Piercings have become very popular in recent years, and it has become a rather mainstream thing for people to have several ear piercings, as well as facial piercings. Personally, I have 7 and counting and recently went to Tony’s Tattoo studio, Reigate to get a new one.
I have already had several piercings here so I knew what to expect but here's a quick rundown on what happened. I researched beforehand what sort of piercing I wanted, so I was prepared for when I got there. They offer a range of different types, all for varying prices. The prices are about average for what they are but if you are a student and have sufficient I.D they do offer a £5 discount on most piercings which I thought was really good!
We had a wait time but that was probably just because it was half term. It wasn’t that long though and soon I was getting it done. All the piercers there are very nice and explain what they are doing. It's very sanitary and professional. It was over in about five minutes and I left with a new piercing. They make sure to give you a leaflet with care instructions on it and if you have any questions all the staff seemed happy to answer them. Overall it was a really good experience and I will definitely be going there for future piercings. I would really recommend you go there!
Whilst getting this done it got me thinking about school rules about piercings. My school has rather strict rules about them, only allowing one pair of studs in ears and no facial piercings at all, unless for cultural reasons. This means that I usually just base new piercings around others' healing times which can be a pain when wanting more. This seems to be a pretty standard set of rules in the UK but it struck me as quite odd. With schools becoming far more open to creativeness and individualism in recent years you would have thought they would adapt these rules to fit. Most schools used to claim these rules were for health and safety reasons but this doesn’t seem true as if studs are worn then it’s quite hard for them to do any damage. A lot of schools also say it is due to trying to keep a professional image and prepare students for rules they will encounter in the workplace. However this as well doesn't seem true as most workplaces have also adapted to allow things like dyed hair, tattoos and piercings.
So why do schools cling onto rules about things like this? It raises the question of whether some rules are outdated and whether they need to be reconsidered. What do you think, do you think they should be changed, or do you agree with them being in place?
By Imogen Dearlove
