Journal of Body Piercing — APP
Piercers in Canada were recently informed by Health Canada that they were not allowed to use products containing gentian violet.1 A recall was put in place due to a link to cancer risk. At least one manufacturer voluntarily discontinued sales of their products and their license was cancelled.
Continue reading
Brazil! That’s all I could think about for months before I went. This would be my first time to the country and that idea is always super exciting to me. I first met André Fernandes in Mexico for LBP and had been hearing news of the organization and event in South America. There was much discussion about the difficulty, financial and practical for South Americans to get to the US and Mexico for education. When I started looking at tickets, that made a lot of sense. The flight to Sao Paulo was nine hours. It’s pricey and requires a lot of extra work to bring in foreign language speakers from the US. It’s a real honor to get that invitation.
Sao Paulo is grimy and amazing. Unlike many places I’ve visited, every place I went to shop took credit cards. Maybe more practical than carrying cash? The petty crime rate is off the hook. I was never worried about my safety at any moment though. The first day was only really about FOOD. Delicious food plus more delicious food. Small groups, big groups, food, food, food. Of course, I had sprained my ankle within ten minutes of arrival so part of the day was an exploration of the Brazilian pharmacy. The only thing better than a grocery store in a new country is a pharmacy. SO many strange items I can’t read the labels on. I found some good (non-narcotic) meds that would see me through. I had to repeat this mission homebound for the head cold I got at the end. Travel while you’re young folks: it’ll kick your butt!
Buses gathered to take the whole attendee group to the venue in the afternoon of the next day. The drive was beautiful. Jungles, mountains, and waterfalls the whole way to the beach. The venue is a quaint beach resort during off season. The beach was right across the street. It rained most of the week, but it hardly mattered. The place was lovely. Orchids everywhere and jungle noises really made me feel how different of a place I was in.
The set up felt super relaxed, but the organizers were on top of everything. They did this thing that I found super interesting from an organizational perspective. First let me qualify with the fact that a lot can fall down that will affect whether a speaker can do a good class. This has created a bit of hyper vigilance for me and some other travel educators I know. Things like, will there be a computer? Some events are so loose you never know just what to expect. So, here is the thing I really enjoyed. They managed all things with no sense of urgency. Normally, I would consider this with concern. No need, it was just good planning. There was an AV person available at all times to help with anything. Even with a language barrier everyone was SO amazingly helpful. Meals were set up buffet style and really nice. Vegan options for each, including dessert.
The sentiment that “the people in my town won’t buy gold” is time and again proving to be false. The expo boasted quite a few gold jewelers that work exclusively for the South American market. Importing from the US can be quite problematic. I’m generally impressed by companies that have a clear vision of what they are doing and for whom. It was great to see a lot of support from bigger companies as well.
If you know me, you know I’m a talker. Even so, I find some things quite difficult to express. One of those things about this event was how very impressed I was with the organizers André and his partner, Tati. Everything I could think to say just seemed sappy. Really though, I’m a fan. These guys really put together an amazing event. The things they do to help people come to the event just blew my mind. There is an eye for the big picture of piercing in South America. It’s the ONLY event I’ve EVER been to where female identified piercers well outnumber the men. While I was still one of the very few female speakers, I’m confident that will change quickly in Brazil. There was a unity and mindset amongst these women that I can only describe as FIERCE. Also, a big thank you to Roberta, the event interpreter. It’s one thing to stand a few hours to teach over the week. Another to stand, translating new ideas, in real time all day, every day.
As I sit here in the airport waiting to start my nine-hour flight back home, I reflect about how it is still so surreal to me that merely four days ago I traveled 4,000 miles to attend my first UKAPP conference in Manchester, UK. Prior to me making this trek I had never been off the continent before or instructed a class solo. Let me tell you this was one of my most enjoyable experiences at a conference I’ve had. I expect that this is what it must have been like for the early days of the APP Conference.
Held at the Radisson Blu Edwardian in Manchester, England, the hotel was gorgeous and not what it seems from the street. According to the hotel’s website, it is set inside the historic Grade II-listed Free Trade Hall, one of the UK’s oldest and most iconic buildings. The fifth annual conference was on the fourth floor that has one main lobby area and three classrooms total. While the room prices were a little high, the hotel was central to some more affordable options, which is great for attendees that may be on a tighter budget in their travels. Nonetheless, the interior of the hotel and conference were modern and updated to suit the needs for the UKAPP’s fast-growing event for this year and the next.
The conference was very simplistic in function, with no computers in use. To sign in you just go up to the registration desk and show your identification and proof that you are industry affiliated. They look for you on a printed list, check your name off, hand you a blank conference badge to handwrite your name down, then you move down the line to pick whatever badge ribbons suit you best and then off you go to start your three days of learning. All classes were on a first come first serve basis. At the time of the class, you just jumped in the line that was forming at that specific classroom. When the doors opened, you entered the room and gave the volunteer your name, which was then checked off at the door on a printed list with all the attendees’ names on it again, so you got the credit for attending the class.
Each day started with a morning class at around 10 am 11 am, then afterwards an hour lunch break for the attendees, preceded by an hour lunch for the vendors at the expo. It was definitely a different change of pace to have time built into the day to not have to worry about how you were going to eat without missing any classes. The rest of the class day lasted until about 6 pm. After lunch is when the bulk of the classes were scheduled; it was very difficult to decide what to attend as there were so many phenomenal classes to choose from.
The class that I had the pleasure of teaching for the first time was Versatility of Needle Blanks. The idea for the class was to introduce needle blanks and various ways you can apply them to be an effective disposable tool in your studio. I covered what a needle blank and transfer pin were, and several the ways the attendees are able to use them into disposable clamps. The feedback that I have received from the organizers has told me that my class was well received and really got the gears turning for a lot of piercers that attended the conference. By no means was my class the pinnacle of the conference. Other great classes that were offered include the following, just to name a few.
Overall the conference came in at 126 attendees with 12 vendors. It was amazing and ran very smoothly. The vibes were calm, cool, and collective. The list of educators and instructors were fantastic, every one of them had passion you could see reflecting through each of their presentations. My favorite part about the whole conference was the attendees; everyone was very welcoming, kind, eager to listen and learn about what every instructor—including myself—had to say or teach. The engagement was refreshing for me and showed that we are all truly teach ers and learners in this industry, no matter if you have six months or 20+ years experience. I can’t wait to see what the UKAPP comes up with for this event in 2020. I would highly recommend this conference to any piercer, new or old, looking to experience something new in their career.
I had the pleasure of attending the 5th annual Camp APP this past year in Oregon. Usually, this event is held in Georgia, however, Bethrah Szumski decided to go above and beyond and organize this event entirely on the other side of the country! I honestly can’t thank her enough for facilitating what was one of the best experiences of my life.
It was held at Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp right outside of Portland, Oregon, so it was a very easy and scenic drive for me. The weather was exactly what I hoped to get camping in Oregon humid, cold, and rainy. These conditions may not sound super ideal for some, but it was MORE than perfect for me. Any walk or hike that I was a part of was just gorgeous. Moss was everywhere, there was a waterfall not far, and I was in my element.
Where do I even start with this amazing experience? The beginning of the first day was intense for me; mainly because there was an opportunity to introduce yourself in front of everyone at Camp. I’ve always opted out of things like this, so this made it nerve-racking for me. That said, I did it and this paved the way for an incredible week actually making new friends and memories. My personal goal was to not hide in my room the entire time like I do at Conference and actually start being able to integrate myself into our giant piercing family.
All of the classes were so fun and constantly kept my attention with intriguing information. I’ll start with my favorite class, Charging Windmills and Slaying Sacred Cows with Jef Saunders. This class was impressive in its goal and execution. Cale DiFrancesco is an aesthetic genius and had a million tips and tricks on achieving your goal results for multiple piercing placements.
The workshops were well planned out and very fun to be a part of because of how hands-on they were. Rob Hill helped me get over being a little spooked by polishing wheels. Pablo Perelmuter showed us things about Statim cassettes that I went home and immediately applied to our cassette at our studio. I love improving/modifying needles, so it should go without saying that Becky Dill’s Needle Improvement workshop was my favorite. John Johnson, Cale DiFrancesco, and April Thomas’s workshop for Web Design, Content Sharing, and Email Newsletters definitely opened my mind to ways to appeal and be seen by my local community. We also had a team-building exercise where each group got on a huge seesaw and you’re supposed to stay balanced at all times while other people get on. My group was the only group that crawled onto it to make it work. I truly don’t understand how the other groups stood up the whole time.
Monica Sabin is an absolute angel. They came up with the idea to put together the Piercing Ninja Warrior Relay Race. This race was so much fun and I’m not just saying that because I was on the winning team (Goldemorts 4 lyfe). It was very dead on with the tasks that we deal with on a day to day basis being piercers. I have awful social anxiety (bless everyone involved for their patience), anyone that knows me can tell you that. This race showed me that my peers are just people and I shouldn’t be so intimidated to make those connections with them and just be myself.
Each night ended with something very fun that involved everyone. The first night was bingo, the second night was a Campfire Talk APP session, and the third night was a raffle and closing ceremony. The Campfire session with John Johnson, Bethrah Szumski, and Paul King was such an eye-opening experience. I wish I could thank them more than I already have for sharing themselves with so many people. The closing ceremony was essentially a follow up on your introduction at the beginning of the week and if you got what you wanted out of Camp. A lot of people got way more out of camp than they intended and it was lovely hearing everyone’s experiences. There were so many feelings during the closing ceremony and I thank everyone that shared themselves.
The last thing I want to express my gratitude for: the food. Everything that was made was delicious and incredibly accommodating to anyone with dietary restrictions. Seriously, I ate better this week than I have all year. After going back and forth on attending Camp, I’m so happy I did. I will see y’all every year I can because Camp is not something I’m willing to skip anymore. Thank you again to everyone involved in facilitating such a life-changing event.
Keiana “Kookie” Lynn
With the support of 64 community members, we raised $4,555.53 to give 7 piercers the opportunity to attend the Association of Professional Piercers Conference. Eduardo Chavarria, Miro Hernandez, and myself are proud to support with continued education, along their piercing journeys.
With the rise of COVID-19 and the cancellation of the upcoming Association of Professional Piercers Conference, we intend to continue supporting recipients by honoring 2020 scholarships in 2021. Conference admission tickets will remain booked, while rooms and flights will be re-booked, when possible. In the event that a recipient is no longer piercing in 2021, their resources will be forfeited to the next qualifying applicant.
For further questions or concerns, please email KonnichiwaKookie@gmail.com.
APP Membership Corner—Series 2
Membership Committee
In Issue 88, we discussed tips to help prospective members through the application process. Since then, we have begun training two new membership committee volunteers Cozmo Whitest and Kristina Outland. In addition to training on application processing, they have been helping us with managing compliance documents for current Members of the APP.
WHAT IS COMPLIANCE?
In order to maintain your membership with the APP, you must provide us with certain information to keep your file current and your membership in good standing. This information includes the following criteria:
* If you’ve taken the APP’s Bloodborne Pathogens course through Litmos, you will still need to upload the certificate to your Member Profile. These are two different servers and are not connected
Annual membership certificates are sent to the address on-file when annual dues are paid and membership is in good standing. To participate in elections—by nominating or voting, as well as running for a Board position—requires that your compliance documents are up to date. You can do this by logging into the safepiercing.org Member Area and verifying that your Membership Requirements (BBP, First Aid, CPR, and Spore Tests) are on file and up-to-date and your membership dues have been paid.
Remodeled your studio? Relocated to a different studio? If your situation has changed, keep us in the loop. This allows us to keep your membership record accurate and make sure you are displayed properly on our Member Directory.
We currently give you up to sixty days to make us aware of these changes. You can update us of any changes by sending an email to members@safepiercing.org or to our Membership Administrator at mpecorino@safepiercing.org.
Whether you are a full time traveling piercer or just enjoy the occasional work vacation, many of us have taken to traveling and piercing at different studios around the world. It is awe inspiring to see our industry grow into this network of piercers that can work almost anywhere, serving clients all over. As an APP Member, it is important to know how traveling plays into advertising your membership.
“When the membership logo is used, it must be used in a way that clearly shows the membership belongs to the individual, not the studio. While membership belongs to the individual, APP membership is dependent upon adherence to not only the personal criteria set forth by the Association, but also the current environmental standards in which the Member operates. Therefore, individual membership is only recognized and advertisable when operating in a studio environment that has been reviewed by the APP to meet standards and has current APP Business Members on staff.”
Dustin Allor
This past summer we lost a most iconic and beloved member of the body piercing community. It is hard to imagine what the landscape of the piercing industry would look like without Fakir Musafar. He was part of the group who brought body piercing into mainstream western culture from underground society in the 1970s. Fakir inspired countless people to become piercers, taught the skill to approximately 2,000 attendees of his piercing workshop, moved many to try suspension and urged us to claim our bodies as our own, especially through body modification. He firmly believed that piercing was sacred, magical, and could be a special moment for all involved. His life was spent spreading that message and seeking the spirit through exploring and testing the limits of his body. This year’s Body Piercing Archive exhibit unfolded many of the lives, hobbies, jobs, and performances of the multifaceted Fakir Musafar.
Walking into the exhibit was overwhelming in the best sort of way. There was so much information—so many visuals—that it was hard to know where to look. Each time I went in, there were things I hadn’t noticed previously. It would have taken me a couple of focused hours to take in all the information. The outer walls were lined with banners. The inner walls had four alcoves with various displayed items. Several banners featured large photos of Fakir embodying his different personas. There were other banners that stood out to me: the timeline that shared childhood pictures, some of influential people in his life, covers of his Body Play magazines, and collages of the group photos from nearly every class of the Fakir Intensives.
Then there were the alcoves. One held books and images that inspired and guided a young Fakir to try so many unconventional practices. A few items in particular caught my eye: Fakir’s yoga book from the 1950s and National Geographic from Fakir’s childhood where he got the idea to perform his first piercing on himself at age 14. Another area had masks, homemade eyelets for stretching his nipple piercings, some of Fakir’s septum jewelry, and articles he had written. There was a section that had a bed of nails, a bed of blades, a kavadi frame, a suspension frame, and other inventions of Fakir’s that I’m not sure have names. Most of these devices were featured in Fakir’s early self photography. Having been born in a rural area in 1930, out of necessity he developed a resourceful and inventive ability. A large portion of the objects in the exhibit were things he made at home by hand. Rarely disposing of his creations, the BPA was able to acquire or borrow many of them from his wife, Cléo Dubois. It was fabulous to see classic Fakir photos right next to the actual items he made and was wearing in the portrait.
There was a screen toward the back of the exhibit playing the Mark and Dan Jury film Dances Sacred and Profane starring Fakir, Jim Ward, and Charles Gatewood. Mirroring that was a second screen dedicated to performances he had done, featuring video from one of his European performances. Between those was information on RE/Search #12: Modern Primitives, the publication where so many of us discovered Fakir for the first time.
The last alcove in the exhibit was the most solemn. The exhibit overall celebrated Fakir’s life, but the last alcove honored his death. Fakir felt that altars were important. He would make one at the end of every piercing class, a place to look to for focus, to display images and objects that had meaning to him and to help inspire a particular mindset he was looking for. The last alcove of the exhibit, with bright yellow and red walls, was an altar to Fakir. It displayed a large photo of him, photos of those close to him who had also passed, images of deities he was drawn to, fresh fragrant flowers, candles, and a few personal items like his chest spears. When he announced that he was sick and had limited time left, Fakir asked that instead of emails or phone calls, that people hand write and mail him letters if they had anything they wanted to share with him. Hundreds of letters came in and he read all the words of love and thanks before he left us. A selection of those cards were strung from the center back wall of the alcove, extending to either side of the door, framing the altar and giving the space a sense of depth, layers, and sentiment.
Fakir was so many people wrapped up in one. It was impossible to know everything and everyone he had been in his life. Depending on how you knew him, you would connect and learn about different aspects of his personality and interests, hearing different stories of his past. In addition to all the visuals in the exhibit, docents who were personally known to Fakir gave tours. Each had unique experiences and insight on who Fakir was, having known him in a variety of circles and points of his life. Several of the instructors from the Fakir Intensives gave tours, as well as friends of Fakir’s including Allen Falkner and Annie Sprinkle. Each offered unique flavors, new insight and things to learn about Fakir. Hearing their stories really brought Fakir’s memory to life in a vivid interactive way and I wish I could have seen all the tours.
Working closely with Fakir’s wife, Cléo, the BPA team put together an amazing and moving exhibit. Fakir was always touched and awed by the gratitude, credit, and honor people extended to him. I think he would be absolutely blown away and speechless by the beautiful display and celebration of his life that portrayed so much of who he was. To Paul King, Becky Dill, Devin Ruiz, and all your behind the scenes helpers, thank you for all your hard work in putting together such a rich and beautiful commemoration of Fakir’s life. It was wonderful to get to celebrate Fakir’s life together with the bulk of the piercing community this year at the APP Conference.
Lynn Loheide & Margo Dellaquilla
In piercing studios around the country the question is still asked today, “Does one side have any special meaning? You know, what ear is the gay ear?” Despite changing times and modern progress many people still associate piercings—particularly a single piercing in the lobe—as a symbol of one’s sexuality. We’ve all given a little internal eye roll when we have to field this question in our studios and most of us have a carefully prescribed response. any of us may not understand the history of this concept. It’s actually quite fascinating to take a look behind how one specific piercing developed such recognition as a gay symbol.
To find out how an ear piercing could carry such symbolism we need to look back to the ‘70s and ‘80s in America. A different time when it was still perilous to be LGBTQIA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, and asexual or allied) and publicly out, and there were no legal or social protections for people who were. Many people lived in fear of losing their jobs, homes, families, or being outright attacked. The AIDs crisis was beginning and both hate and fear concerning anything gay were at an all-time high.
People gathered in secret bars, hung around dark trails in local parks, and used various forms of code based on location to subtly tell people they were gay. These codes were a form of protection, a small way to tell people in-the-know what their preferences were without outing themselves and potentially changing, or even ending, their lives. We, as piercers, generally know and love the hanky code (raise your hand if you own a purple one!) This same philosophy also helped to coin“The Gay Ear”. Born from these codes is a phrase few now remember as familiar, “Left is right and right is wrong” (“wrong” here meaning gay). This cultural phrase spread across communities in an era when piercing was just blossoming. Women were daring to wear second and third earlobe piercings and a particularly rebellious person may pierce their cartilage. This phrase cemented in many minds that the singular right lobe piercing on a man was synonymous with being gay. We can even look at this New York Times article from 19911 that mentions a piercing in the right ear as a “discreet symbol” of one’s sexuality. We must remember this was a time when discretion was, for some, life or death. Like a game of telephone, this phrase spread, and small changes happened along the way. In some areas, it was reversed, and the left ear was a signifier. Others changed the script entirely: both ears could signify one was bi or trans, and a few on one ear had specific meanings in a local scene. As the phrase became more widespread and used as a way of outing folks, some opted to pierce the opposite ear associated in their area to remain hidden. All of this served to muddle the waters until no one could agree which ear was, in fact, “the gay ear”.
It wasn’t long before that phrase became lost, and many people forgot which ear meant what, as if any ear ever meant anything. The internet, and even before that the “Ask x” columns and library question cards, were filled with men agonizing over which was the ear they were “supposed” to pierce. How could they wear the adornments they desired while maintaining their heterosexuality; or, perhaps, secretly inquiring which they could pierce to flaunt their homosexuality. Over time the meaning seemed to matter less and less as piercings became more popular and many folks cared not what anyone else thought. Their adornments were for them and them alone. As early as the ‘90s people had forgotten the meaning as piercings were now more about punk rock and youthful rebellion than an underground symbol. Time passed and it became ok to be out. We didn’t need to hide behind antiquated codes or symbols; we could be out and proud!
While discrimination still exists in many shapes and forms, even now in 2020, fortunately, we don’t need to hide as much as we did then. That being said, education and reclamation of what was once used to hurt or oppress us can be a powerful way to stand in the face of discrimination. This is a great piece of history to share with other piercers, clients, and friends, to help remove the stigma and keep our history alive. After all, given our shared history, all piercings are a little bit gay!
APP Member, Owner Elemental Body Adornment Victoria, BC Canada
Creating a space that is welcoming is extremely important, and, thankfully, not difficult. There are many simple ways you can make your space more accessible to the many clients that would otherwise feel out of place—even if only slightly—in your studio space.
In the case of making your studio more inviting to the LGBTQIA+ community, I would suggest having an area on your waiver where clients can indicate their pronouns. This is a great way to be visibly inclusive. Our waivers have an area clients can circle “he/him”, “she/her”, “they/ them” or they can fill in the blank space offered for other pronouns; for example, “zie/hir”, “xe/xem”, and many more! This helps normalise the process of asking for pronouns and educates the masses that there are more than two options available as a young non-binary person it would have been huge for me to see this!
I recommend avoiding the term “preferred pronouns” as it can delegitimize a person’s gender identity and pronouns to being a preference rather than wholly authentic.
Having a line for the “name you go by” helps to make sure that clients are referred to correctly, for those that have legal dead names (names they no longer associate with) or those that go by nicknames.
Another simple way to help clients feel seen is by having trans and pride flags or stickers proudly displayed. This helps show you are supportive year-round, not only during Pride months!