Hello Adulthood, Goodbye Belly Piercing???

By Abby

No, this post is not about getting my period or losing my virginity. Instead, it chronicles the revelation I had last night while standing in front of my sorority’s bathroom mirror after a shower.

I am 22, set to graduate college in a month and a half, and start a “real” life. Everything about me, looks and personality wise, has matured over the past four years. I feel pretty confident that I am ready to attack the post-graduate world.

Yet, one small thing was holding me back: my belly button piercing.

The result of a Jersey shore vacation after my freshman year of high school, the small stone sparkled in the mirror’s reflection. I suddenly realized that my views on this piercing had changed and I now considered it more trashy than classy. It had been a part of me for so long, that I forgot to even think about it.

Grown, mature women don’t have belly button rings, right? Well maybe that’s a little extreme, but you get the point. Needless to say, I reached the conclusion that I needed to remove it in order to prepare for the next phase of my life: adulthood.

I fumbled with the ring, removed it carefully, and set it on the counter. I admired my new belly sans piercing. I liked what I saw and felt inspired at making a choice that pertained to my future.

Yeah, I’ll admit that with graduation looming so close, I tend to get a bit over-sentimental about small things, but for some weird reason, this small decision was significant for me. I woke up this morning, without a belly button piercing, and with a new outlook on life.