One day she pierced her naval...

By Aida Greenbury

JAKARTA (JP): Ever since Jenny's baby was born two years ago, there was something she had promised herself, and that was to have her navel pierced. For her, it would be a kind of a statement, as in: "Look at my stomach. Stretched by carrying a growing human being for more than nine months did not affect its beauty". In fact, she felt her stomach deserved a medal of appreciation for it suffering during pregnancy. A diamond stud in her belly would suit the purpose.

A couple days ago, she decided to do the deed. She appointed one noted international clinic in South Jakarta to carry out the job. By choosing the well-equipped place, she thought that at least she could limit the risk of infection or worse, malpractice.

It was 9 a.m. when Jenny checked into the clinic and asked for a general doctor on duty. Then there she was, sitting in front of him saying "I want to be pierced".

"Where?" the doctor asked as he inspected her ear lobes.

"Here," she said exposing her well-toned tummy at the same time.

"All right then," he said after spending a few minutes gawking at it, switching his look from a formal, wise, educated doctor to a more relaxed, almost mischievous expression on his face. He was obviously thinking that a woman who makes a "brave" decision should have an outgoing -- or questionable -- personality.

He asked Jenny to go to surgery. A nurse was waiting and told Jenny to lie down on the table. She switched on the huge surgery light above. The doctor came in a few minutes later.

"How long is the process going to take? Is it going to be painful?" asked Jenny, slightly intimidated.

"About two minutes and it's painless. Navel piercing is a lot less painful than ear piercing as there are fewer nerves. By the way, did you know that ear piercing is a mild version of female genital mutilation? By puncturing the area, a woman will have less sexual desire," he mumbled as he put on his white rubber gloves. He had the piercing gun in his left hand while the other held the sterile packed insert pin he was going to use. A scary moment, Jenny thought, but her mind was mainly thinking about her dear earlobes. If she had less sexual drive, what would she have been like without them pierced?

Then it happened. Keeping her eyes shut, she heard the 'click' sound from the gun. Phew, finally done, she thought. Wrong! The next second she heard the doctor say: "Oops!"

He could not release the stud from the gun, which was inserted in a piece of skin right above her belly button.

Skipping the gory details, there she was -- lying on the plastic-covered table -- helplessly watching the doctor use all kinds of surreal medical tools plus a strong anesthetic just to have her bloody (literally) belly button pierced. How pathetic -- the so-called painless two-minute simple surgery had been extended to half an hour of pure torture.

Why would anybody go through this? During ancient Egypt, the Pharoahs and their royal families had their navels pierced to distinguish them from commoners. But when people asked Jenny, the answer was simple. She loves jewelry. "Diamonds are a woman's best friend," she said. She simply needed more space to be decorated by the precious stone than just her ears, fingers, neck, wrists, toes and ankles. Nevertheless, she admitted that there were people out there who were willing to do it for a variety of reasons. People who are lost, searching for their real identity, definitely fall into one category.

The history of body piercing goes back nearly 5,000 years ago. As Manchester & Leeds Body Piercing Company wrote in their profile, the Romans needed their nipples pierced. What else could they attach their cloaks to when going off to war? How else could Prince Albert be reassured of that "smooth look" when wearing his fashionable tight trousers if he was unable to hook his penis to the back of his leg? Finally, the French aristocrats were wild about it, with both males and females regarding it as a high- class trend of the 18th century.

Body piercing, particularly navel piercing, which has been quoted as the most esthetically pleasing of all, has grown in popularity among females and males in communities worldwide. Jean Paul Gaultier, who connects pierced ears to a pierced nose with high-class jewelry, and Naomi Campbell, with her pierced navel, are credited as a few people who have reinstated the trend.

Browsing the net for hours, feeling unbearably sore following the perforation process, Jenny could not believe the variety of body jewelry she could find. You name it: there were circular barbells, titanium banana bells, belly shields, nipple shields, nose studs, spiral rings and lots of others, not to mention several repugnant genital accessories. She finally settled on the curved banana bell, the most common and safest navel adornment ever designed. After contacting the most exclusive jeweler in town, a platinum-curved banana bell adorned with three De Beers diamonds was soon under process.

Thorough research before undertaking body piercing is strongly recommended. Only from reading information off the Internet after the "painless" surgery did Jenny, foolishly, realize that it takes between two and three months for the navel to heal instead of the three weeks the doctor told her. Never go to an unregistered health clinic, always use sterilized jewelry, tools, dressing and an adequate operating room are a few preventive tips to avoid unnecessary infection. Salt-water solution, Isopropyl 70 percent or Savlon Dry are best to use for postoperative care.

Thank God Jenny did not go further than that. Can you imagine if she suddenly decided to award medals for all her body parts related to childbirth and breast-feeding?