7 Struggles Only Girls With Nose Piercings Can Understand

I’ve had my nose pierced for about ten years. I love my nose ring. I don’t foresee ever taking it out – it’s become a part of who I am. Nose piercings are cute and fashionable, and they feel just the right amount of “edgy.” But let’s be honest – there are definitely some annoying factors about being a girl with a nose ring. Here are 7 of them:

1. You feel like Goldilocks every time you try to find a hoop that actually fits.

Like most girls with nose piercings, you probably started off with a little stud, perhaps one with a dainty crystal on the end. Eventually, you started to get a little bored and wanted to experiment with something different – the alluring hoop. The problem with hoops is that they are usually too small or too big. Even if they are just a tiny bit off, they look totally weird on your face. It takes forever before you find one that fits just right.

2. People constantly think you have nose goblins because the screw backing never stays in place.

Some nose studs have a straight back, while others have an S-shaped screw back. The trouble with the latter is that the curvature of the backing is likely to slip downward, inching dangerously close to the nostril opening. When you talk to people, they stare curiously at your nose, wondering what that silver thing poking out might be. You feel their eyes wander slightly down from yours, resting in the middle of your face. Sometimes you wish you just had a sign – “It’s just my nose stud you guys!! My eyes are up here!!!!”

3. Washing your face can be a hazardous activity.

There is no greater pain than snagging a towel on the edge of a nose piercing. Tugging it loose is not an option, as you are terrified of ripping your nostril skin, so the only thing to do is try to set it free as gently as possible. Of course, during this process, you have a wet washcloth dangling from a tiny piece of metal that is attached to your nose. You have to bend forward to balance out the weight, which makes it difficult to look in the mirror and see where you’re going. Basically, this never ends well.

4. And sometimes, your hair gets caught in your nose ring.

Getting your hair tangled in your nose piercing is a sensation that only the chosen few can fully understand. Along the lines of nails on a chalkboard, it’s a feeling that is oddly unpleasant and simultaneously hard to describe. For girls with long hair, this happens almost every day – especially when you’re changing clothes or blow-drying your hair. Bonus points when your hair manages to wrap itself around your piercing. You’re not sure how it happens, but it just does.

5. Your nose ring is the ultimate mood killer when it gets dislodged mid hookup.

Nothing says unsexy like pausing a hot and heavy makeout sesh to reach up and fix your nose ring when you feel it slipping. Unfortunately, when your face is in such close physical proximity to another human’s face, your nose piercing is bound to get bumped around enough to create discomfort. An inner debate inevitably ensues: Should I fix it? Should I wait for a moment when he might not notice? Ugh I wish the lights were off. I hope he doesn’t think I’m picking my nose! Which brings me to…

6. Adjusting your piercing in public means one thing: people are definitely going to assume you’re picking your nose.

Sorry, but there’s no way around this one. From afar, any nose ring activity is just going to look like you’re digging for gold. No matter where you are – your car, the subway, at the office – if anyone catches you wiggling your piercing back in place, you will be looked upon as a bonafide nose-picker. Of course, you don’t really care what others think, and to be honest, you’d rather people think that you’re picking your nose than walk around all day with a piercing that’s uncomfortable.

7. On a similar note, when you have a cold…it’s a bit of a war zone up there.

Real talk, there’s some frightening things that happen when you get sick and you’ve got a nose piercing. In fact, one of the first things that people sans nose piercings ask is: “Does it feel weird when you blow your nose?” The answer to that is no, but let’s just say that the back of a nose ring is like a fisherman’s net for snot. All girls with nose piercings are forced to become BFFs with the inner workings of their nostrils – it’s part of the bargain.