Walking through the Diag, ears glint in the sun, bellybuttons twinkle and even eyebrows glitter.
Body piercing, the fad of the '90s has descended on campus, and it will leave your friends envious and your parents speechless.
Over the past 15 years, body piercing has grown into a thriving new business in the United States. Body piercing's newfound success may be because of its newfound acceptance in society.
"In the past, body piercing was looked upon as being freakish. There were no safety measures used and people who got pierced were only young adults. Now the people who are getting pierced range from high school students to successful businessmen," said Rob Petroff, body piercer and owner of Insane Creations on William Street.
Employees at Insane Creations say they pierce about 200 bodies per week.
Insane Creations is only one of about six body piercing shops around campus.
"Thirty years ago in America only women could be found wearing earrings. Now piercings can be found as commonly on a man or woman," Petroff said.
Students listed a wide variety of motivations for getting pierced.
"I wanted to get my tongue pierced for four years. But my ex-boyfriend had not wanted me to get it. So now that we're separated, I thought that it would be the best way to heal and get back at him," said Jenny Lewis, an Engineering first-year student.
After getting pierced, most people said they faced surprised reactions from friends and family.
"I know my friends will think the navel ring is cool but my mom would go ballistic if she ever found out," said LSA first-year student Aaron Starkmen.
With the growth in popularity of body piercing, professionals say there are some safety measures to be aware of before getting pierced.
Rob Petroff advised checking that the piercer has an autoclave system - a machine used to sterilize the equipment used for piercing.
Petroff also suggested making sure a spore count is done on the autoclave system regularly to ensure sterility of the piercing equipment.
Dr. Caesar Briefer, director of University Health Service, agreed.
"Ideally, my recommendation would be not to get pierced. But if you do, it is important to make sure that all the instruments that are for the piercing are clean," Briefer said. "The spread of hepatitis, HIV and other diseases can be prevented if the instruments are cleaned properly."
Instructions on how to take care of pierced parts of the body to ensure healing and comfort should be provided by the piercer, Petroff said.
If you have an infection after the piercing you should contact the piercer and see your doctor immediately, Briefer said.
Throughout history many cultures have tried to enhance their appearances by placing objects that were considered jewelry through their skin.
Evidence of these piercings date back to 2000 B.C., when Egyptians and Macedonians were found wearing earrings. Many cultures believed that wearing earrings in the nose and the ears were a rite of passage from childhood to adulthood.
JOE WESTRATE/Daily
Jill Novak, of Royal Oak, gets her tongue pierced yesterday by Rob Petroff at Insane Creations on William Street.