I’ve never really been a rebellious person. Throughout high school and my freshman year of college, I was pretty boring (and, let’s face it, I still am). I was always known in my small New Jersey suburb as quiet, sweet and harmless, and when I decided to get my nose pierced this September, I never expected a strong reaction. Well, my little town decided to prove me wrong.
When I was home this past weekend, all I wanted was to spend a relaxing few days catching up with my friends from high school, spending time with my family and getting out of the city for a little bit. I was able to do all of that, but I also had to face people who saw me with my nose piercing for the first time, and some of their comments weren’t too favorable.
It would start out with their eyes getting a little bit wider. Then, they would cock their heads slightly to the side and point at their own noses. Incredulously, they would ask, “Is this new?” I would say yes, and they would become even more confused. Either “I just never would have expected someone like you to get their nose pierced,” or “Your mom must not be very happy” were usually their next responses.
In some of these cases, I questioned them right back, half out of nerve, and half out of general curiosity. I would usually reply with something like, “What kind of person would get her nose pierced?” The most telling response came from my old boss from the coffee shop I used to work in during high school: “I’m not sure,” he said. “But not you. You’re classier than that.”
Obviously, I was taken aback. Classy? Am I no longer classy? Am I trashy? What do any of these words even mean?
After thinking about it, I realized that when my old boss told me I wasn’t as classy as he thought I was, he implied that before getting my nose pierced, I had a specific value in the eyes of the people around town. When I voluntarily made the choice to get my nose pierced, I lowered that value, and according to all of them, I was just plain stupid for doing so.
People did not hold back when warning me how much I would regret piercing my nose. First of all, they told me, I just single-handedly ruined my prospects of getting any respectable job. After all, who would hire someone with a nose piercing? Also, when I’m much older, I’ll look extremely inappropriate and I’ll lose respect from colleagues and peers.
Finally, they promised, I’ll eventually give in and take the piercing out, leaving a scar that will ruin my “perfect nose.”
Interestingly, most of the criticism I received about my piercing came from adults, not from people my own age. When I showed off my piercing to my friends at school and at home, they were incredibly excited for me. We would have conversations about why I chose to get my nose pierced, and when we were done talking they would tell me that it looked beautiful. Just like that, life would move on.
But the negative comments toward me had harsher connotations. They reminded me of the unfair convention that places “promiscuous” women against “prude” women. If a woman decides either to be more open or more modest with her body, some people become heated at the thought of her having self-autonomy and making decisions for herself.
In the case of my nose piercing, I most definitely made a decision for myself that allowed me to execute autonomy over my own body. This, I suppose, makes me less classy.
The thing is, the alarming statements my suburban town gratuitously used to predict my future aren’t facts. And the truth is, I have more important characteristics, aside from the jewelry I choose to wear, that will help me to get a solid, career-starting job. My increasing age combined with my piercing will not lessen the amount of respect people have for me. And for some reason I decide to eventually take my piercing out, the small, freckle-like scar that will be left on my nose will not ruin my appearance. It’ll instead be a happy reminder of a time in college when I decided to do something simply because I wanted to.
At the end of the day, my nose piercing does not lower my worth or my value. It is simply a superficial addition to the other traits I already possess, like my determination, my passion and my kindness. I love my new piercing, and no amount of condescending, ignorant comments about my so-called loss of classiness will ever make me feel guilty about making a decision for myself.
Nose piercings are trashy but you should follow your bliss.