B pill. 2 cents, take it for what its worth.
–Graham
Graham on March 13th, 2007 at 2:53 amWhat the Fuck!?!?!
Nick on March 13th, 2007 at 3:00 amYeah, I’m chiming in again, a bit more coherently.
What people need to realize is that when you’re as immature as most 15-year-olds, you NEED to wait. I mean, I was more mature than the average 15-year-old, but my parents absolutely, vehemently said “NO” to any body mods aside from maybe a second hole in my earlobe. I’m 19 now and about to get my first mod (deciding between venoms or an Aum symbol on my ankle). I’m really glad I had those few years to decide, because otherwise I’d have a rejected piercing (I sucked at aftercare on the 2nd ear hole and it closed a few months after I got it) or a poorly-cared-for tattoo that I wouldn’t even want now. The way I was 4 years ago? That’s the NORM, not the exception.
wocket on March 13th, 2007 at 3:03 amI agree with getting information out there, but allowing kids to actually get the mods? Nah. Let them have a few years to digest the facts.
I worked at a place that sells body jewelry for three years. Kids would come up all the time bragging about their drunken DIY piercings, or getting it done at the mall and wondering how it got infected. I would hand them my piercer’s business card and explain to them in language they could understand how unsafe it is to self-pierce, and to NEVER get work done while intoxicated. Some of them listened but most went on to get more unsafe body mods done by themselves or their friends at parties. As for me, I was forbidden to get anything pierced until I was 18 and held a job. At 22, I now have 15 healthy, professionally done piercings that I can proudly showcase. It takes all kinds.
bywatergirl on March 13th, 2007 at 3:09 am80 - how is self piercing a maturity factor?
also (just directed to whoever is reading) - age isn’t the deciding factor for maturity, inteligence, good judgement…excetra…i have tattoos that i regret getting after the legal age…and i am sure there are people out there, in thier 20’s, 30’s, 60’s and 80’s regreting things they have done years ago and up until this minute.
so…
CHILLAX, remember everyone is different. not like you, me or everyone else. and take it easy, lemon squeezy, not everyone is as smart as you think you are hah!
Toser on March 13th, 2007 at 3:15 ami know i’m late to this conversation but i thought i’d weigh in and say word, lexci, word.
seriously: stuff like this is why i think there SHOULD be an age limit. of course 18 is not some magical number after which people become capable of making wise choices. but waiting a little while never hurt anyone. especially when we’re talking about making permanent modifications to your body…
kt on March 13th, 2007 at 3:49 amLowering the age limit would not help people like this.
Most likely the kid would just fuck up a professional piercing, get it infected or something, and then the mom would have someone else to blame.
Br1t Noxxious on March 13th, 2007 at 4:05 amhaha 85 thats great stuff, wil andersons an absolute legend, didnt he say that about the corbys??? anyway, yeah this kids messed himself up quite severly he should learn right??? right??? but i doubt it…
rex on March 13th, 2007 at 4:08 amOk, I’m late to this party, but this kid’s doctor was an ass. No question. That said, I am the only doctor I know with a kit of piercing tools including ring opening pliers. Without the right stuff this kid’s lip would have been rendered hamburger. I wouldn’t have turned him away, but this piercing reeks of stupidity all around. I’m not sure this kid would have had it done professionally if he could have because he’s clearly incapable of reasoning out the potential consequences as it is.
The age laws go to consent and protect the professional. They place a minimum age of responsibility for the decision making. Earlier than that, the piercee could readily turn around and make accusations of forcible piercing or anything else and it would stick. Even without laws, a piercer is a fool to pierce a minor without a parent present. Seriously.
moddoctor on March 13th, 2007 at 4:28 amFor some reason I highly doubt if this kid would’ve gone to a legit piercer even if he was allowed by law…
Most DIY minors, even when they do piercings themselves, don’t use chainlink and crush it into their skin. They might use cheapass jewelry and a safety pin, but Hell, nothing compared to this.
HereKittyKitty on March 13th, 2007 at 4:36 amSounds like the whole family is from a very shallow end of the gene pool.
I completely understand the issues with piercing genitals on minors, I’m just saying the piercing doesn’t matter to the individual, they’re going to get whatever they want if they want it. And really, if a 12 year old is willing to pierce their genitals, they’re probably suited for this community. Most at that age would focus on the pain to stop them if nothing else. And again, I’m not saying that means piercers should be doing 12 year olds bits.
That said, I don’t think we can infer nearly as much as everyone is about who the kid or the parents are by this story. Yes there were a lot of bad decisions, but that doesn’t mean the parents are bad or the kid is a complete moron, just that bad choices were made.
CreativeNonFiction on March 13th, 2007 at 4:51 amSomebody please give this kid an injection of windex.
I honestly wonder what goes though people’s heads, sometimes.
Kmerathaetra on March 13th, 2007 at 4:53 amPeople act like they were never young and stupid/uneducated. I’m all for the people with the ideas for better education about modification for younger people, I love that idea.
kuroneko711 on March 13th, 2007 at 6:01 amI have a few comments on other ppls comments…ahem:
stacey…thank you for saying what I was thinking!
“If you expect them to be responsible, they often rise to your expectations. If you expect them to be unruly and obnoxious, they stoop to what you ask of them, too.” -trinityva…
very well said
“In order to qualify for a Darwin Award, the person needs (among other things) to have died or been rendered sterile as a result of their stupidity”-bravemenrun
let’s just hope this kid IS sterile. I think I can speak for a lot of ppl here when I say the last thing this world needs is MORE of these idiots running around.
Also, I think the doctor made a wise decision…how many family practitioners do you know of that carry the tools to remove horribly bent up pieces of metal from kids faces? Probably not many. Sending the kid to a piercer to remove the junk first was a wise decision. Of course the doctor definately should have told him to come back after they were out of his face but luckily the piercer had enough common sense for that.
kaylee on March 13th, 2007 at 6:02 amI wonder what gauge chainlink is….?
XD
Nathan on March 13th, 2007 at 6:15 amwhat is this an echo room?
You are all stating the same thing, age doesnt mean mature and at the same time age of consent is in place to protect the young.
Not everything is uniform, as people are also not uniform. You need a general setup to keep those who cant protect themselves from being abused.
Now, as I stated before, not necessarily on BME but to friends, in alot of psych texts piercings and other mods are considered deviant and antisocial behavoir.
While we can all agree the average, run of the mill pierced or tattoed person does so responsibly and with a healthy mindset so this standard should not apply.
But when you look at pictures like this, it is clear that this boy is suffering from some mental illness, whatever it may be.As is his mother. What person in their right mind tried to cut their own childs lip open to get a ring of metal out? These people need to be watched and carefully. They clearly cannot take care of themselves.
Lily on March 13th, 2007 at 6:41 amI don’t think I can possibly write a coherent, rational comment to this… I’m at a lack for words at what this kid did to himself. Uh, “I hope he learned his lesson” seems to come to mind.
mandy on March 13th, 2007 at 6:49 amUUUUUGHH its kids like him who cause the misconception that minors are stupid and ignorant. God damn, chain links?!?!?
Stabby on March 13th, 2007 at 7:23 amHAHAHAHHAHAHA this kid has gutts!
Ninha on March 13th, 2007 at 7:34 amthat is the epitome of stupidity.
Prim8 on March 13th, 2007 at 7:41 amnever seen a so stupid guy….
dmonsex on March 13th, 2007 at 8:18 ami keep trying to type a response and i can’t. i just can’t find words other than ‘dumbass’ and ‘idiot kid.’
Zar on March 13th, 2007 at 8:21 am92 - Self piercing itself is not the maturity factor (I was sort of writing and not thinking a whole lot) It’s more the “My parents won’t let me get pierced, so I’ll show them how mature I am and wait it out and research it, rather than go and crush some chain links into my face”
That’s sort of the point I was trying to get across. I think that turning that special age where you’re allowed to do something is very special, and in the very least, defiling that takes away the excitement of turning that age. We all have to go through rites of passage and whatnot. And as it turns out, this kid apparently could’ve legally gone into a piercer and had these done, because earlier posters have mentioned that Iowa doesn’t have government regulations on piercings.
All a bit pointless really. He should’ve just forked out that cash.
Steph-knee on March 13th, 2007 at 8:42 amOh my, oh my. That looks so incredibly painful!
So, I’m fifteen and think that most people my age would find this guy incredibly ‘hardcore’, but seriously, this just seems like such a stupid thing to do…
I never considered doing anything dodgy like this when I wanted a part of me pierced!
This reminds me of some girl I’ve seen who pierced her breast with a safety pin. As in, breast fresh. Not nipple. And she’s left it in, so everyone can see how ‘tough’ she is.
What really annoys me is that he’s got a smile in the first photo.
xxx.
The Spicazi on March 13th, 2007 at 9:02 amwtf how thid he do thad?:S
pinhead-jr2 on March 13th, 2007 at 10:15 amthe the chains realy close or somting?
It seems like a million years ago since I was 14 (I’m 22 now) and I remember thinking I was totally indestructible, nothing was ever going to really hurt me, had I been into piercing at the time I’d probably have ignored any advice thrown my way by more experienced practitioners.
Burberryhillbilly on March 13th, 2007 at 10:28 amWhen you factor in teenager’s latent belief that they’re virtually immortal, lack of modification education, lack of funds, impatience, percieved peer pressure, and a ‘fuck you’ attitude to authority figures who tell them not to do stuff it’s pretty much a dead cert that some kids out there are going to do stuff like this.
Sure education has a massive role to play in stopping this appalling kind of disfigurement, but at the end of the day some kids are gonna do it anyway. It’s mistakes like these that give the anti mod community ammunition to tar us all with the same brush, but we don’t live in totalitarian states, and these kids have the right to screw up their bodies if they want to. We just have to try and reach them young enough, show them how to do these things safely, it’s all we can do I suspect.
102: Looks like ~6-4ga to me (:
I don’t think anything would’ve helped this kid, from what I take from the situation, he would’ve done it just to be cool - and we all know you’ve gotta be scene to be seen.
Campbell on March 13th, 2007 at 10:31 amPoint 1. This is the kind of young person who purpetuates the idea that young people are irresponsible and should not be allowed to be within a hundred mile radius of piercings.
Point 2. What possesses anyone to crush pieces of chain link fence into their face? Seriously, I mean I’ve known young people that have pierced themselves but at least they have the sense to use sterile needles and jewllery.
Point 3. TWAT!
Amy on March 13th, 2007 at 11:45 amPlease give this kid a Darwin Award, I beg you.
Fae on March 13th, 2007 at 12:23 pmgiving kids what they want isnt the way to prevent this kind of thing. theyre kids, they should learn to respect the rules and wait until theyre of legal age to have these piercings. those age restrictions are also in place for a reason because at a young age people are still growing and piercing them in certain places like navel or tongue at a young age could create difficulties when they grow and the piercing will just end up wonky anyway the same way a tattoo may stretch if done when the person is still growing.
Sarah on March 13th, 2007 at 12:26 pmthe only way to prevent this kind of thing happening is to properly educate people about piercing and body modification and show them examples like this of such stupidity and show them what they could be doing to themselves.
of course im not saying that this would prevent every person under an age restriction from doing this sort of things to themselves but we can only give them the facts, the stupidity is up to them
i know i probably should not superimpose my values on others. but i would gladly smack some sense into the smirking face of this imbecile.
elixir on March 13th, 2007 at 12:30 pmway to go, kid!
just a thought: if (by chance) the “diy” mod didn’t went wrong, how many of you would approve (the attitude at least) it?
come on. let’s be onest…
andrei on March 13th, 2007 at 1:56 pmLots of interesting comments here.
I’d have to agree with Shannon. Education about this sort of thing, or anything for that matter, is SO IMPORTANT.
Malice Alice on March 13th, 2007 at 2:10 pmthe more i’ve thought about this situation and read what people have to say, the more i’m inclined to think the following
- his doctor probably didn’t have anywhere near the proper tools to remove CHAIN LINK. perhaps if it was an ER doctor, but a general practitioner isn’t going to have ring opening pliers. this kid had to use pliers just to CLOSE these chain links. that’s probably why he got turned away, and it makes sense.
-this kid has no knowledge whatsoever about safety, anatomy, or piercing. either he hasn’t been to the doctor in his life before this, or he’s never watched any medical TV shows, because most unmodified people know that putting some jagged, rusted alloy metal into their body via clamping with pliers carries many risks (bloodborne pathogens, tetanus, infection, bruising, swelling). anyone who’s gotten a vaccination knows how the needle works, and most people who are interested in piercings have SOME general knowledge of the procedure and outcome. not to mention that it isn’t commonplace to see someone walking around with chain links in their face. so my conclusion is that this kid is either COMPLETELY uneducated, COMPLETELY stupid, or mentally unsound/handicapped, and he obviously doesn’t give a shit about his body and/or believes he’s invincible. there isn’t any other excuse for kids of his age who live in this country to engage in such behaviour, especially kids who have been exposed to piercings (like this kid, obviously). this kid is an exception; any reasonably intelligent person who possesses common sense can see that what he is done is dangerous and not even sustainable.
NOW, if he did this to show his mom that if he’s not allowed to get a piercing, he’ll mutilate his body as a consolation, then i’d have to say i can understand his motivations more. however, i wouldn’t be surprised if he pierced himself like this because he couldn’t handle being told by his mother than he can’t have what he want (piercings), and making it perfectly legal for a kid to go behind his parents’ backs and disregard their rules i don’t think will help. i think what kids in this country need is STRICTER discipline and learning how to accept that they can’t always have what they want.
sorry for the incoherence.
Lindsay on March 13th, 2007 at 2:32 pmToo bad they didn’t end their ability to procreate; otherwise we would have had a contestant for this years Darwin Awards
HippyJayM on March 13th, 2007 at 9:38 pmgood old iowa i love that place. on a lighter not i like the bends on the links
kivaka on March 13th, 2007 at 9:43 pmI believe it is our responsibility to use our knowledge and skill to guide and inform young men and women on how and why, while keeping them in as safe an environment as possible. Not turning them away because we are afraid of what our “Guru” trendy scene friends have to say about it. Leaving them to house party piercings and slummy shops isn’t the answer. If they are going to do it anyway, why not guide them along the way properly. 18 + still make plenty of stupid decisions and a great number of them don’t listen or follow aftercare very well either. You cannot baby sit, rather guide people in the right direction. Become a educator not a preacher.
Lane Jensen on March 13th, 2007 at 10:15 pmwow,i’m really glad now that i stopped piercing myself and founf BME when i did (besides the fact that i got a keliod scar from piercing my ears with a safety pin).
Sade on March 13th, 2007 at 11:06 pmThat fucking moron wouldn’t have gone to a professional even if it were legal, so the ‘lower the age limit’ view is kinda skewed. Maybe if he’d have used something sharp and put jewelry in it, yeah, I could see the point. Kid really wanted it done, but couldn’t get it done somewhere safe.
But this uninformed dumbass CRUSHED chainlinks (one of which was rusty) through his skin. He obviously didn’t give a shit about respecting his body, so the point is moot. Would someone who did that drop down all the cash it’d take to get all three of those done in a clean, respectable establishment? Pffft.
Some minors would benefit from lower age limits, but overall it probably wouldn’t be worth it.
Ana on March 14th, 2007 at 12:08 amOur culture in general is messed as regards age of consent…you can join the military at 16 but you can drink until you are 19. In the states you can finihs college before you are allowed to legally drink… Girls mensturate at 8 but can’t legally have sex until 14… Teens can sleep with each other but get get a perscription for birth control without parental consent…16 year olds can live on thier own but can’t get certain piercings? 17 year olds posting a picture of themselves on the internet get arrested for child porn…explain how any of this makes sense? it’s not just piercing.
wintermute on March 14th, 2007 at 12:38 amasshole of the year.
chloé. on March 14th, 2007 at 12:43 amLol. I like how he has a chain-link through his nose.
Brandie on March 14th, 2007 at 1:24 amI agree that piercing laws about age should be changed… Even if some kid stops liking a piercing a month later because it’s not in style or whatever anymore, then he/she can take it out. Piercings are a much better body mod for underage people than tattoos, because they can be reversed with little effort.
But I definitely don’t think that tattoo laws should be changed. When people are teenagers or pre-teens or whatever, they like stupid shit that eventually they grow out of. Piercings close up, tattoos don’t go away without some complicated procedure that I don’t know the name of.
micala on March 14th, 2007 at 1:59 amUhm… changing the piercing laws is only a band-aid to the real issue here: People who are TOO FUCKING DUMB TO PARENT.
Now it’s beyond thorny to even suggest that breeding laws be enacted (who decides who’s “fit” to be parents is just one of a million reasons NOT to do it) but seriously… it’s beyond unfair that willing, conscientious people are not able (or in many cases choosing not to) have children when pieces of shit like this kid’s mom are allowed to squeeze out kids like a defective gumball machine at a Chucky Cheese.
It makes me fucking sick. A lot more sick than ANYTHING I’ve seen posted on this website, that’s for sure.
molex on March 14th, 2007 at 2:09 amSeriously. I deal with dumb fucks like this often. Usually not this dumb, but definitely safety pins dumb. But it’s the parents that don’t control their children. I had some lady let her kid kick over my biohazard trash ON PURPOSE after I already told him to chill out a couple times.
I agree and disagree with the age being lowered…because it really does depend. But honestly very little of this would be an issue if parents actually parented their children.
Ghobian on March 14th, 2007 at 2:50 amI can’t imagine how much that had to hurt.
Wodrag on March 14th, 2007 at 2:57 amAnd, completely out of topic… He’s wearing a NIN shirt in the photographs.
I don’t see much difference between this and cutting off your fingers or shoving rods through your middle. Maybe this kid had a killer personal experience, you dont fucking know.
allie on March 14th, 2007 at 3:10 amI thank BME that I’m not like this…
I went into a store I despise today to get tapers for my friend and the guy that worked there had a blown out ear. He was maybe 20-22 and I’m 15.
Because of the things I’ve read on BME and the QOD, I told him how he could possibly reverse his blow out.
I helped my friend stop the swelling of his tongue piercing with sea salt and compresses.
Thank you Shannon and the rest of BME for giving me an education for myself and for other people.
BTW, I’ve only ever had a septum piercing, so most people don’t trust me. So I just tell them to go to BME =]
Brian on March 14th, 2007 at 3:41 amOh, and by the smile on the kids face, I’d assume that he hasn’t learned his lesson yet.
I hope, for his sake, that he get’s an infection. It will teach him to not shove bits of DULL FENCE through his face.
I’d rather use saftey pins and claire’s jewelry for a PA.
Come on, kids. You make all other kids look like shit.
And I agree with Shannon. The laws are crazy. I know people over 18 that use alcohol in healing piercings and kids who use H2Ocean. It has NOTHING to do with age and EVERYTHING to do with maturity. Should we have piercing knowledge tests and IQ tests prior before EVERYONES sessions so we know who to pierce and so we can educate them?
If anyone has any proper and intelligent rebuttal, hit me up on Myspace [above] or IAM [brian954].
Brian on March 14th, 2007 at 3:46 amthat is… insane.
he (and his whole family it seems) appear to be lacking any common sense whatsoever.
there’s stupid, and then there’s this.
..unbelievable.
Lenorefff on March 14th, 2007 at 4:01 am“Oh, and by the smile on the kids face, I’d assume that he hasn’t learned his lesson yet.”
Lenorefff on March 14th, 2007 at 4:03 amagreed, that’s the sad part…
C’mon people, really, there were worse decisions he could have made. I’m not advocating such practices, but you can’t simply say he has no respect for his body because of this. Not long ago Shannon posted pictures of piercing nipples with a leather tool. That’s certainly not the same thing, but it’s a good step between pinching and piercing jewelry in. And we can’t say it’s an immature thing either. I’m sure there are plenty of old folks on here that in their recent years have tried something “stupid” just to try it. We’ve seen things from inserting foot long metal bars into one’s stomach to using your cunt as an ash tray. People do what their bodies can take, and though he’s young and probably doesn’t know where his body stands yet, that’s not for us to decide and project onto him. He saw an image he liked and recreated it in himself. He didn’t choose the best or safest way, but who here can say they’ve made only good decisions in their life?
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
CreativeNonFiction on March 14th, 2007 at 5:46 amWhat a fucking retard.
Sarah on March 14th, 2007 at 6:45 amIf those were made with real piercing jewelry and done prof. it could actually look pretty neat.
JenO33 on March 14th, 2007 at 6:54 amThere are some teenagers who are more mature than others and as such they can take on the responsibility of aftercare. Immature teenagers might ruin it for others, but if everyone else has to wait until they are of age, then they wait like every other teenager. If they do find a way to get pierced anyway, I hope they educate themselves first.
As for comments like “that’s not for us to decide and project onto him” Actually I think it’s probably good that people are calling this stupid, it means they are recognizing the potential risks. You can say it’s not fair to judge, or that we forget what it’s like to be a teenager, but it should all about education. It’s not such a terrible thing to learn from other people, or learn from their mistakes. I don’t think it’s unreasonable for people to judge that DIY Piercings with pliers and chunks of metal (that can rust) may be unsanitary and carry unacceptable risks.
milquetoast on March 14th, 2007 at 9:18 amAhahaha I totally just noticed his chin fuzz. He really is just a young-un, isn’t he?
Steph-knee on March 14th, 2007 at 9:22 ami know some people who are 18+ who dont take care of their piercings, goto crap studios, then blame the piercer. i also know some 14 year olds who take perfect care of their piercings, research, and oto he most quality studio where i live… I have a few piercings (tongue, rook-helix orbital, stretched lobes (8mm) and conch) all done when i was 16, and i took care of them all, and all have healed perfectly. I also did my research and went o the best local studio…
i really dont think age has much to do with common sense or maturity.;
Ross on March 14th, 2007 at 12:32 pmhow high up so many if you sit….i can’t believe what i am reading.
it’s probabaly somewhat dangerous what he did, but dont forget, piercing didn’t start with well polished jewlery and sterile equipment.
no one is perfect, i dont understand how so many of you are so judgemental…and calling this person names like “retard”, how “mature” is that? lets compete and see how much we can chastize this fellow….please chill out!
Toser on March 14th, 2007 at 3:10 pm#138, piercing knowledge tests sound like a pretty smart idea. Too many kids on BME QOD ask “If I get this piercing, will it leave a scar when I take it out?” and there are numerous aftercare questions which could just be answered by looking at the BME Wiki (at least) or going to a piercer and asking. I personally never go into a new modification blind, and research as much as possible before having anything done.
starless_dark on March 14th, 2007 at 3:34 pmExaclty, starless. I especially hate when kids ask questions like “ma ear hurts!!!1 it lo0ks liek a cats arse!!!!shiftone1! is going from 18ga to 1 inch in a month BAD?!?!”
Grrrrr. If it wasn’t for BME and QOD, not only would there be more kids shoving bits of fence through their bodies, but there would be, without a doubt, kids dead due to infections.
Brian Nichols on March 14th, 2007 at 4:22 pm#48
You fuckass, do you know ANYTHING?
Based on your oh-so-fabulous typing skills and braindead assumptions, you have nothing to talk about stereotypes of being stupid.
The stereotype for Iowa isn’t typically that we’re all dumb. That’s Nebraska, hurhurhur. In fact, if someone isn’t assuming that we grow potatoes (we don’t), then it’s that there are a lot of businesses in the US that have the stereotype that people that graduate from Iowa schools are generally more well-rounded people. Ha-durrrr. Yeah, we’re really stupid.
You have a ’shop’? I assume you’re a piercer/tattooist, then? God help anyone that DOES come into your shop if you’re running around assuming a state doesn’t have piercing laws. Don’t you think that’s kind of…oh, I don’t know…ILLEGAL? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out.
Iowa actually DOES have piercing laws, and pretty fair ones, if you ask me. Typical places I’ve been to have laws that say you can get your ears pierced with consent before 14, nose/ears without consent after 14, nose/belly button at 16, and everything else at 18. Some places vary from this, as I’ve seen lip piercings as early as 16.
Like every other state out there, you will run into shops here that do piercings for just anyone, but just like in ANY other state, those are usually the dirty shops that you don’t want to go to.
Obviously this kid couldn’t wait or didn’t have the money to do it…It happens in EVERY OTHER STATE. Dumbasses trying to pierce themselves aren’t just exclusive to Iowa. I’d imagine it’d run even more rampant in a larger, more populated state, wouldn’t you?
Logic, people. LOGIC!
Kuro on March 14th, 2007 at 4:27 pmOh, and regarding the age issues…
I agree that there are many mature young teenagers out there. I took care of my piercings very well when I was 14 and 16. The thing is is that many more people at that age CAN’T. It’s unfair, it sucks, but I honestly think it’s for the best. It’s why the drinking age is like it is, in my opinion. Sure, I drank responsibly when I was 17, but for every one of me out there that has the maturity TO handle it, there’s 1,000 who just can’t.
I waited 5 years to get my lip pierced. It was a long, loooooooong wait, but in the end I loved it SO much more. And if I would’ve changed my mind in that 5-year span, I would’ve saved myself a lot of money and pain.
Kuro on March 14th, 2007 at 4:35 pm[...] I thought this would be a good one to start with, given the recent example of the kid who thought chain links would make acceptable jewelry! [...]
ModBlog - Is Body Jewelry Quality Important? - Body modification and ritual blog sponsored by BMEzine.com on March 14th, 2007 at 4:44 pm#48– don’t even go there. “he’s from iowa”? jerk.
painted lady on March 14th, 2007 at 5:15 pmKuro - dont feel bad about #48…not worth the time…really…
Toser on March 14th, 2007 at 5:24 pmAfter reading more of the comments, I have more to say I think XD
Stardust on March 14th, 2007 at 5:32 pmIn my opinion, I think some of the piercing age limits should be lowered, still. I don’t think it’ll totally eliminate this sort of thing, but at least you have better chances for a GOOD piercing.
And I agree with everyone’s who has said that education is key. Like i mentioned before, I’m fifteen and I managed to heal my three professional piercings between the help of my piercer and BME- just look at the contrast of BEFORE (piercing my lip with a alcohol-”sterilised” needle) and AFTER (using what i’ve learned to fix the scar tissue my monroe started generating, clear up the allergic reaction to my eyebrow barbell’s steel, and keep from getting even a hint of the dreaded BUMP on my nose).
So far BME’s meant a lot to me for learning much much more about piercings (as well as all other mods). I have a friend who still talks about “gauging” her ears, or the new “gauges” she got, even after I’ve tried to explain to her multiple times. (then again, this is a girl who’s been stretching her ears with plastic barbells from the flea market and is at maybe 6g [from 18g] in a matter of maybe a month. she’s told another friend of mine that she’s scared to look at the back of her ears after I sent her the BME encyclopedia on blow outs).
All I’m saying is, this sort of ignorance could be helped greatly if piercers were able to educate kids (or anyone who’s not all that up on it) about piercings, and that couldn’t really be done till piercing laws were changed, could it?
Although I’d also like to say that if it was maybe a seamless ring, constructed out of an acceptable material, the wavy-ness of the chain links could look sort of cool.
Stardust on March 14th, 2007 at 5:36 pmI feel the best thing that can be done is to in