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Funky punctures

Youngsters are willing to go to any lengths and any threshold of pain to look hip and cool with body piercing

Photo: Sandeep Saxena

Body art A matter of piercing

Whether it is a fashion statement or an overrated fad among youngsters, one cannot ignore the fact that body piercing is among the most wanted things for youngsters today. Apart from branded shoes, clothes, hep jeans, cool hairdos, funky jewellery 230;you know what I mean.

If you spot a 15-year-old with scarlet coloured spiked hair, an over sized basketball jersey, and to top it all, an eyebrow piercing, and think it’s a little too eccentric, think again. It is not uncommon to find jewellery stores and even some beauty parlours thronged by youngsters to get their piercing needs catered to.

“A few years ago, one was apprehensive of even getting one’s nose pierced, now girls are in a hurry to adorn their navels with a fashionable stud,” observes Sneha Suresh, a beautician. Anjana Seth, a college student, feels it is only a matter of changing with the times.

In India, a revolution has definitely taken place, at least with respect to body art. While navel piercing has been a rage for sometime now, tongue piercing has become just as popular. Rohit Das, an engineering student, says: “Men usually prefer ear and eyebrow piercing, but lower-lip piercing is considered most trendy.” With women, ear, nose and navel piercing sell best. “Women are more hung up about eyebrow piercing and what is quite hideous is that many go in for nail piercing!” observes a rather ratttled Vrinda Shukla, a hotel management student.

The piercing process can be awfully agonising but most people have no issues as long as the job is well done. The gunshot is the ideal method of getting one’s ears and nose pierced. The needle method is preferred for almost all other kinds of piercing. Shaima Iqbal, a student of journalism, got a navel piercing a few years ago and claims that it did not hurt at all.

However, there are more people on the other side who have a sad twist to their tale. There have been instances where people have passed out during a piercing session, or have even bled profusely in the process. Malvika Rao, a PR executive, who recently got her belly pierced without local anaesthesia , went though an ordeal after she got the piercing done. Most often, these wounds become sceptic and medical treatment is required.

There is a mixed opinion on why people get body piercing done. Though a majority of youngsters feel that those who get piercing done, do so to make a fashion statement or highlight their personality, some feel that they do it as an act of imitating their favourite stars on television.

Most Indian parents are still not comfortable with this unconventional trend. Surekha Iyer, a mother of two, opines: “I am strictly against piercings that are done only to flaunt. It makes one look bizarre.”

As far as jewellery is concerned, rings and studs are both in demand. Even the metrosexual man, whose favourite was the silver ring on his ear, is now opting for a stud. The dainty stones are more popular among women and serve as great pieces of embellishment, whether for the nose or the navel.

To follow trends blindly is sheer stupidity. As important as it may seem to be hip and happening, don’t forget that it requires a sound fashion sense and huge heap of confidence to carry off any style.

NEETI SARKAR

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