Last June, at the age of 48, I had my navel pierced. Its not that I go around displaying my middle section in public that often. That is usually limited to warm beach vacations. But I still think it is fun to have added this to my personal fashion statement and I recommend it, especially to women my age.
First of all, the belly button is not used for much after it is truncated at birth. It seems like one might as well decorate it. Also, having the jewelry there inspires me to not give up on my “seven-times-stretched-to-capacity” abdomen. It is a fun way to be reminded to work on toning and caloric intake. On the other hand, it encourages a more carefree, fun loving attitude by smiling and twinkling at me, even though I still only have the basic silver-toned piece that was inserted by the technician.
This is not something I have been wanting to do all of my life. I didn’t even pierce my ears until I was 22 years old. Piercing my navel just occurred to me this year. Call it a mid-life crisis, if you like. I was just having fun. The hardest part was figuring out where to have it done. I chose a body art business here in town. A friend agreed to go with me for the adventure.
The facility was clean, which was my first concern. The young woman was very patient in showing me her equipment set up, how they follow surgical procedure, and the certificates from the health department. There was no sales pressure. I found out that the oldest client that they had had for this was well into her sixties!
It was completed quickly, consisting of one sharp movement through my very tightly clamped skin. From then on I have hardly known that it is there, as far as sensation goes. It did come undone and slipped out once in the gym locker rooms when I was changing, so I had to search the floor for it. The after care was basically the same as caring for freshly pierced ears. Now, I am shopping for a nice navel “ring.” I enjoy being a girl.