Sixteen 18g surface piercings one corset

I like to jump into scary new things and then deal with the consequences. This generally works out in my favor. Sometimes, I get in over my head; sometimes, it's a successful new experience that I'm proud to have gone through. A sixteen-point corset, done for a photo shoot, was fortunately the latter.

I had traveled to Kansas City, Missouri this November 2009 to shoot and hang out with awesome photographers and models. One of the models is a most kick-ass professional piercer: Heather LeStabbityDeath, who pierces at Lasting Impressions in Des Moines, Iowa. I had idly said that in passing she and I should do a piercing shoot together, expecting her to agree but postpone it for another trip. Silly me, that's not Heather's style. She immediately agreed and asked if I was free on the 15th, the day before I left.



Well, I couldn't really say I hadn't expected her to do it, so we started talking over ideas for the shoot, about a month off. The first plan we were going with (until the actual day of) was to do two corsets, one down each side, and lace the ribbons over my prone arms. While I liked the idea, I didn't think I'd be able to move much, so while the pictures would benefit her piercing portfolio, I needed a bit more mobility, as I'm still a new model who needs all the help she can get. I pointed out a couple other designs, going between the breasts, over the hips, and other similar ideas. We stuck with the arms idea for now, but agreed that if a better idea came up, we'd do that instead.

Time went by, until I was in Kansas City. I spent a few days shooting set ideas, until Sunday came. We were in our friend Reed's apartment, where we all had been shooting on and off for nearly twenty-four hours. We had a few more ideas to shoot before the corset—as I do mostly nude modeling, we didn't want holes everywhere. Heather, during one of my shoots, had mentioned a design that would make it look like I was wearing a top made of ribbon. I agreed and she went to working, with pen and paper, on where the holes would go, how the ribbon would go through, and how many.

I hadn't thought much about the pain, thinking mostly on the end result. So when she asked how far down we should go, I told her maybe an inch below my navel on each side and went back to shooting.

Finally, around two AM, we were ready to start marking. She had me stand in the kitchen, topless, consulting her diagram and marking me with gentian violet. The marking was easily what took the longest, as the piercings being even a bit off would throw off the entire design. I would guess that it took maybe half an hour to complete all sixteen markings; two under my collarbones; four on the sides of my breasts; six on my stomach; four between my breasts, down the sternum. She had laid out an area on the kitchen floor—I was on top of a towel, next to the paper sheet that held all the autoclave packets.

I stared straight up at the ceiling and tried to remember to breathe in and out to help with the pain, our photographer friends clicking away. She started with the ones under my collarbones and worked her way down one side, up the other. The pain wasn't like the pain of a nostril or eyebrow piercing (both of which I've had, as well as my monroe). It was sharper, as well as more prolonged. The worst were the lowest stomach piercings, the easiest up by my collarbone. I was proud of not flinching, although my knees shook, and how quiet I was the entire time. I also got to crunch on some raspberry glucose tablets, which I found strangely yummy.

The piercing took maybe fifteen minutes, with another ten to put the beads in the CBRs. I didn't feel that much. We shot for only twenty minutes after the lacing was done. The entire time was documented, soon to be on BME.

The removal was decent. I pointed out the most painful ones and she removed those rings first. There was a bit of bruising around the holes, and two bled a bit. It stung to sit up, but not badly.

This was on the 15th, two weeks ago. I still have tiny 32 tiny entry and exit holes, the ribbon and rings used (in a plastic bag), and some beautiful pictures. I can't recommend Heather enough for those in the Des Moines area, and I would recommend the experience as well. One of the most painful I've ever had, but one of the most ultimately rewarding.