By Staff Writer, Jessica LIontop

    
     In a society where body modification is considered taboo, piercings have come a long way. Today, teenagers resort to piercing their body in order to make definitive statements, not necessarily to the general public, but more or less to themselves.

            For the cost of a momentarily painful prick, temporarily swollen body part, and cooling relief, teens have been able to visually and creatively express a certain style that defines them or that allows for them to stand out among their peers.

            The art of body modification, as a means of self-expression, has been a popular trend for quite some time. Over the years, teenagers have become increasingly adventurous in the body parts they choose to pierce, from clearly visible septum piercings and gauged or stretched ears to tongue studs and navel rings.

            No longer are teenagers limited to the conventional pierced ears. Instead, they have branched out in directions that often make mom and dad cringe.

            “I started getting into oi and punk [music] around the seventh grade and I saw people with septum piercings all the time,” Alexandra Camacho-Platas (’09) said. “I thought it looked really cool and I have wanted mine pierced [ever since].”

            Aside from the influences of their peers, many have also decided to get piercings under the notion of curiosity.

            This was the case for juniors Nikolas Carapia and Melanis Markar.

            While Carapia indifferently shrugged at his rational for getting such an attention grabbing, double zero [stretched] ear piercing, Markar simply stated that her nose piercing was “cute” and claimed that she was really happy about it.

            Some students have used piercings as a way of solidifying strong bonds with friends as was the case with Suzie Taracena (’10) and Michelle Espinosa (’11), who got “friendship piercings” on their tongue and lip.

            Taracena, having a total of seven piercings, looks to musician Travis Barker and tattoo artist and piercing enthusiast Kat Von D for inspiration.

            “I am who I am,” Taracena said. “And maybe, I have a metal face, but I pop out.”

            As far as handling an outsider’s evaluation of body piercing, teenagers seem to unanimously agree that the public’s impression of them do not seem to be bothersome.

            “It’s my face, it’s my choice,” Platas stated about her septum piercing.  “Some people have made fun of me for it and even compared me to a bull, but you just have to be comfortable with yourself. Comments like that don’t affect me any more.”

            “It’s grown on me,” Platas’s mother said. “I suppose it could be worse.”

            Similarly, Shannon Azizi (’08), who has a combined number of six piercings on her ears and one on her navel, acknowledged the worries expressed by her parents and friends.

            “They didn’t want me to look trashy,” Azizi said. “The public perceive me as more of an edgy and crazy person, but I haven’t received any bad labels.”

            Jessica Perez (’11) says she has received mixed messages as a result of her nine piercings.

            “I had to deal with mad parents but my friends and I think they look sexy,” Perez said. “I have realized that the pain associated with piercings is addicting.”

            All in all, the piercings these students proudly flaunt reflect the individualism they all hold, which is something they highly value.