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On Piercing: Earlobe, Clit, Cock

I put an earring in my left ear over the weekend, a simple stainless steel hoop that goes through two of the four holes I have had in that ear since I was 14 – an orbital. I used to want a transverse lobe piercing, because it is unusual and because of the potential to make a sphere out of two rings, I used to find that image beautiful. But I’m liking the orbital. More subtle than anything hanging down below my earlobe.

I haven’t had earrings in my ears for years, since before that red tie photograph. I occasionally stick a post through the holes just out of curiosity, to see if they’re still open, and they always are. I usually don’t leave an earring in though, and now, two days later, I’ve got that dull ache of flesh being forced out of its natural state of being, but instead forced open, forced apart. Difficult to sleep on my left side (as I often do) or cradle a phone on my left shoulder (which I also often do).

I like the awareness that a new piercing brings to a body part. How conscious I am of the way my earlobe feels when I’m doing anything, getting dressed, slinging my bag over my shoulder, listening to headphones.

Last night I dreamed of kissing, shoulder and clavicle and neck and jawline, eventually slipping her earlobe between my lips, feeling my tongue meet it, hot and smooth.

Having this ring in my ear is making me crave another new piercing. I have eleven, all together, though only three – four, now – have jewelry in them. I remember saying at some point that I no longer wanted adornment piercings, only functional piercings.

I’ve wanted a clit piercing for years. Always thought I’d get a vertical hood piercing, and still might – lately, considering the primary way I get off these days is strapped on, clit-against-harness, a piercing might be great for that kind of thing. (Might also make strap-on sex incredibly painful for a while, so that’s a hesitation.) I’ve also liked the idea of a triangle … that is more and more appealing. Not sure I have the anatomy for it exactly, and I hear there are hard to do, and must be done by someone particularly skilled. The story is that Elaine Angel (Buck Angel’s partner, I believe) is a master at triangles, and no longer practices in the US but does recommend a few of her apprentices. Perhaps I’ll make a trip to Philadelphia this summer.

What I’d really like, right now, actually, is to get my cock pierced.

I’ve been thinking about that for a while, but haven’t found someone to do it yet. No, that’s not true – I haven’t really done the research, and I haven’t asked around. I must know a few kinky folks who have piercing kits, and I think I’d trust them to do one of my cocks – what I’d really love to do is pierce my favorite Silky packing cock, but the flesh of it is actually quite thin and splits easily, I fear once it gets punctured it would just rip open and the cock would be ruined. It’s not silicone, but I’m not sure about it either. Perhaps the same thing would happen?

Possibly, then, I should pierce one of my non-playing packing cocks, which would mean that it is much more for adornment than function. That’d be alright, to start with anyway, until I figured out how to pierce one with which I could actually play.

Published by Sinclair Sexsmith

Sinclair Sexsmith (they/them) is "the best-known butch erotica writer whose kinky, groundbreaking stories have turned on countless queers" (AfterEllen), who "is in all the books, wins all the awards, speaks at all the panels and readings, knows all the stuff, and writes for all the places" (Autostraddle). ​Their short story collection, Sweet & Rough: Queer Kink Erotica, was a 2016 finalist for a Lambda Literary Award, and they are the current editor of the Best Lesbian Erotica series. They identify as a white non-binary butch dominant, a survivor, and an introvert, and they live outside Seattle as an uninvited settler on traditional, ancestral, & unceded Snoqualmie land.

8 thoughts on “On Piercing: Earlobe, Clit, Cock”

  1. Avah says:

    A quick word on clit piercings-

    I have a vertical hood piercing and it's awesome and lovely. It heals incredibly fast. That area is designed to heal quickly.

    Though it was indeed sensitive to any overzealous stimulation for a few months, but that does go away.

    Also, one of my least painful piercings. My nose hurts 10 times more. It was a quick pinch and then it was over. So easy.

    I'd have to say go for it!

  2. muse says:

    I say we get on that road trip to philly, baby. I’m ready for ::counts:: lucky #14, and functional genital piercing numero uno. pleasure, thy name is triangle.

    love the idea of getting your cock pierced. are you thinking of a PA, or what? I hear apadravyas are pretty popular with the ladies.

  3. meg says:

    infinite is one of the best. i’ve watched so many friends get pierced there (though i have none of my own) and they’ve never done anything but fantastic work. plus, they’re in philly.

    oh, hey – that’s just up the road from me!

    so yeah, i think you should totally come down here this summer. heh.

  4. Zoe says:

    Holy moly, the idea of piercing one of your cocks is ridiculously hot. That's such butch flair.

  5. Brian Decker, of Pure Body Arts, is a body mod artist in Brooklyn who is one of the best in the country, if not the world. People travel from all over to get pierced, implanted and scarified by him – I totally recommend him for genital piercings. He did my vertical hood several year ago. Plus, he shares a shop (1228 Tattoo) with my lovely tattoo artist.

    [I will look into that, thanks for the recommendation! – ss]

  6. Petite Etoile says:

    I have no piercings whatsoever (I like my pain to be sexual but not needle-based!) but they are so incredibly hot on other people, especially when those other people happen to be hot butch women. My chere has multiple piercings and they’re lovely.

    I think it’s just proof that my butch girl is so much tougher than I am. :)

  7. Carly says:

    I’m remiss, after two weeks of mayhem, of catching up on your blog, so I’m trying to make up for lost time… but it’s interesting. I was big into piercing a while back and I never really understood why, expect for – in part – wanting to prolong pain that I felt. But your missive about being aware of your body was really pogniant. I think you hit the nail on the head with that one.

    I’m coming to NYC in June to do a reading. I hope to see you when I’m there that week!

  8. Jaclyn says:

    If you're going to get ANY piercing EVER, you need to go to Infinite in Philly. I have been getting pierced there since, like, 1999, and I refuse to go anywhere else. The incredibly talented piercer named Jon who did my vertical hood is no longer there but the place is still great.

    And although it was the most painful experience (I clamped his hand between my legs when the needle went through; an involuntary reaction totally against my control) it healed so quickly and remains my favorite, and most gratifying, piercing to this day.

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