To close body piercing's loopholes, bill would require parental permission

[icymist]

Wednesday, February 2, 2005

To close body piercing's loopholes, bill would require parental permission

By CANDACE HECKMAN
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

A week went by before Robin Barish noticed the glimmer of metal inside her 16-year-old son's mouth.

At first, Dylan Wood was too afraid to tell his mom where he had gone to get his tongue pierced.

"I thought she would rip it out," he explained. "I thought she was going to be that mad."

It wasn't long before Barish had the name and place of the person who would dare poke holes in her child's body without her permission.

But Dylan didn't need his mother's permission. And she was informed of this fact by Dylan's piercer, Kurtis Kirk, owner of Golden Body Rings in the Green Lake area.

More:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/210361_piercing02.html

[prodigal_green]

1. Oh, I thought this was about

corrective surgery for sloppy piercing work...

[maxsolomon]

2. fine with me.

i have no desire to see my 16 year old girl with a pierced tongue, as it generally implies that a teenager has begun sexual activity. flame away on my unfair piercing assumptions.

will the piercing & tatooing fad never end? there are going to be some ug-lee senior citizens in 40 years.

[raggedcompany]

5. everyone is ugly when they're old

not just people who got inked or pierced.

regarding the subject, it's also fine with me. We're talking cosmetics here, not reproductive decisions. I'm all for requiring permisison from parents.

[ScreamingMeemie]

9. Nice statement. My grandmother is gorgeous at 82. She would

be less so with a hole in her tongue, nose, or with a big blue blotch on her back that used to be a butterfly. Be careful, there are a lot of people you call ugly posting on this board.

[TexasSissy]

12. Everyone is not ugly when they're old.

What a thing to say. Every age has its own certain spark, its own beauty. The beauty associated with each age is different - babies, children, teenagers, young adults, middle aged, and senior. All different. All beautiful (depending on the person).

[amazona]

14. of course everyone is ugly when they are old enough

At best they are "she looks good for her age." The more we clutch at the past and lie to ourselves about it, the harder a time we are going to have with our own aging.

I find that the older I get, the less tolerant I am of crap meant to massage my ego about my appearance. "You're not getting older, you're getting better." In this wicked world, those who try to kid me about reality too often have a motive -- and the motive is usually to try to sell me something. Who needs it.

As for the piercings, big deal, let a teen, be a teen. Once the piercing is removed, the hole grows out anyway. Surely anyone who has ever had pierced ears knows this...the issue is not ending up with a hole once you tire of the piercing...the issue is trying to keep the hole open and clean and un-infected when you are not tired of the piercing.

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[TexasSissy]

16. I disagree. My grandpa was never ugly. Older, yes.

Fatter, definitely. But still a handsome man with a full head of wavy, silver hair and large expressive blue eyes, with a tanned complexion. Not as handsome as his photos indicate he was when young, but still handsome at 68, when he passed away.

SOME people are ugly when old, just as SOME people are ugly when young.

African Americans, in particular, can retain their looks well into their senior years. Harry Bellafonte, who I believe is in his 70's, is still an attractive man by any standard. Certainly not ugly, according to my definition (or the definition of most, I would think). Sydney Poitier - not ugly.

Cary Grant when old - not ugly.

Sophia Loren (yes, she is a "senior citizen") - not ugly.

Jack Lemmon when he got old - not ugly (he never was handsome, and he was not a handsome old man....he wasn't ugly young, and he wasn't ugly old)

Al Pacino (in his 60's) - not ugly.

Robert DeNiro (in his 60's) - not ugly (hey, I wouldn't kick him out of MY bed!)

Robert Redford (qualifies as a senior citizen ) - not ugly.

Clint Eastwood - not ugly.

Maybe the people in your family are just,well, not too attractive to begin with, so when you get older, you really look bad. But for many, they are neither ugly when they're young, and they don't turn ugly when they're old.

[American Tragedy]

20. I agree with you TexasSissy

My grandma said that even when her father was advanced in years, people still literally turned and stared when they passed him on the street. The pictures of him really justify it, too - he almost looked like a movie star. He was tall and muscular, with white-blond hair and shocking blue eyes, and few wrinkles. The others you've mentioned are similarly good examples.

Hell, I'm envious of a lot of my older relatives. My mother by any reasonable measure is much prettier than a lot of women who are less than half her age, and in many ways she looks better than she did twenty years ago. Your body changes with age, to be sure, but it's not universally negative. It depends on the individual. One effect of age that I've noticed, especially in my family, is the loss of 'baby fat', particularly in the face and limbs. Consequently they become leaner and their bone structure more prominent. Not as fresh and childlike, but a more serious, classical beauty.

[American Tragedy]

17. Actually I think that is definitely an unfair presumption.

The overwhelming majority of people I know who have had their tongue pierced did it for whatever mysterious aesthetic purpose that we get any part of our body pierced. The sexual benefit is dubious anyway, and not widely recognized among younger piercers.

Anyway, the great thing about piercings is that they are easily removed.

[Matariki]

29. my neighbor got her nipples pierced for her 60th birthday

and she looks fine.

i sort of think that being 16 implies that a teenager has begun sexual activity. at least that's how i remember it.

[Liberal Veteran]

3. The only real problem I have with this...

...is that many kids will have friends do piercings for them in less than healthy conditions.

This seems like an idea that has good intentions but will ultimately lead to bad things.

[illflem]

4. Maybe instead of a bill that requires permission

one that requires that a parent at least knows about it would be better. It might be more of a deterrent rather than a wall.

[Straight Shooter]

6. This should be a subject of discussion by the age of 12.

Children and their parents need to talk about it and find out what their viewpoints are, before it becomes a topic of battle.

I was under the impression that tongue piercing can lead to some unpleasant side effects, because the tongue is frankly not meant to have a hole in it. Personally, I think body piercing is a personal decision, but I also believe the age limit should be 17 or older. Do the "holes" grow back if left unattended? I don't know much about body piercing. Unless the conditions are unsanitary, I wouldn't get too concerned about a young adult who pierces their body.

Just think, in a couple years, they might be going to Iraq or Syria or god-knows-where and getting pierced by bullets. Just to put things in perspective.

[amazona]

15. yes the holes grow back if you don't maintain

Piercings are way less of an issue than a tattoo in my opinion just for that reason.

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[American Tragedy]

18. They will grow back, unless they've been expanded significantly

I would say if the hole is 8 gauge or wider, you'll have an obvious vestige of it for life unless you have corrective surgery.

However, piercings will heal immediately if the ring/barbell is removed within the first few months, and with time any small hole will probably close.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

22. I've been up to 6g and down to 16g

In most people up to 2-4g, they shrink back to standard earring size.

[bleedingheart]

7. Wait until some 25 year old sues based on regret over piercings

and tattoos.

They will claim..."I was so young, I didn't know what I was doing"...

To be honest I think that there are a lot of people who do not understand that some forms of body art may end up limiting their career choices.

I know of two people who had tatoos that were a source of contention in employment. One was a business consultant who had her arm tattoo removed surgically by a hack...it scarred her arm horribly..but as she said..."this scar is more palatable to an employer than the tattoo I had there before". Another was an engineer who wore long sleeves all year round at work to make sure that no one knew they were there....

Personally as I am an advocate of choice I think that people should be free to do what they want with their bodies but they should consider the effects.

[ScreamingMeemie]

8. As my father always said, "Children have to go to sleep sometime."

He removed an earring from my brother's ear in 1985. My brother is forever grateful. His house...his rules. Wanna live on your own? Pierce away! :hi:

[RetroLounge]

10. This will just return piercings to unsafe back alleys

RL

[Spangle]

11. Teaching responsiblity for ones own actions

I think this will make this a back alley type of problem in a hurry. NOT a smart idea.

Most piercings will grow back if left unattended. Unless you wear a ring for years then leave it out, then it will not grow back. Sorta. What will not go back to "normal" is tattos and "gadgeing". That is when they make the peirce hole bigger. Kids are all ready learning how to gadge(sp) at home... When I see such ear rings, all I can thing about is BIG droopy holes. UGLY! But that is just me.

Blaming others for your kids behavior is just basic stupidity. At some point you gota admit the problem is caused by the kid and deal with the kid. Instead of dealing with their child, they run after someone else. HELLO? How about teaching the child to take responsiblity for ones own actions???

IF the parent doesn't like the peircing, then cut off funding, etc.. until they take it out. When they can afford to live on their own, then it's their choice they can make. Such is life.

This is more about parental relationships with their child then about pereicings and tattos.

[LizW]

13. Could these headlines be any cuter?

First the "probing" of the rabbi with herpes, and now this. ;)

[Retrograde]

19. back in my day, we did our own piercings

of course, back then it was mostly limited to the ears, but most of the people my age who got them pierced did so themselves, or had a friend do it: you could buy special spring-loaded earrings that were supposed to go through gradually, but they were considered more painful. Judicious application of isopropanol - rubbing alcohol - for cleaning the holes and the new rings mostly worked.

Piercings can always be taken out. Tattoos, OTOH - my grandfather got some tattoos when he was in the navy, so I always associate them with Very Old People.

[Carni]

21. Tatoos

I will have to concede I have seen some young college aged (THIN) people with tatoos that look pretty good-- but there is nothing more unattractive IMO than a tatoo on a person that isn't young that has the middle age spread thing going on (At that point it looks very
"I appeared on the latest episode of COPS" to me)

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

23. I have a barbed wire armband...

Right now, my arms are practically ripped. I have a job that requires lots of lifting & I'm naturally pretty muscular. At karate, someone once said that I was 103 lbs. of high-strung muscle ready for a fight.

Currently, the tattoo accentuates my bicep and looks really good (also done by an excellent artist). I realize in the future I will not have arms like this. I consider the tattoo a reason to keep my arms nice for as long as possible. However, one day, I will have wrinkly barbed wire going around my arm. I accept thi. After all, my body, in general, will be wrinkly. It's not as if only my tattoos will age. All of me will, and the tattoos are just part of who I am.

[Carni]

24. Sounds like you have things under control!

I didn't mean to degrade anyone(seriously not being a smart ass here)

If the tatoo serves as motivation to stay buff more power to you!

(but if my daughter wants one on her hip at age 16 I am going to raise all unholy hell LOL)

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

25. If I had a 16yo daughter, I wouldn't let her get one...

I got my 1st tattoo at 18. I had drawn the design a year earlier. I think 18 is the earliest one should get a tattoo, and given some tattoos I've seen, some people should never get one.

I also would never allow one of my kids to get their ears pierced with a "gun."

[Carni]

32. Absolutely

If you are an adult then you know what you are up against if you want to get the thing removed later...but God forbid if I had been allowed to do everything I wanted to do at age 16 I would be dead (or in a circus sideshow lol)

[Gman]

26. Good!

I'll shoot the bastard that pierces my daughter's tongue!

(Do I sound like a freeper??)

[genieroze]

27. Luckily I live in a state where you need parental permission, for

piercings and tattoos. My son wanted a tattoo at 16 and I said no, he gives me my friend **** has one. Both this kids parents have them. Neither my husband not myself have them even though I do have multiple piercings in my ears. I did allow my daughter to get her nose pierced at 17 but if I didn't think I would look good on her I wouldn't have allowed it. I told my kids ears and a small nose stud only. No private parts, no eyebrows, maybe a belly ring (I think they look cute) and No No NO tongues!!!!. I know of a few of my sons friends who had their tongues split because of those things. Anyway, my son is now nineteen and can do what he wants. Want to know how many piercings, or tattoos he now has? ZERO! My daughter has a small rose one but she's 21.

[fushuugi]

28. Luckily i live in a state where.....

beauty is the enemy
disillusionment in clairvoyance

i'll never understand the american obsession with beauty. from the weight loss adds on the television at 3 am to the fashion editorials in whichever pop magazine you read. who cares if a kid pierces this or that? it will usually heal with minimal scars image of reality. look with eyes that see beyond the facade and listen with ears that discern the important from the passe.

[PROUDNWLIBERAL]

30. Right Wing Wacko Bill

this bill is being introduced by a right wing wacko---Pam Roach. She's a real piece of work. Google her and you'll see why!

[RebelOne]

31. Even if she is a right wing wacko,

I agree with the bill.