As she sat in the piercing chair for the first time, Sophia Vinnick (11) was anxious as she was about to make a commitment that would positively transform her channels of self-expression from that point on. Stemming from admiration towards her older sister, Vinnick decided to get her first piercing ever, freshman year. 

“Before high school, I never really wanted to get piercings and never had an interest in getting one because I wore hearing aids,” Vinnick said. “I was insecure about my hearing aids being shown and I’d always cover my ears with my hair. So, I didn’t see a point in getting piercings since [no one] was able to see them.”

Then, during her freshman year of high school, Vinnick’s older sister was going to get a piercing and it inspired her to break out of her comfort zone. She deviated away from her fear of having a reason to bring attention to her ears, and ultimately decided to get one as well. 

“Getting piercings helped me not be so insecure about showing my ears and hearing aids,” Vinnick said.

Three years later, Vinnick has a total of 13 piercings. She said that getting her ears pierced has become her main form of self-expression.

“I feel like [my piercings] represent me and reflect my aesthetic preferences,” Vinnick said. “ I really enjoy things like summer and the beach, and I feel like I can showcase that through my piercings like getting earrings with cute charms like the sun or flowers.”

On Feb. 23, Vinnick added her newest addition to her ear piercing collection: the conch piercing, an upper ear cartilage piercing that is done in either the upper or lower concha part of your ear.

With all of her piercings, Vinnick has found that the accessories make for great conversation starters. 

“A few times at work, some people who come in will compliment my earrings, and at school, my classmates tell me that my earrings look cute and ask me questions about them,” Vinnick said. “It’s fun to talk to other people about it, and if they also have some piercings we can bond over that together.”

Vinnick’s piercings have also paved the way for her to connect with others who share her interest in it. Activities like earring shopping and even researching which piercing to get next have strengthened the relationships that Vinnick has with her friends, older sister, and even herself. Although she doesn’t have any current plans for any new piercings, Vinnick hopes to get more earring piercings in the future.

“It’s so fun every morning to put in a different pair of earrings and I love going shopping for earrings,” Vinnick said. “I especially love going to the mall with friends to look for earrings. It’s just a fun thing that I can do for myself as well as with my sister. We like to go [get piercings done] together and shop for earrings together.”