Piercings a matter of perception?

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When she was just 14 years old, Bri Bishop voluntarily entered a world where most adults fear to tread. The sunlight flooded in through the open window as she sat down. She closed her eyes briefly and listened as a drawer nearby scraped open. Several needles rattled around inside. The fluorescent overhead lighting glared from the posters that were layered upon the walls. Her friend casually asked if she was ready, gave her a few brief instructions, and then quickly pushed the needle into her skin.

Bishop did not even flinch as the needle quickly tore through her flesh. After all, she'd wanted to get her navel pierced weeks before — but her mother had expressly forbidden it.

She lacked the $50 and the parental consent it usually takes to get it done professionally. So, she went to a friend's house. This friend, whom Bishop refused to name, frequently does body piercings for a mere $15.

"Since (they were) my friends," Bishop explained nervously, "I didn't have to pay anything. They've pierced a lot of people, and normally they charge $15. All I had to do was buy a ring that cost me $10 at Wal-Mart."

It wasn't long before her mother discovered what she'd done.

"My mom, my little sister (and I) were all talking, and my mom (said), 'I want you all to be truthful,'" Bishop said. "My little sister had found out about it a few days earlier, and she looked (at me). My mom knew something (happened)."

As punishment, Bishop was forbidden to do anything outside of school and her home. Eventually, she had to remove the piercing as well.

"I did it because I thought it would be interesting," Bishop shrugs. "Now I realize that I wasn't entirely sure about piercings."

Although teenage piercing might not appear to be controversial, frequent activity in the Washington Legislature might bring more attention to the rising trend. Two bills were proposed in this legislative session that, if enacted, would have required minors under the age of 18 to have parental consent before getting body or facial piercings and made it a misdemeanor to violate that standard. However, the bill once again failed to pass. Similar bills have failed four times since 1997.

The common thread between Rep. Gary Alexander, Rep. Richard DeBolt and Sen. Dan Swecker on this issue is the Republican Party and their constituents in the 20th legislative district.

"I do think parental consent is a valuable requirement in our current law," said Alexander, R-Olympia. "I am open to discussion on the proper age."

Swecker, R-Rochester, who sponsored one of the bills in this session, said, "I think parents should have the last word."

He also said, "(Piercings) suggest low self-esteem in my eyes. We have allowed folks to 'take off' most of what they wear… so now they must complete (themselves) by adding items to feel good about their impression on others. It may look cool to teenagers, (but) it definitely has negative connotations to employers. Most adults in the community see it as immature."

DeBolt, R-Chehalis, traced piercing to a long-standing foundation.

"I don't think it's become a trend," he said. "I think we've been into body art since our ancestors. (Body piercing) has been part of… rituals for hundreds and hundreds of years. I think it's a way to feel more connected, and I think there's some ritualistic (value) that some people find in it."



No matter what motivates teens to engage in body art, Kyle Lipinski of Black Pearl Tattoo and Skate in Centralia reports piercing about 15 people per week. He estimates that half of these are teenagers. Because Black Pearl already requires parental consent, its business will not be affected if that becomes mandatory in the future.

As for the teenage trend, Lipinski said, "I waited (until age 18) but if they're 17, that's close. As long as their parents think it's OK, then it's not my responsibility to tell people what they can and cannot do."

"I think that (piercing) is all right for teens," Judy Zimmerman said, "It's something that will heal up and then it won't be there."

Zimmerman, who works at Eccentrix Salon in Chehalis, pierces between five and 20 people each week, a startling 80 percent of whom are minors between the ages of 13 and 18. When asked, she did not hesitate to admit that having piercings is likely to affect a teenager's life.

"People are very judgmental of (body art)," Zimmerman said, "(It's unfair), because it doesn't affect brain power."

Whether or not the perceptions are justifiable, people with body jewelry face more limited employment opportunities than others.

Catherine Kilty from Centralia's Express Personnel Services said, "We have to worry about our client company's safety concerns. If they work in the food processing industry, they can't have jewelry on because it can fall into the product."

Tim Cole of the Washington Employment Security Department has seen a few people with piercings try to make a transition into the workplace.

He said, "It depends on (the person's) attitude. Sometimes, somebody will come in with lots of piercings and tattoos, and we'll talk to them. Sometimes they'll take them out and cover them up, and then later the employer will get to know them and allow a few. Appearance has a huge bearing on how they will be seen by employers and so forth."

More employers are creating and enforcing policies regarding body and facial piercings. Burger King employees are permitted to wear earlobe studs, but no other jewelry.

Pete Wilson, manager at the Centralia Burger King, said, "We don't allow anything visual but the studs in the ears, mostly because people think it looks unsanitary. People with tongue rings tend to always play with it in their mouths. Also, (there is) the possibility that it can fall out in people's food. That's why we don't allow dangling earrings. We don't want people to be biting into that."

McDonald's has a more lenient policy, allowing employees only one nostril or eyebrow piercing per face, as long as it is covered during the working hours.

Mary McCrank's owner Jeri Shopp said, "There are things that are more (health-oriented) when you're dealing with food," but admits that there is no current policy against piercings at her restaurant south of Chehalis.

Despite the troubles that facial and body piercings can cause, teenagers continue to get pierced at a significant rate. As Jennifer Ketchum, a junior at W.F. West High School in Chehalis, said, "It's a form of life and art, and an expression of the way we see ourselves. For the ones that get discreet tattoos and piercings, they shouldn't have any problem with (employment). We, as teenagers, do some things on the spur of the moment. Some teenagers do take into consideration the role of piercings and tattoos in their future, but others are just rebels without a cause."

Nicole Morgan is a W.F. West sophomore who writes an occasional story about teen life for The Chronicle.