Body art

Ann Charron

Ann Charron

Over the last 118 years, South Dakota State University has seen as many trends and fads walk through the door each year as students.

One recent trend among college students is piercings, and it’s not just ears anymore. No, piercings can now be found just about anywhere on the human body.

“You can actually get an original piercing,” said Sam Snyder, owner of Studio 27. “You can get your finger pierced now if you want to.”

Snyder, who also owns tattoo and piercing businesses in Watertown and Vermillion, recently brought his business to Brookings and has been piercing SDSU students.

According to Snyder, the most popular piercings among students are the navel, eyebrow, tongue, nose, labret and ears.

“It’s mostly facial,” Snyder said.

While Studio 27 is new to town, many students have had piercings for years now.

Carly Erickson, a junior from Madison, S.D., has had her nose pierced since the age of 18.

“I guess I always thought it looked pretty neat,” Erickson said.

After getting it pierced, Erickson said she had no problems and the pain was minimal.

“I think getting your ears pierced hurt worse,” Erickson said.

Bobbi Matter, a junior from Faulkton, S.D., agrees.

“When I would lose the balls to the body jewelry, it would fall out. You wouldn’t feel it. It didn’t tear,” Matter said.

Matter, who once had her navel and tongue pierced, has only her ears pierced now.

After losing her navel piercing over three times and spending $125 to have the piercing redone, Matter decided to let the hole close.

“I lost it somewhere along my freshman year. It fell out and I just never did it again,” Matter said.

After the naval piercing, Matter decided to get her tongue pierced.

“Personally I like piercings,” Matter said. “There are certain places I wouldn’t put them, but I still like piercings.”

After making a trip to the dentist, Matter found out she needed to have a smaller bar put in her tongue or her lower jaw bone would start to deteriorate.

Instead of spending another $30 to $40, Matter decided to lose her tongue piercing.

“Somedays I kind of miss my tongue ring, but with my belly, it kept falling out so I don’t miss that,” Matter said.

While Matter has left her piercing days behind, other students are just beginning.

Lacey Bartell, a sophomore from Lemmon, S.D., recently made a trip to Bismarck with a friend to get a piercing.

“I wanted to get something done but I didn’t know what,” Bartell said.

Bartell decided to pierce her eyebrow.

“At first people were like whoa, cool and now it’s like there,” Bartell said. “It’s lost all it’s excitement but I still like it.”

Bartell said that she wants to get one more piercing but has not decided where yet.

One piercing that Bartell decided not to get is her labret, the area between the lip and the chin. After witnessing a friend take a drink and lose it out her piercing, Bartell decided that wasn’t for her.

“I wouldn’t get that done because of that,” Bartell said.

Bartell is not the only student getting pierced.

Studio 27 has seen its share of college students since its recent opening and many of them are women.

“I’d say probably about 75 percent are women,” Snyder said.

Snyder, recommends students go to a piercing professional rather than trying to do it themselves.

According to Snyder, sterilization and the right training is important for the piercings to heal.

“There is some definite do’s and don’ts and people who don’t know how shouldn’t be doing it on themselves or their friends,” Snyder said.

When it comes to this new trend, there are many possibilities, according to Snyder.

“Piercings are definitely more easier for people to make up their minds about,” Snyder said.

No matter where people want to get pierced, it all comes down to the person.

“Go ahead and do it if you like it,” Erickson said.