Body Adornment

I am most typically motivated by the financial aspect of body adornment and dress. As a student I have learned to live with less money and less time, and as a result many of my clothes are easy to clean, cheap to buy or replace, and comfortable. I am a busy person and a laid back personality so jeans and t-shirts are my most common articles of clothing. I have my ears pierced. I have not had my hair cut in almost nine months because of money, but my hair is longer now and easy to pull back in a pony tail. I think most often my values concerning my outer appearance rely on the spending of money, and when I do not have money then I do not adorn my body extravagantly.
I used to have a facial piercing called a “Marilyn Monroe” because it is in the place of a beauty mark. I loved that piercing and it was a representation of my dangerous but classy self expression and self adornment. I would put in different jewelry all the time to accessorize. Though at first I was concerned the piercing would influence finding a job, I found a nice office job where they accepted my appearance. I think my piercing was one of my favorite aspects of myself. I like old fashioned looks with edgy twists, and my own values for aesthetics rather than shock value motivated my piercing. Unfortunately, I had to remove the piercing for a different job and it closed up. I miss it a lot. It was unique. I wore a white gold and pearl setting labret in my piercing on my wedding day which perfectly matched my classy understated cream wedding dress. I hated it when people jumped to conclusions about my personality because I had a piercing. Because so many people did make assumptions, I was happy to change their mind about old stereotypes concerning personal adornment of the body. People with piercings don’t have to be unemployed, punks, drug addicts, or fans of rock and roll.
I also had both nostrils pierced for a few months, but that just did not fit me and they got a little sore so I took them out. They healed right up. I love that piercings are not permanent. I am actually planning to get my “Monroe” again soon. Now that I am almost done with school, I feel like a rebellious act is necessary to celebrate (and I got my previous piercing for graduation as well). I think the changes that have happened to myself were outside forces, but I have always maintained an open mind and a desire for some piercings and some tattoos. I would love to get full sleeves, but to tell the truth, I just don’t think that will happen. It is a lot of money and time. It is also unpredictable what my future holds, and tattoos are more permanent and less flexible. I am not opposed to them and think I would even like getting on, but I think I would get something small and private in case I have a professional career.
My siblings have all had piercings such as nostril, belly button, tongue, nipples, and ears. My parents have not always taken then piercings well because they believe the body should be left natural and plain. They like to keep things simple. Their generation had many people with tattoos, but my parents were resistant to taint their bodies or mind with tattoos they were sure would later be regretful mistakes. My sisters are like me and they think piercings are fun and expressive of a youthful attitude. We have even all admitted we enjoyed the pain of piercings. My parents think it is painful and unnecessary, and we should not alter the body God gave us.
My community as a student loves body adornment. When I arrived to college, I felt immediately more comfortable with my piercings and any form of expressive dress. There is an value of personal hygiene which is extremely important to students. It is a very important value of the student community to be open or at least non-judgmental concerning people’s versions of expression. I think at the University of Oregon there is a special environment which is accepting of art and dress which are natural, made from natural ingredients, or supportive of global agendas for environmental protection. There is also a very important difference between the university and the world outside the university because it allows people to break the rules which are normally less accepted elsewhere.