peircings with classic vinatge, not rockabilly...opinions please! :)

[therizyflapper]

hello everyone! as you all know I dress very classic 1920's-1940's vintage and I don't currently have any piercing or tattoos, I don't even have my ear pierced haha. but lately I have been considering getting my tongue pierced, now I the reason I want to do my tongue is because 1: it isn't in plain sight all the time, so it shouldn't clash with my classic style
2: it is something I can incorporate into my sideshow act and use it for a few different stunts

now I would like to hear the opinions of the lovely ladies on here!

thank you everyone!

hug and best wishes to all,
Alicia

 

[lareine]

I think if you want to do that to yourself then it is only your own opinion that counts, not ours

 

[therizyflapper]

I think if you want to do that to yourself then it is only your own opinion that counts, not ours

I agree! but I still prefer to get peoples opinions when it comes to stuff like this lol

 

[sheeplady]

I've known a lot of ladies who have had their tongues pierced. All had plain metal barbells (is there another type?).

Just be prepared to have people ask about it. When you talk it will be somewhat visible and some people will think you've had major dental work, particularly people who haven't seen too many tongue piercings. One girl I know said she was often asked about her "filling," "bridge," and "massive dental work." Because it's metal, and in your mouth, and people can only see a flash of metal in your mouth, you might get lots of questions about it.

Just make sure you get it done from a reputable piercer- the same as any piercing. I'd say if you want to, go for it!

 

[Gingerella72]

Tongue piercings are only not-visible when you're not talking. As soon as you open your mouth to speak, it is quite obvious. If that is important to you, you will want to take that into consideration.

 

[vintageTink]

Mt sister-in-law had a tongue piercing. When she didn't want it too terribly visible she had a pinkish-clear, flat holder. I never understood why she would do that to herself: ouch! (I had my navel pierced for about six weeks. That hurt like nothing else, and I removed it because no matter how vigilant I was in cleaning it it just kept getting infected. Momentary lapse of judgment.)
She even chipped a couple of teeth on her metal barbell.

I do have a small dolphin tattoo on my ankle. Don't regret that.

 

[ColeV48]

My cousin had her tongue pierced for a while and it wasn't terribly noticeable most of the time. She did find it hard to talk for long periods with it in, such as speeches. She would always take it out when talking on the phone and had one conversation that went quite a while causing the hole to close up!

 

[Lily Powers]

I'd only be concerned about the piercing and your fire eating - if that is a combo that would pose any risk to your mouth. Otherwise, go for what makes you happy.

 

[vintageTink]

You eat fire? No plastic barbells for you! Lol

 

[RainEdayWoman]

I had mine done in '96. I took it out a couple years later. The danger in tongue rings is it can damage nerves in your tongue making biting you tongue more of a risk and biting on the barbell while you chew because your tongue moves differently. I broke a back tooth when eating and accidently chomping down on a metal barbell. Second thing is a real possibility and what causes most ppl to eventually remove them including me. No matter what type of barbell you ear (metal or lucite) the connection on the bottom will rub against the gums on your bottom teeth causing permanent damage over time. I am fortunate that I caught it early before my teeth were damaged but I do have some minor damage to my gum line from it. Other ppl I have come across have not been so lucky and have lost teeth from them not realizing how much damage was being done. To me it is not worth it but on occasion I do miss my tongue ring. The only thing I do have is my ears gauged to 7/16. I never wore earrings, I hate regular post earrings and it is more prone to rip ears on accident. Gauged ears will not tare unless you are jumping the gun and stretching too fast causing scar tissue. I stretched over many years at a slow pace so even as large as mine are they will close up if I remove them leaving me to start the process over. There are tons of crafters on Etsy the have come up with more chic friends styles of gauges that are feminine with a vintage flare. Some of the styles you would think are a regular pare of post earrings. (edit) I forgot to add that if you do choose to go through with it slowly gauge up to at least an 8. The small barbells can tear your tongue of you are not careful. Be prepared not to be able to eat anything but fluids and mushy foods for the first few weeks and it will ooze and swell up making it almost impossible to talk in the first week or two while it heals. It takes about 6 months to heal completely and if you ever choose to remove it, as long as there is no tearing it will shrink down to near closed and not be noticeable.

 

[Lenore]

I'm late to the party but I wanted to echo what RainE said. Definitely gauge up a bit. I've got a snazzy tear scar on my tongue due to a small gauge barbell. I got it done when I was in Paris my junior year of high school. I chalk it up to people do strange things in foreign countries. I lived the entire trip on pomme frites and a small refillable bottle of good ol' blue listerine that I carried everywhere like a flask. (Do NOT do this! Worked like a charm though. )

This from my "rebellious days" as my mother refers to them. Sometimes I miss it though. I took it out for a boyfriend who didn't like it, and it closed up almost immediately. I shouldn't have done that. :-/

 

[Matt Crunk]

As a tattooist and piercer, I'll advise you that tongues can take several weeks to several months to fully heal. Depending on what type of fuel you use in your fire act, it might not be a good idea to have it come in contact with a fresh piercing. So you may have to postpone any performances for a couple of months. Having said that, I happen to know several performers with pierced tongues who routinely eat/breath fire as part of their act. So once healed you should be fine.

Other than that, I'd say do what you want. IMHO it fits well with the sideshow scene, but not so much with vintage dress.

 

[Lady Day]

I had a tongue stud for about five years as well. I really liked it, but took it out after a few years. You will need to learn to chew and swallow differently. I just outgrew it, like I did many of my subsequent ear piercings. I had 4 holes in each ear, but took them out when I stretched my lobes (5/8" currently). I now wear only plugs, and eyelets and depending on what styles of ear plugs I wear, most cant tell I have stretched lobes.

I have A LOT of tattoos. Don't regret them in the least. Have never been called 'less vintage' or rockabilly because of them.

If your vintage style presides your personal tastes, then think of yourself as wearing a costume. If you have the passion for the style then it should be no issue incorporating your personal contemporary flair into it. You're vintage, not a historical recreation.

 

[Lenore]

Here, here, Lady Day. I was just telling myself this last night when I was thinking about getting my first tattoo.

Besides, who cares what OTHERS think about your look. If you're happy with it, and it's not causing any trouble (with work, for example) that's all that should matter.