Guest spotting is a great way to enhance your career. Traveling within your own state, out of state, and sometimes even out of country can really put some things in perspective. You are given the ability to see how other studios work, how clients from different areas respond, and to network with your colleagues and peers. It’s not  uncommon to scroll through your social media and see multiple people announce their upcoming dates and numerous studios. However, whether you’ve noticed it or not, it’s somewhat rare to see a woman, or a non-male, piercer pop up on the circuit.

The first thing that most often pops into someone’s head when it comes to the topic of traveling piercers is a numbers game. Is there really such a large gap in the number of male and non-male piercers in our industry that it in turn effects the ratio of guest piercers? It’s no secret that this industry is still extremely male dominated, regardless of the amount of male versus non-male piercers. With the help of social media groups focused on booking guest spots it’s very clear to see that there are more men putting themselves out there to travel to other studios. It’s also very clear to see that a large amount of people on the guest spot circuit are individuals with a lot of notoriety and experience guest spotting. That leaves the question of are women and non-male piercers just not as interested in guest spotting, is it a question of experience, friendships, or is it something deeper?

Over the last couple of years the industry has seen a vast amount of information come forward about predatory behaviour or other types of harassment. The small amount of what has made it to the public eye of the industry is nothing when compared to the shared experiences between colleagues and peers behind the safety of closed doors. With all of this comes a real fear for many of us. We’ve all heard stories of women and other individuals instinctually placing their car keys between their knuckles while walking down the road, maybe paired with the finger on the trigger of the pepper spray in the pocket of their jacket. When it comes to guest spotting, it can be scary. Often times you’re traveling alone, not really knowing the people you’re working with, not really knowing the people who’s couch you’re sleeping on. If you flew to your guest spot you can be without a car or an escape route if things go south and you start to feel uncomfortable or in danger. For some this just isn’t a risk they are willing to take.

There’s no direct answer as to why the ratio of male and non-male guest piercers is so skewed in one direction. The only thing we can do is realize and understand the potential reasons and continue to work to make this industry as inclusive and safe as possible. There are an immeasurable amount of amazing individuals in this industry that far outweigh the bad apples. With awareness, support, and the sharing of information we can create the industry we want, and the industry we deserve.