by Victoria Rothman, Graceland Tattoo

The paradox of education is precisely this—that as one begins to become conscious one begins to examine the society in which he is being educated.”—James Baldwin

I’m a piercer located in the Hudson Valley of New York. I have been piercing professionally for about five and a half years. Though I am not an APP Member, I value the work of the APP and its Members, both in health and safety, and education. It gives me great pleasure to be able to contribute to this organization.

As naive a thought as it may have been, my initial expectation in being part of the visibly modified community was to be relatively free from common prejudice within its walls. We are, after all, the moderately modified and the minority (in factions of power, whether it pertain to race, sex, sexual orientation, etc.): two groups that share the experience of commonly being “othered” by greater society.

The obvious difference being those who are able to conceal their differences enough to “pass”, and those who cannot. Since it is in no one’s best interest to harbor an environment wherein one feels the need to hide a piece of their identity in order to advance, the matter must be flushed to the surface.

With full recognition that I cannot speak to everyone’s experience, what I aim to do is echo what I’ve learned from the parallel in hardships between myself and my peers of similar background; the more severe hardships ranging from borderline harassment to outright discrimination. There is simply no excuse for denying another the right to a fundamental level of respect, and it is not enough to pay lip service to the problem.

One of the most notable aspects of human bias is that in its most insidious form, it thrives subconsciously, making its existence easy to deny. Regardless, the colonization and oppression of select ethnicities by our most powerful governments still remains evident within centuries of history; this is necessary to acknowledge when weighing factors of racial divide within the United States, and abroad. Let us suppose now that this gap in living standard, education, monetary wealth, and access to necessary resources exists passively—that it is purely by cause and effect of our predecessors that one individual is benefited by the gap, and one is disadvantaged. Our past would dictate that it is imperative those in the minority of power positions have a voice in maintaining a level of acceptance within society or risk becoming an afterthought entirely. This applies as much to the piercing industry as it does any other faction.

Professional piercing has revealed to me some of the most benevolent, hardworking individuals I’ve ever encountered, and I am proud to be part of a community that holds the quality of their craft in such high regard. The APP Conference has been my chosen gathering for a couple of years now, it is the place I feel most accurately reflects the collective face of this industry. I consider conference attendance to have been an integral part of my career and I urge any piercer who has not yet had the opportunity to join us, to work on doing so. That being said, Vegas is sensory overload. The climate is unforgiving, everything is expensive, and classes run consecutively from morning to evening. On top of that, there is virtually no relief from the reality of being packed into a hotel with hundreds of others, many of whom, by the second or third night, newbie or veteran, tend to look more put-together than they actually feel. It is in this climate that the consequences of allowing our culture of discrimination to seep into our community became most apparent to me. To imply that most of the problematic behavior I’ve experienced, or become aware of, was intended to offend would be a misrepresentation of the problem. Often times it is derived from an ignorance of appropriate conduct, and not a will of malice.

If it is our intention to continue to thrive progressively as an industry, it is of vital importance that we acknowledge not only the problem of sexism, but also the issue of race. This industry has a race issue. The first clue being its sheer lack of representation of minorities, which I’d noticed, but have only recently cited as a problem. The apparent irony is, given the global history of modification, its roots, and the peoples who’ve practiced its most ancient rituals, that for decades the face of body piercing largely became the angsty, white male; more recently, the young and wealthy.

We’ve already begun to diversify our community and it’s image. During the 2017 APP Conference “Women in Leadership” panel discussion, Kendra Jane’s plea to the women of this industry to step up and make their voices heard served as a beautiful call to action, and reminder that the need for social change is ever-present. Alicia Cardena’s 2016 speech regarding who is really served by our jewelry companies displayed exactly the vigilance needed to redirect our efforts. In her speech, she outlined the problem of preferential treatment toward wealthy individuals, both inside and outside our studios; and how it contributes to a culture of socioeconomic inequality.

Faced with issues that threaten the well-being of our group success we, as a community of professionals, become the sum of our parts. Every single member of the community becomes responsible for their contribution to the solution, or lack thereof. Our jewelry companies, marketing agencies, photographers, aftercare companies, office clerks, volunteers, and studio members have more power than they realize. Let us continue to support those who may not have been born into equal opportunity, remembering that a single decision has the potential to inspire a wave of difference. We can advocate for, sponsor, apprentice, and give platforms to those who aren’t being heard. We can speak out. We can listen. Not every contribution needs to be radical; most of them won’t be, but collectively they’ll amount to a world of difference.