Posts tagged ThePoint

Point 83: My Journey with Fakir

Comments Off on Point 83: My Journey with Fakir read Editorial, Features, Industry History, Issue 83, President's Corner

By Jef Saunders, APP President


Fakir with Jef’s son Simon, wife Laura Jane Leonard, and Jef himself. Photo by Ken Coyote

On May 4th, 2018, Fakir Musafar posted a farewell message on his Facebook account: “The time has come for me to inform you that Fakir’s shelf life is running out. I have been fighting stage 4 lung cancer since last October, and I am near my expiration date….” While I have known about Fakir’s diagnosis for months, witnessing Fakir make his short time remaining public really hit home. The outpouring of emotion, thanks, and support from all over the world has been quite a thing to behold. I’m confident the letters, cards, and photos you send are deeply appreciated by both Fakir and his wife Cleo, and may provide an air of closure.

Fakir with Jef’s son Simon Saunders. Photo by Ken Coyote

My journey with Fakir began over 20 years ago, the way it has for so many others: through reading Modern Primitives. I was struck by the audacity it took to modify one’s body in so many different ways, all of it done long before body modification was an accepted element of Western culture. He seemed larger-than-life, brilliant, and enigmatic beyond description. Who was this man, and how had he developed this devotion to piercing, corsetry, and suspension?

It wasn’t long before I met him in person, in the spring of 1999. I remember thinking to myself, “I hope I look as good as this guy does when I’m in my fifties,” not realizing I was taking a class from a man in his late sixties. Fakir’s apparent defiance of his age turned out to be nothing compared to the impact his Basic Piercing Workshop had on my life. I learned directly from Fakir about the cultures he admired and about what compelled him to modify his own body. I was exposed firsthand to the ritual and spiritual experience that piercing and body art could be, and I was awakened to a perspective on body play that came from the immersive experience of the workshop. Fakir and his Intensives changed me forever.

I felt compelled to revisit the magic in the Fakir classes. Within eighteen months I had attended his Basic, Branding, and Advanced Intensives. Five years later I was visiting regularly, at times even driving from Rhode Island to San Francisco, just to experience a class. In 2005 I started teaching for Fakir, and I’ve grown increasingly devoted to the unique quality of the workshops the Fakir Intensives deliver. For Fakir, however, teaching the body arts is really only half the story.

It’s difficult to explain the amazing life he has led. You may be aware that Fakir has been an advertising executive, a military demolitions expert, and a lifelong photographer. You might not know that he was a magician, a ballroom dancer, and a pioneering corset designer. There’s a unicycle in his garage, surrounded by shelves of piercing supplies, rigging for human rituals, and Body Play magazines. The man has lived that kind of life.

I’ve had the good fortune to grow close to Fakir, first as a student, and then as an instructor, but more significantly, as a friend. He is the patriarch of my chosen family, and I can say without hyperbole that the most important relationships in my life all trace back to Fakir, the Fakir Family, and the Fakir Intensives in some way So, although I write this column with a heavy heart. I’m thankful that Fakir chose to inform the broad piercing community about his condition, providing anyone who has felt his substantial impact the opportunity to reach out to him by sending a card, a photo, or a letter before he moves on to the unseen world. Through this considerate gesture, Fakir is showing us once again the type of person he is, and the extraordinary value he places on human connections. I truly hope you’ll take him up on it.

My journey with Fakir resonates as one of the greatest joys of my life. Thank you, Fakir. Your contributions to body art will be celebrated by our community for all time, and I, personally, have been forever blessed by your influence in my life. Your example and guidance have led me not only to evolve into the piercer I am today, but more importantly, the person I have become.

Merry Meet, Merry Part, and Merry Meet Again!

Point 83: Point of View

Comments Off on Point 83: Point of View read Features, Industry History, Issue 83

EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN

Left: A carnival or
circus performer from the 1890s
The amazing Mr. Lifto performing with the Jim Rose Circus.

Remember grandma’s junk that you couldn’t give away ten years ago and ended up sending to the Salvation Army or the dump? Just look at the prices they’re charging for it now that it’s become “collectable.”

Some of us who are a little older may even have seen a revival in popularity of the fads and fashions of our youth. Anyone for disco, bell bottoms, platform shoes, lava lamps, mood rings?

There are a lot of things in life like that somehow come full circle. Assuming you live long enough, it’s bound to happen to you too.

Piercing as a performance medium isn’t anything all that new, come to think of it. Just how many hundreds of years have Indian sadhus been working some dusty street corner, a skewer through their cheeks or hooks in their flesh, begging a few coins from passersby?

While today’s performers may not be doing anything new, there can be no doubt as to the great range and variety of imaginative ways in which they are incorporating piercing into their acts.

Some of this issue’s featured performers use their piercings to perform amazing feats of strength or endurance to entertain and astonish their audience. Take, for instance, the Torture King or Mr. Lifto (shown here). This tradition has roots among traveling circus sideshow acts: human and animal freaks, fire eating (see Chuk’s story in this issue), and sword swallowing, to name a few. In this type of performance, the body and its limits tell the whole story. We are compelled to watch these variations on the human condition, to find bits of ourselves in the “Other.”

Piercing as metaphor is often used in more high-concept performance art. Stelarc, Orlan, and David Wojnarowich are among the many high-profile artists who make statements using temporary piercings and/or body alterations. In this issue Justin Chin explores the notion of immunity and transmissible diseases by “infecting” himself with his own blood. Dave Tavacol gives us a glimpse into an unpleasant but not so far-fetched future, putting a piercing-related twist on cultural disapproval suggestive of The Scarlet Letter.

As many of us know, piercings can project one into an altered state of consciousness. The feats of Amazonian shamans, Indian fakirs and sadhus, and the grand spectacle of a tribal rite of passage all bear historical testimony to this tradition. Mr. Fab is one of a growing number of exponents of the neotribal performance path, using piercings to share these ancient experiences with the audience.

Drag queens are some of the most elaborate performers of all, using familiar paraphernalia to subvert our comfortable understanding of culture, gender roles, and socially acceptable behavior in a theater of the absurd. As Trauma Flintstone, Cirus, Mark Pritchard, and Fennel explain, piercing can be one more theatrical prop. Fennel’s performances play out a particularly astute perspective on a common breed of nihilistic club performance currently much in vogue. In classic drag oneupmanship, he gets even by beating them at their own game.

Many of the performance artists who appear in this issue have been a part of the Ron Athey show. These include Crystal Cross, Julie Tolentino Wood, Marina Vain (Spike), and Paul King. They utilize piercing as metaphor, crude spectacle, punishing absurdity, powerful, bitter humor, and panache to make strong statements about AIDS, gender, homosexuality, religion (especially Christianity), fetishism, and outsider status. Their ever-expanding international audience bears testimony to the fact that piercing and performance are a naturally matched pair, centuries old and yet still fresh, with the power to move the viewer to another state of awareness.

—Michaela Grey & Jim Ward

Point 83: Conference, 2018 from Editor Kendra Jane B.

Comments Off on Point 83: Conference, 2018 from Editor Kendra Jane B. read Conference, Editorial, Events, From the Editor, Issue 83

By Kendra Jane B., Point Editor

It is hard to believe that yet another Conference is right around the corner. It is always so odd to me that something can feel so far away and yet so close all at the same time.

As you dive into our annual pre-Conference issue I know each of you are excited about a different aspect of Conference. For some of us it is the once a year family reunion. For others it is the endless supply of knowledge at hand. Yet for others it offers a break from the everyday; a week to get away from the everyday humdrum of life and revitalize themselves for another year. This will be my  eighth  Conference  (I have attended every one since I began piercing) and every year I take away a different and yet equally valuable lesson which often not only applies to piercing but to life as a whole.  This year as I prepare for Conference I am trying to do so in a more mindful way.  I am going into it knowing what I want to get out of it. This is what I urge all of you to do as your compose your check-lists and cross off the to do’s as we get closer and closer; think about what it is you want to gain from our week in the desert. I urge all of you to be mindful of the process, the preparation, and the prospects that will all be a part of your conference experience.

This year I hope to find a renewed connection, a connection with the people of our industry. I want to know why you do what you do. The fact that we are highlighting performance art means I can gain a better understanding of others’ connections to the industry. I am beyond thrilled that we have so many great classes as well as the Body Piercing Archive (BPA) exhibit devoted to performance art. To me performance art is the physical embodiment of someone’s connection with their emotions as art. I can’t wait to hear their stories and learn why they do what they do. So turn the page, read on, and get a taste of what this year’s Association of Professional Piercers Conference has to offer.

Point 83: Conference, 2018 – from Editor Marina Pecorino

Comments Off on Point 83: Conference, 2018 – from Editor Marina Pecorino read Conference, Editorial, Events, From the Editor, Issue 83

As a brand new mom—my son will be less than four months old in mid-July—the decision to attend Confer ence this year was a difficult one. I absolutely adore my newfound role as a full-time caregiver, but maintaining my work responsibilities while caring for my son is certainly a balancing act. I look forward to the reprieve of Conference, where for a week, my only responsibilities will be to the organization and community that I’ve worked for and been passionate about for over ten years. That said, I have plenty of photos and videos of my Tummy Monster to share with anyone who’s interested.

Again this year, I’m looking forward to experiencing the Body Piercing Archive, delving deeper into our rich history and learning about interconnected art forms that make up the body modification community. Another high point for me is reconnecting with my Conference volunteer family; we stay connected throughout the year online, but it’s different to be able to give and receive hugs and in person support.

Beginning last year, the Alternative To The Bar (ATTB) activities are offered in the evenings; a perfect fit for the more introverted among us and those hoping to avoid drinking and smoking. Unfortunately, my Conference responsibilities often keep me late into the night, but I do my  best to participate. Playing board/card/table-top games and watching body mod related movies with fellow piercers is right up my alley, so this is my favorite place to be after classes are over and my work has been completed.

And then there are all the amazing classes to get excited about. My agenda this year includes Photography For the Modern Studio: Crop it like its hot!, In the Beginning There Was Gauntlet, Investigating Cross Contamination, Color Theory for Body Piercers, and Women in Leadership. Honestly, the registration process is always a struggle for me. The class offerings are expansive and there are only so many hours in the day. Inevitably, I can’t attend everything that I would like to, so prioritizing is important. This is one of the many ways that the Mentor Program assists new attendees; providing guidance during the class selection process, to tailor fit the needs, skill level, and schedule of participating mentees. Read further into this issue to find out more about the Mentor Program.

For those of you attending Conference this year, I can not wait to see you. If we haven’t met yet, don’t hesitate to stop me in the halls or find me after class to say hi. If we have met, chances are I’ll be too shy and introverted to strike up conversation first, but don’t let that stop you from taking the lead. For those of you who can’t be with us, I encourage you to try for next year. The experience is unforgettable, and the knowledge and networking is unsurpassed.

Point 82: Elayne Angel

Comments Off on Point 82: Elayne Angel read Issue 82

Thank you for celebrating the women of the piercing industry with us. We know that there are many more influential women that have greatly shaped our role in the industry. We hope that you will join us in Issue 85: Our History and Where We Came From. (winter, 2018) where we will look at some more of the most influential pioneers of our industry, such as Elayne Angel, Jim Ward, and Fakir

Point 82: The Unusual 1930’s Pierced Heiress

Comments Off on Point 82: The Unusual 1930’s Pierced Heiress read Body Piercing Archives, Features, Industry History, Issue 82

By Paul King, BPA Founder & Researcher

One would think that a neck piercing in the 1930s would be the most surprising detail of any woman’s life, but not for our Piercing Pioneer, Georgia Perkins, a.k.a. Mrs. Jake Hamon.

Georgia was born in Kansas, where she  met her husband Jacob Louis Hamon, aka Jake. After Jake obtained a law degree, the couple moved to Oklahoma. In 1909, they had two children, Jake Jr. and Olive Belle.

Jake senior was a risk-taking, young Republican, who speculated on oil and railroads, both of which paid off, substantially

He became known as “The Oil King of Oklahoma.” Jake even brokered a deal to build a railroad with the famed circus entrepreneur, John Rigley.

From historical records, Jake’s character appears shady while he was the attorney general of Oklahoma. Rumors of corruption marred his political career from the beginning. Allegedly, he extorted gamblers on his road to building wealth and power. Soon after while lobbying in Washington, D.C., he was accused of attempting to bribe a Senator. By far, the most scandalous charges against him were for buying votes for Warren G. Harding’s nomination as the Republican party presidential candidate. The estimates for payouts ranged from $250,000 to $1,000,000 (approximately $3 to 12 million in today’s dollars). The backroom dealings were rumored to provide Jake and his cronies exclusive access to the oil rich fields of Teapot Dome, Wyoming. The ensuing congressional investigation would forever tarnish the legacies of Jake Hamon and President Harding. Hard to believe, but the Hamons’ personal lives were even more outrageous! At 40, Jake met the young Clara Belle Smith. The two fell in love. Reports remain contradictory for which or if both Hamons couldn’t stomach a ruinous divorce, so they remained married. Jake put his mistress through  school and then hired her on as his personal secretary. To make hotel stays less problematic, Jake paid $10,000 to his nephew to marry Clara so that she could legally obtain the last name Hamon. Despite these great lengths for appearances, the affair was a poorly kept secret.

As fate would have it, Georgia’s cousin was the wife of then presidential hopeful, Warren Harding. As mentioned previously, Jake paid a considerable sum to buy the nomination for Harding to go on to win the presidency. Once elected and with pressure from his wife, President Harding, or most likely Harding’s wife, would not accept Jake’s mistress in Washington. Jake would have to reconcile with his legal wife. It’s reported that Jake and Clara were known for drunken arguments. Their tensions crescendoed on November 21, 1920, in Ardmore, Oklahoma. Clara shot Jake in the liver. He died five days later. Jake’s story flip-flopped from self-inflicted to a desperate plea for leniency for Clara. The murder trial became national headline news followed around the country. Despite Georgia’s damning testimony and demands for the electric chair, Clara was acquitted on self-defense. One of Clara’s legal defense team was the twin brother of the judge! Obviously, the soundness of the jury’s verdict has been debated Despite the controversy, our piercing pioneer Georgia Perkins, the now widower Mrs. Jake Hamon, bounced back! In 1922, our protagonist married a wealthy Chicago banker, only to divorce him a year later. The cause given was domestic cruelty. Reportedly, her new husband “practiced his ju-jitsu” skills on his wife.

After her second marriage, Georgia started playing ranked golf in the nascent women’s tournaments. At this time, there were no “pro” females, the prizes were strictly honorary. Once cash was included, winnings still remained much lower than men’s. Even so, Georgia’s prowess on the green would keep her name in regional papers for most of the next de-cade, albeit, not headlining or sensational.


“Madison” piercing with monofilament weed eater line as a retainer, photo c. early 1990s.
Excerpt from the book African Giant, pre-1955 photo of Men of Mungonge Dance by Rehna Cloete near Kwango Congo. This is the type of image that might have inspired Mrs. Hamon. Left

 After the criminal and political scandals of the 1920s, much less information is available for Mrs. Jake Hamon. We know she traveled exclusively, including parts of Africa. However, it remains elusive from which peoples she drew inspiration for her throat pin piercing.

Then Ripley’s strange cartoon depicting “Mrs. Jake Hamon” with a throat piercing published in national syndication, December 15, 1933. As was the custom with the Ripley’s series, the following day, they released the details of whatever strange custom appeared the previous day.

“Vampire Bite” Piercings

So should this Ripley’s explanation be taken at face value? Did this throat pin really serve as a memorial to Jake Hamon, the selfish, politically corrupt, drunken, and child-abandoning adulterer?

I’ve been unable to find any additional representation of her piercing or information on her motivation or background story of the peoples she witnessed in Africa. Unfortunately, the Hamon Library in Dallas says they have no personal papers or letters for the first Mrs. Jake Hamon.

Forgive my digression, but this family’s colorfulness doesn’t quit  yet.

Georgia’s son Jake Jr. went on to marry a beautiful young woman named Nancy, an aspiring actress who had one role in a movie with Mae West, The Heat’s On. This marriage began the illustrious escapades of the second “Mrs. Jake Hamon.”

The couple were faithful Republican supporters and hobnobbed with presidents such as Johnson and the first Bush. After her husband’s passing, Nancy became a fabulously wealthy widower worth hundreds of millions. She is rumored to have said she wanted to live her life in such a fashion that her last check would bounce. She was a well-documented Dallas socialite, philanthropically shaping the city’s institutions, while throwing extravagant theme parties with elephants and performers such as Louis Armstrong. Of particular interest, she had lost her finger in a blendor accident. Carlo Rambaldi, the special effects artist for E.T., personally created her prosthetic finger with a graceful arc for cocktail parties.

I couldn’t make this shit up.

Point 82: Christiane Løfblad

Comments Off on Point 82: Christiane Løfblad read Issue 82

By Alicia Cardenas, Sol Tribe Custom Tattoo & Body Piercing

When I was asked to write about the women in the industry, I always think of the same small group of badass women that I have seen at Conference time and time again. The sometimes quiet, but fierce warriors; small business owners who paved the path for all those who came after. When I think about the world of female practitioners, there are still only a handful. And, of course, I think of Christiane from Pinpoint Piercing. Christiane has been a powerhouse of inspiration from Oslo, Norway. I got a chance to ask her a few questions and get to know her a little better. And find out more about what she is up to.

Alicia: Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself. Who are you and how long have you been a professional body artist?

Christiane: I’m Christiane Løfblad, and I’m the owner of Pinpoint Piercing in Oslo. I’ve been piercing professionally since ‘94, and been doing scarification since around ‘03. I’m currently piercing about three days a week, and do administrative work the rest. I was co-running Wings of Desire Suspension Team for around ten years, but have more or less retired from body suspension due to burn-out. In my spare time I try to find a balance between physical training (mainly pilates and yoga) and socializing with friends, and I also make lamp shades from x-rays (SUKL lamps).

Alicia: How did you get your start in the industry? Did you have a formal apprenticeship?

Christiane: I spent my late teens traveling around Europe in squatted houses, and was already piercing myself with various instruments. My first visit to a real piercing shop was at the Reeperbahn in Hamburg around ’92 or ’93. My friend and I wanted to get our navels pierced and I actually remember asking the staff member who served us “why is it so expensive?” Ha ha! So when I have these eye-roll encounters with young people today I try to be a bit more understanding and remember where I came from myself.

I moved back to Oslo in ’94, and the first piercing-only shop had opened there, in the basement of  an  established  tattoo  shop.  I quickly became a very regular customer, and after some months I was offered a position at this shop. My training was very simple; I would not call it an apprenticeship. Definitely not an ideal situation, but at the time I think this was a fairly common way to learn our trade. Around ’96 a colleague and I went to London for a week to guest spot at Cold Steel, it was quite the eye opener for me to see how a “real” shop was doing things. And in ’99 I moved to Copenhagen and worked for a while at Gorlubb, which was a bit of a turning point. It was the first “good” shop I worked at on a regular basis, and I improved a lot with my time there (thanks, Jack Rubini!).

Alicia: What was the industry like when you first started? How has it changed? Good or bad.

Christiane: When I’m asked how I think the industry has changed over the twenty-some years I’ve been in it, I can’t help but think more of how I’ve changed myself. So I’ll try to put aside my subjective perception.

Piercing in Oslo has always been a commercial thing, from the nineties when we were doing navels and tongues all day, up until today when it’s ear piercings with cute gold pieces. Back in the day, neither our customers nor ourselves were as focused on quality jewelry as we are today, but I feel in general the customer base in my area is and has been conscious about getting the good stuff. So in a way I’m not sure there’s been so much actual change, rather just a shift in trends. Vanity will never go out of fashion; it’s a fundamental characteristic in humans to decorate our bodies to express who we are. As for the industry itself, for me I see a lot more pressure from our peers to excel. Elitism is not necessarily a bad thing I’ve always believed in striving to improve and get more knowledge but I don’t remember this being such an omnipresent thing before the internet became so influential for all of us. Sometimes I feel it’s getting a bit out of hand, and can be a bit excluding.

Alicia: What is your experience about being a women in the industry? Has it been easier or harder? What are some of the challenges you have faced?

Christiane: Every now and then I get asked how it is and has been to be a woman in the industry, and can’t say I have much to say in that matter. I don’t feel I’ve been discriminated or in other ways had a hard time because of my gender. Maybe I’m just fortunate to live in a country and continent where there are a lot of females in the industry, or I’m totally oblivious to any gender negativity taking place. Either way, I don’t give it much focus.

Alicia: How long have you owned your studio? How did it begin?

Christiane: Towards the end of my twenties I was again living abroad, and when    I moved back in ’02 I started working at Pinpoint (the shop was originally opened in ’98 by two former colleagues of mine; Runar Jensen and Knut Kvernvold). After a few years I was offered the chance to buy the shop. Although at first I was a bit reluctant to face the responsibility, my boyfriend at the time quickly convinced me that I would be foolish to decline the offer (thank you, Håvve!) At first I was the only person working the shop, but slowly there was need for more help. We now have two full time piercers, one regular guest piercer, one apprentice, two counter staff, and one packing help.

Christiane Løfblad

Alicia: What would be your advice to someone starting off as a new business owner?

Christiane: To new shop owners these days I have just my subjective  advise to start small and  work you way up, because I don’t think I could have done it any other way. Think thoroughly through what is absolutely essential to invest in, and separate it from what would be nice to have, but can also be upgraded later. Always work to the best of your ability, but also strive to improve. I think that’s the essence of it, really.

Alicia: Who are your professional and personal influences?

Christiane: I’m a great admirer of experience and do look up to those in our industry who have been in it for decades and still have the same passion for the work and the drive to share the knowledge (hi, Alicia and Elayne! And all you others!) That said, I think I might get the most influence from those in my closer proximity. Our head piercer Sala who’s been with us for six years now is a great motivator to me to keep on improving, as are the rest of the staff who all see the shop as their own. It’s very inspiring to work with a crew who’s so passionately into their trade, and I’m very proud of all of them.

Alicia: What is your favorite part about this job?

Christiane: There are many favourite parts of my job because it depends so much on my mood. Somedays I love doing paperwork and orders and don’t have energy to deal with customers at all. And other days I can’t think of papers and just want to do the craft part. But one part of the job I get a lot from is witnessing the appreciation of some of the customers when they see their new piercing(s). I know how good I can feel sometimes when getting new work done myself, and it gives me a good feeling to be the one helping them to achieve that feeling. In moments when I feel my job is superficial in relevance to people who work with helping those in need, I remind myself that I also manage to evoke good feeling in a lot of people.

Alicia: If there was one thing you could change about our industry what would it be?

Christiane: I’m not sure I have much desire to change the industry. Of course I’d wish for a general higher level of standards, but I think in Oslo and Norway this level is fairly ok compared to a lot of other countries where price wars play a huge influence on what direction a lot of the shops take. In any line of work there will always be contributors who are more concerned with making a quick buck than having good work ethics; this in inevitable. I’d rather put the effort into educating our customers so they make the right choices for their body adornments, than letting the lack of work ethics of some of these contributors get to me.

Alicia: What are your plans for the next 5 yrs? 10 yrs? How do you create balance in your work and personal life?

Christiane: I’ve never been one for having long term plans; I tend to lay the rails while the train is running, so to speak. These last years I have been cutting back on serving customers so I have more time for all the admin work, and it’s likely that the admin duties will take an even bigger part in the future. But I have noticed that I need to pierce on a regular basis, so I need to reserve a few days a week for this. Luckily I have an amazing staff that helps also with some of the admin work, so the responsibility is not solely on me. Learning to delegate has been important for me to achieve a balance, and I’m still learning! I was recently very close to burning out, so I’ve become very conscious about not over stretching myself. Running the shop entirely on my own in the beginning was definitely a useful experience, but I also taught myself that it’s expected to work long hours and always be on duty. It’s hard to unlearn this, but I feel I’m on the right path.

Alicia: Thank you, Christiane. We appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions. You are a continued inspiration.

Point 82: The Golden Age of Piercing in Australia

Comments Off on Point 82: The Golden Age of Piercing in Australia read Issue 82

AN INTROSPECTIVE NARRATIVE OF FEMALE PIERCERS DOWN UNDER

By Eloise Ridgewell & Kyla Scrivener

Australia; a land stretching over 7.6 million square kilometres, famous for its blistering summers, beautiful beaches and wildlife that will kill you in every awful way conceivable. Born from this unique environment comes a well-known character, the true blue Aussie larrikin; a cultural icon who is tough, defiant, loud and enjoys poking fun at people. Although affectionately embraced by the international community and Australians alike, this stereotype has its pitfalls when trying to establish one’s identity on an international, professional scale. The need to be loud, tough, boisterous and outrageous is often expected of those from Down Under and can unfortunately take precedence over the individual identity. While this persona definitely has its place in the Australian piercing community, there is a hive of quiet activity migrating from this previously dominating attitude and branching into a more delicate, refined, sophisticated and feminine creation. To understand how this evolution started to come about, we must first reflect on our origins of how Australian piercing began.

We speak with Bella van Nes of Piercing HQ, the continent’s original female piercer, whose piercing career started over 28 years ago in Australia’s first piercing studio, then located above a small adult bookstore in Melbourne:

“[In the beginning] we saw a range of colourful characters. Folks didn’t care that the jewellery was plain; all they cared about was how it was going to make their sex life better. Fast forward to the navel piercing boom in the mid ‘90s and the need for prettier decorative jewellery styles. This was the beginning of having a piercing done for “the look” instead of “the feel” and when my need for more female staff became apparent; who were happy to spend time putting jewellery combinations together for clients and pouring over wonderful jewellery catalogues with them.”

This motivation for aesthetics over sensation sparked a ferocious growth for the Australian piercing community, jewellery manufacturers and women’s place in the industry.

The Australian piercing industry has evolved and expanded greatly in those 28 years to become what we see today. As of 2018, there are only 10 studios nation-wide operating at a standard internationally recognised as high end or reputable. Outside of that minority, there are over 400 piercing-related franchise businesses and innumerable tattoo studios and beauty salons offering piercing services. Considering there are a minimum of three to five piercers in each franchise, the ratio of franchise to studio piercers becomes greatly skewed. Due to this imbalance, a severe congestion is being seen, with a saturation of lower quality jewellery and more laxed standards becoming regarded as the norm. Another more intriguing outcome of the rise of franchise piercing has been the influx of female piercers being offered full time work in these ‘retail’ positions in precedence over male piercers for similar job opportunities.

In Australia, the retail and franchise industry is the third largest employer of women, after healthcare and education; this merging of retail franchises and piercing has opened the door for more women to be offered piercing positions than ever before. Prior to this pairing, the Australian piercing scene was almost entirely male dominated and with little to no job security, while franchises played a role in legitimising this career path by paying piercers a retail wage and steady employment. Although perhaps not an ideal introduction to the industry, joining a franchised brand soon became a way to get your foot in the door as an apprentice or employee at a reputable studio. From these humble beginnings, female piercers were now in a position to step forward and put their foot on the career ladder within these retail chains and begin to network with high end studios and manufacturers like never before. Synonymous with this saturation of female piercers nationally came the increased desire for ornate, couture, and more exclusive lines of jewellery, directly influenced by the world’s creative stylists; gone were the plain steel captive  bead ring haydays of the ‘90s! On the runways of high end fashion influencers like House of Malakai, Alexander McQueen, Dior, and most noticeably Givenchy, we were seeing luxuriously stylised adornments and  faux-piercings that soon proved to be ground-breaking in establishing the market for high end body jewellery in a modern Australian setting. Social and visual media greatly contributed in globalising these international piercing and jewellery trends, also allowing clients on our shores to make reference to the work of international industry members. It also increased a demand for unique pieces sculpted from precious metals and stones that had never before been seen here on such a scale or with such diversity.

This mainstreaming of elegance in piercing began to widen the original Australian piercee demographic; the demand for opulent, more feminine jewellery options lead to a shift in what clients expected to experience within a piercing studio, and their attitude towards the practitioners providing their services. Piercers collectively started hearing fewer statements about “putting a hole in” or “just being a piercer,” and were now being trusted to provide more of an artistic and immersive approach to the client’s overall aesthetic and desires. This newfound expectation of a piercer’s artistic integrity to craft an ensemble designed to accentuate and flatter became more desirable than the previously normalised pierce-and-go experience, which gave rise to an opportunity for a deeper, more personal collaboration and interaction between piercer and piercee. This noticeable atmospheric softening and an openness to more emotive experiences is moving further away from the masculine stoic stereotype. Allowing for a synergy that can be a wholly rewarding, cathartic contact for both client and piercer by creating a positive, safe space to process the potentially serious emotions and events that brings patrons into our work spaces.

Introspectively, from our own personal experiences as younger women growing up in more rural Australia, the options presented for adult life are largely centered around hairdressing, beauty therapy, or child-rearing. To be a woman not actively pursuing those ambitions is to be an outlier from the norm of femininity, and as such, implies harshness, bullishness, and almost a certain masculinity. In addition, an interest or participation in an already taboo lifestyle, such as body art, modification, or the kink scene, and this misconception about who you are and your attitude as a woman is reinforced greatly in the eyes of others.

Eloise Ridgewell

ELOISE RIDGEWELL of The Piercing Urge, Melbourne, VIC:

My interest in the industry as  a spectator was peaked in early adolescence by an urge for rebellion and a desire to be abrasive and obtuse. I grew up in a very conservative household by most standards,  and  saw body piercing as an outlet, so expressed my aggression by getting—wait for it—an awfully, AWFULLY executed 16ga septum piercing—somebody call Korn; their freak got off the leash. Retrospectively, that traumatic first piercing experience in the typical rough, dingy, bikeresque tattoo studio as a naive girl served as the catalyst that opened my eyes to the prospect of stepping into the industry as a practitioner, rather than purely an enthusiast. I entered the industry young, angry, and always on the defensive, but soon realised that I didn’t want to give my clientele the same experience that I had received, which was largely regarded as the norm for the area I lived and worked in at the time.

Soon enough, the scary outfits turned into soft colours and floral skirts, and the “fuck you” attitude softened into something much more truthful and authentic to who I am. Around this time, I was lucky enough to connect with some incredibly strong female piercers on the Australasian scene, Cherry Sutherland and Kylie Garth, and was offered a position with one of the most established high end studios in the country, The Piercing Urge, which has been in operation in Melbourne since 1991. I am eternally grateful to my employer and owner of The Piercing Urge, Peter Sheringham, for providing me with the platform, support and opportunity to be able to step forward in this industry, as well as his acceptance of a more feminine touch in such a well-established kink-originated studio, in order to become inclusive and welcoming to a broader demographic.

Attending the Trauma Informed Modification and Grounding class, as well as taking part in the Women of Piercing roundtable discussion during the 2017 APP Conference really ignited a spark in terms of what kind of impact I wanted to have on my clients during my short amount of time with them. Being trusted by our clients, whether it be their faith in our professionalism, technical abilities, eye for design, or allowing us to assist in the reclamation of their body is an incredibly powerful thing, that I truly feel grateful for every single day. Becoming more in touch with my own femininity and softness has helped my work and client interactions infinitely; I’m noticing an overwhelmingly positive and fulfilling encounter for both parties in comparison to the more typical Aussie piercing attitude of “have a teaspoon of cement and harden up”. We as piercers are often therapists, healers, personal life coaches, cheerleaders, and caregivers, and I sought to create an inclusive, welcoming space, where people could feel free from the quick judgements and abrupt bedside manner they may have been used to; where they could not only receive a traditional in and-out piercing service, but also something more holistic and cathartic should they require that.

This newfound placidity has also opened many doors professionally,  allowing  me to connect with a much wider spectrum of piercing community members. Being able to attend my first APP Conference and meet the community’s strong female figures and industry’s foremothers, including Alicia Cardenas, Bethrah Szumski, and Kendra Jane (who is also the reason I am sitting here writing this article) was a profoundly humbling and inspiring experience. Brainstorming with Kylie Garth and Suzanne Hallett and birthing the concept for a now hugely successful industry group for women, gender non-conforming people, and trans folk, then forging meaningful connections with the beautiful people that are part of it has been one of the single most rewarding encounters of my life. There’s a real feeling of sisterhood, inclusivity and empowerment brewing both in our industry and societally at the moment, and I am so thankful to be a part of it.

Kyla Scrivener

Kyla Scrivener of Sacred Art, Newcastle, NSW and APP Member:

I experienced one of the most powerful eureka moments of my life during the 2017 APP Conference. The incredibly well spoken John Johnson spoke of the “Life Piercer”. To paraphrase, he explained that we take the lessons our craft teaches which have an impact on our life forever. We see the world through a piercer’s eyes no matter where we are, inspiring the people who continue to be a piercer long after they have retired the needle. I have learnt some of my most important life lessons from this incredible art form, but none more than the ability to embrace my femininity and embrace my womanhood. The irony that I needed to learn this from men still makes me laugh quietly at the weird twists this universe throws our way.

  I naturally fell into piercing at a time where to me it was still a way to ruffle society’s feathers. If it was large, impressive, shocking, or garish then I wanted it pierced and I wanted it as offensive as possible because to me that was tough and that’s all I knew. Fast forward to 2015 when I was offered a position at Sacred Art in Newcastle, New South Wales where APP Member Mick Swan ran things a little differently to what  I was used to. Mick had created an atmosphere that was calm, gentle, inviting, and boutique. His prime focus was to establish an environment where his mother and sister could visit and feel safe and comfortable. The confronting mohawk, black metal band shirts, and obnoxious choice in piercing jewellery that once comforted me made no sense in my new found environment. The demographic I was now piercing were women between the ages of 18—45, from a middle to high socio-economic demographic, who wanted delicate gold ends with precious stones.

The confronting attitude and attire had to go, because selling diamonds and presenting myself this way was an uphill battle. This small change pushed me to soften my look and find a more female friendly identity. With mostly female clients, I was finding that I was constantly surrounded by these women, who all had stories to tell and that room would become a safe confession of catharsis, adornment, and human connection that I had never experienced before. Then the emotional bomb of the incredible “Modify Your Story” by Jaymes Lombardi hit me; his words of you being a guide to these people and that “everything you do, revolves around the stories we tell” resonate with me to this day. This is the third male in this story to make me realise that I was put on this earth to create, heal, celebrate, and mentor. These people wanted to create a moment, to heal or celebrate that memory or chapter in their life and to be guided through it in the nicest and safest way possible. To be able to be this person, I had to tap into that innate feminine side of myself because my masculine side just could not connect. These tiny changes planted seeds that now allowed me to really honour the clients I was so lucky to be surrounded by and finally allowed me the space to embrace that side of myself which never felt comfortable before.

While the metaphorical cauldron of a feminine energy is bubbling over internally, Australia is starting to see an awakening in a more soft-handed and delicate approach to piercing as a result. This newly allowed artistic freedom presents an opportunity to cultivate an immersive atmosphere of safety and beauty by utilising scent, sound, and design both personally and in the aesthetics of your studio to appeal to your client base. By doing this, two high end studios can create an entirely unique experience for their clientele, even though they may well provide the exact same services with the exact same jewellery. Clients are also becoming much more involved in the process of seeking out artists who compliment their jewellery and design choices, like they would if they were researching a particular style of tattooing. You no longer go to a piercer just to get a piercing, but rather for an overall experience, and our attitudes must reflect this.

Although the industry at large is becoming more multi-faceted, progressive, and gender-diverse than ever, the final shifts of societal norms still need to occur to be completely inclusive nationwide. The distribution of piercing positions in terms of binary gender is relatively even in Australia, however the societal norm of what is acceptable and expected from each role is not. Gloria Steinem quotes, “women are always saying, ‘we can do anything that men can do’ but men should be saying, ‘we can do anything that women can do.’” The final frontiers of Australian piercing need to see the barriers of stereotypical masculinity receding so that more male piercers are able to connect on a deep and interpersonal level also without the fear of not being a ‘bloke’. As Australian writer and comedian Patrick Marlborough quotes,“our national image of manliness is obsolete, and it’s killing us”. With this feminine piercing renaissance at its peak, hopefully we will see more men allowed to be able to shed the weight of toxic masculinity and embrace their feminine side within the industry, and encourage more women to be present in the dialogue without feeling the need to be loud or aggressive to be heard.

“Be soft for the sake of every hard heart; show them with every move of your body that gentle does not mean weak.”—Emma Bleker

Point 82: Female Guest Artists – Taryn Dahlgren

Comments Off on Point 82: Female Guest Artists – Taryn Dahlgren read Issue 82
Taryn Dahlgren

When I made the decision to quit my studio, pack up my life into a friend’s closet, and hit the road to travel and pierce, I was terrified. Probably more terrified than I’ve ever been in my life about anything. But I was coming up on my eighth year of piercing and I figured now was the time to do what I always wanted to do, and that was to see the world. Two adventure-filled years later, here I am, a little more wise about life, piercing in general, and a whole hell of a lot happier. I’ve also found a niche with other traveling piercers who feel the same way I do about the whole thing. It’s a rad life. I was asked a good question recently though and that was “why do you think there are so few female traveling piercers?” I won’t lie. At first, my mind went blank. I felt like there were so many of us. But then I realized that really, we are few and far between and that got me to thinking. Why?

Well, I racked my brain trying to figure it out. I came up with some negatives of course. Women shouldn’t travel alone because it’s scary (heads up, it’s not). Women are matriarchs of their households and can’t be gone for long, etc. And then it hit me out of nowhere.

Female piercers are  too  busy  holding  it down in this industry to be traveling piercers. Now, more than ever, there are so many amazing, talented ladies who are running the show! There are some incredible studios popping up all over the place that are owned and/or run by badass women. Women who are holding their noses to the grindstone with a vengeance, sometimes juggling a family in there too, and unfortunately, that doesn’t leave much time for traveling to do guest spots.

But is that really a bad thing? Absolutely not. Watching my female friends and peers rock this industry down to its core is inspiring on a whole other level. So, while we have a bunch of different angles to consider (ha, angles. See what I did there?), we should focus on the fact that we’ve got some fierce women piercers who are changing the face of who we are and what we do; they’re simply too busy to travel. For now.

Point 82: Female Guest Artists – Paige E. Toth

Comments Off on Point 82: Female Guest Artists – Paige E. Toth read Issue 82
Paige E. Toth

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.