Intimate piercings overcome stigma, breach generational gap

You may have seen them: those rabblerousing kids shellacked with tattoos and drilled with piercings. In the face of wholesome Marist College, they buck the status quo. Society tells us that their pursuit of the B.A.M.F. aesthetic is going to catch up with them; with the onslaught of piercings and tattoos comes the exponential decrease of marketability upon graduation, thus forcing these students squatting in a box somewhere beneath the Brooklyn Bridge. Or that's what they tell us, right? Piercings often come under fire at the cross-section of work and play. While it's true that candidates with in-your-face (or on-your-face) body modification have been the cause of employer-snubs in the past, curious consumers have been increasingly inclined to reach for a different - and often taboo avenue for self-expression: intimate piercings.

Long thought to be a sign of extreme deviance and hush-hush badasserey, intimate piercings have experienced a resurgence of popularity in recent years among the same set who point fingers at our visibly pierced generation: the working professional.

Dave Drwg, a world-renowned body modifier from Paul Booth's Last Rite Tattoo Theater in Manhattan who has recently set up shop at Planet New York on Rt. 9, has seen it all.

"The majority of people getting genital piercing have always been professionals. These types of piercings provide a way for an individual that normally has to maintain an image to society to express themselves without the judgment of others."

On campus, getting pierced is a freshman rite of passage (heck, Marist College got extra brownie-points from me at orientation when I realized my classrooms would be in close proximity to a tattoo parlor).

According to a study published by Science Daily, an estimated 30 to 50 percent of youth, ages 18 to 23, have piercings in places other than in their ear lobes. A few rings here and a stud or two there seem harmless - but as students move up in rank and that countdown calendar in Donnelly starts to loom, "graduation" is commonly cited for quashing modification urges. Enter the working world. Though some industries are becoming more friendly to the idea, piercings are still not widely well-recieved in most environments. Since most piercings can't be covered up, they simply have gone undercover. The generational gap is being breached.

Among the professional and college set alike, the Prince Albert (named for said Prince himself) for men and clitoral hood piercing for women are the common go-to. "They are requested often," says Drwg, "I did three Prince Alberts in the last four days." But, save for booze-induced games of Never-Have-I-Ever, we don't really talk about them. What gives?

"I feel that [these piercings have] become inappropriate and unaccepted in 'civilized' society and, therefore, hidden from plain sight," says Drwg, "I believe that they are and have been growing in popularity since day one." They have been popular throughout global history, serving a variety of pleasurable and fashionable means.

These discreet pleasure points, available in array of locations on the penis, vagina and nipples, owe their seemingly "taboo" popularity to high satisfaction and success rates. "Not only do they have an aesthetic appearance, but a functionality," says Drwg. "For example, doctors have often recommended women to come to me who have had problems orgasming. Another underlying perk: in comparison to other piercings, the healing is relatively simple. Due to the blood flow down under, piercings with proper TLC will heal up in no time."

If you are seeking a piercer, make sure they have some sort of medical background, [whether it be] a doctor, a nurse, or EMS. They need some rudimentary knowledge not only of how to pierce you, but how to heal you." says Drwg. And, if you run into an issue, never be embarrassed to talk to a healthcare provider. Chances are these professionals may be able to relate just a little bit more than meets the eye.