Mabuta # 8
Kanoma's notes in parenthesis ( )
Translator's notes in brackets [ ]
8th installment
People with Piercings
A few days ago in my town I saw something I hadn't ever seen before: a person completely covered in piercings. Naturally they had their ears pierced, but also their eyebrow, the spot between their eyebrows, their lips, their cheek, their chin, their neck. Basically their whole face was full of piercings. Though not exactly piercings, they also had implants (*1) here and there. Also, this takes guts, but sticking out of their forehead in a sort of column were about three piercings in the shape of spikes. They were sharp looking silver spikes looking about 2 cm, completely resembling a dinosaur's teeth. They could possibly also be implants, but I don't know how they're fixated there. I wonder if whoever looks at this person immediately thinks, 'That's a dangerous guy.' Of course he was wearing over-the-top punkish clothing.
I think one of the meanings of punk fashion is to be striking and original, and he did a good job of it, but I wonder if it brings him problems to look like that in his private life. What about when he's washing his face, or wiping away sweat from his face and not paying attention to what he's doing? What if he forgets about the piercings and thoughtlessly wipes sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, will he start bleeding? There's so many more possibilities I can think of. For example, if he's next to his lover in bed and turns over while sleeping, wouldn't he accidentally stab her with his piercings? What about when he has a fever and wants to cool his brow by a bag of cool water? Wouldn't his piercings break open the bag and completely drench his face in water? Well even if that didn't happen, what if he puts a cold press on his forehead, wouldn't the piercings split it into two? For him to be so fashionable, I wouldn't say he takes a small amount of risk. I wonder what spurred him on to go so far? I wonder if wanting to express your individuality leads to this desire to change your appearance? Going too far can really make people think you're a 'natural born sadist.' In this business there's a lot of people you run into who are covered in piercings (surely some of you readers as well), but everyone has their reasons and their own individuality to express, right? I suddenly realized this, but I could ask the people that are close to me about it. Next I'll write about doing that.
. . . Intermission . . .
Well I've come back with their answers, so let's resume the topic. Already a few days have passed since I started writing this. First off, here is the case of N, a staff person:
"In my case, my first step into this kind of fashion consisted of only one piercing in my left ear. These other 10 piercings I've gotten in order to reduce stress. There were times when I would get a new piercing every day. It wasn't about the pain diverting me from my stress. In my situation it wasn't really for fashion, but that became the result of it. And so I don't really care what people think when they see me."
Up next is the case of the bassist L, from that certain F band:
"Well if you say it's for fashion, I guess so. But isn't it the same for people who have tattoos? It's sort of the same feeling as smoking while in Junior High, and people usually feel the same kind of unease with it. Other people don't get it done so much, and feel weird about it. There's pain at first but afterwards it looks pretty cool (laughs). Ears and the navel are popular places for piercings aren't they? Everyone does those places so I wanted to try different spots. (And when I say everyone I mean so-called "normal" people. Not really bandmen). So along with my ears I've also pierced other places. If everyone is getting their ears pierced, why not try out different places I guess. But I haven't really thought about it too deeply or anything. Basically, I have piercings because I think they look really good."
Lastly, the case of the guitarist M, from that certain F band:
"At that time I just wanted to try out a piercing. But then because of the high you can get from getting a piercing, I wanted to get one. Furthermore, when it came to getting the actual piercing, I felt it was essential to entrust it to someone else and not myself. The feeling that was in my heart was like, 'Uwaa! Make this happen!'"
N's ears are completely covered in piercings, and it seems that there's more areas of silver on his ears than areas of skin. It's the first time I've heard someone give the reason for piercings as stress relief, and so I wonder if he'll keep increasing his piercings when stress starts to build. He should probably start taking relationships lightly.
In L's case, he wants to say that he's out of bounds, and it's something that comes from a rebellious heart. Piercings that can also signify a deliquent philosophy. I think that's the number one reason, and it's probably also the number one reason why people who think like L get piercings as well. Incidentally, L has a total of 13 piercings, and that is sort of a peculiar number as well. (When you say the number 13, it's often associated with bad omens.)
As far as M is concerned, I thought that his reason for getting the piercing, as a symbol of just doing it, was great, but all the rest afterwards I won't comment on. But I don't dislike those types of people.
And so I asked three people to see what they'd say, and received back three completely different answers and ways of thinking. Saying that, I had friends back in high school who would get a piercing each time a girl broke up with them. They would reason it thusly, if they got a piercing, they could change the flow of fate. Sort of like if good things were happening and they'd get a piercing, bad things would start happening; and vice versa. Furthermore, it seems like it was bad to get an even amount of piercings, ...... and so they'd have to keep increasing their piercings, one at a time to get these types of numbers, 3.5.7.9.11.
Ah but thinking back on those times, break-up motives and fate, there were also other things ... there were tons of rumors and jinxs surrounding piercings ... Things such as: if you receive a piercing from a person you like, you'll both fall in love; if you pierce your right ear a lot you'll have luck with money; if you pierce your left ear a lot your love life will improve; and then if a guy pierces his right ear he's gay. ......... Has the rumor that ' if you pull out the white string-like substance that comes out of the hole of your piercing, you'll lose your eyesight ' been heard yet?
I think these are all false. But I've heard from people that they're pretty major rumors. I wonder if piercing slowly started to gain popularity due in part to these rumors. Maybe lip and eyebrow piercings will start to become a matter-of-fact type of piercing, and perhaps even the forehead spikes. And if that time comes, what will happen to the people in my city that like to express themselves in excess? Already, people are getting piercings in places you wouldn't think possible, and so perceptions of where it's common to get pierced will probably change. Seeing people like this makes me feel that this change in perceptions is not too far away.
(*1) A technique in which a piercing is embedded within the body. It's not like normal piercings where you can see the actual accessory, because the piercing is completely sealed in the body once the wound heals up. The contours of the piercing rise to the surface of skin and the outlines are there for your enjoyment.
