The experience of getting my septum ring pierced was an exciting moment. Being as it may, I have had other piercing such as my nose pierced on the outside which didn’t last very long. A friend and I had them pierced as a two for one special in Astor Place. I returned home, a rebellious teen, to have my father hand me $20 and explain that he doesn’t want to know, just figure out a way to remove it. Considering I lived at home, the excitement of having my nose done only lasted a short time.
I explained this story to a friend of mine who shared some interesting information of the symbolism of getting your nose pierced and really the cultural history behind it. She had also had her nose pierced, a hoop just like mine, and was out shopping in the East Village. Women from India walked up to her and politely asked her if she was aware of the symbolism behind her piercing.
She informed my friend about the history, dating back to the 16th century, where the nose piercing had been done to accentuate the look of the face, considering how prominent the element of the nose is on the face.
Continuing on this conversation she explained that in a traditional Hindu marriage it is custom for women to wear a stud or nose ring. Women pierced their nose either on one side or both. The nose ring is considered a symbol of marriage. Today, she explained, it has been adopted by Western culture and clearly became very common and stylish.
But this baffled my friend, she was almost embarrassed, yet intrigued by the evidence behind something she had recently gotten done. In no way did the women want to make my friend feel that she had done something wrong but essentially wanted to let her know that living in a place, such as New York City, these traditions can carry on and live among those who follow the Hindu religion.
So before walking blindly into a piercing facility to have my septum done, I didn’t want to be ignorant to the pathway that brought this piercing into reality and had made its way over to the United States.
Warrior cultures utilized the visual appeal of the septum ring to create a more dramatic look to their fighters. Whether it be a thin retainer or a large tusk, the appearance of a septum ring is to be intimidating and fierce in battle, to ensure confidence and a fierce look to the battle ensemble.
Pig’s tusks were most popular spanning from New Guinea to the Solomon Islands. Made from bone, these large pieces would really make a statement for opponents while in combat.
Celebrities like Scarlet Johansson or Hayley Williams, singer of Paramore, have been spotted sporting the septum piercing. They have such a feminine way of wearing a long flowing gown and fashioning a septum retainer for a night on the town. The mixture of sexy temptress with sophisticated sweetheart can never be a losing combination.
While filling out the piercing agreement, just to state that if they lose my nose, I can’t hold them accountable, I was feeling a bit nervous, but not overwhelmed by the idea. The piercer was very friendly and talked enough about what he was going to do prior to any needles getting close to my face.
As we joked around about clowns wandering in just as he was about to poke me, I felt like the whole hype about the piercing was over. The needle pressed into me midway through this conversation and my tear ducts filled up a bit. But not out of sorrow, just the nerve reaction. Laughing a bit to myself I thought, this wasn’t so bad.
His explanation for aftercare was in-depth and most helpful to making sure that my healing process went over well. Just getting a retainer piercing made it easy to flip the ring up, ensuring that my family wouldn’t spot the septum and shell out another $20 for removal.
