TN: Body piercing is hot and haute!

Chennai, July 15: Whether it is a permanent reminder of temporary insanity or a chic fashion statement, the once 'traditional' body piercing has become quite a rage especially among the generation next in the city.

If you thought a 15-year-old in an oversized football jersey with scarlet-dyed spiked hair and a pierced eyebrow looked out of the box, apply some thought.

Youngsters across the city now throng jewellery stores and beauty parlours to get piercing done on their nose, eyebrow and navel.

S Suresh, the owner of Ragavendra Parlour, a chic body piercing boutique which is choc-a-block with body piercing fans at the famous Spencers Plaza, a popular hangout for youth, vouches for its popularity.

The parlour has separate enclosures for men and women clients and can be seen bustling with quite a number of clients these days, he adds.

''The process comes cheap and is not so painful. We use a gun-like device. It is sterilised and protects people from infection,'' he says, counting ''freaky'' college-goers and cine actors among his customers.

''About 40 customers come to my shop every day,'' he said, adding that there were about 100 ear, nose and naval ring varieties.

''A few years ago, there used to be apprehension about even getting a nose pierced. Now girls are in a hurry to adorn their navels with a fashionable stud.'' Kaushik, a leading advertisement professional turned actor, feels it is only a matter of keeping 'haute' in a contemporary world.

In Chennai, a revolution has definitely taken place, at least in body art. While navel piercing has been a rage for sometime now, tongue piercing has become just as popular.

RamaKumar, a third year student of the famous Loyola College said ''Men usually prefer ear and eyebrow piercing, but lower-lip piercing is considered the most trendy.'' There are about 50 body piercing parlours in the city serving these youngsters. According to a leading dermatologist at Malar Hospital, Dr Anand, ''A variety of claims have been made about unsafe injections causing adverse effects, including allergic reactions to the needles.'' However, most of the parlour owners claimed that they used only disposable and safe gunshot needles imported from the US. This totally dispelled any fear of diseases like AIDS and Hepatitis being spread through body art.

With women, ear, nose and navel piercings sell the best. ''Women are more hung up about eyebrow piercing but what is quite hideous is many go for nail piercing!'' says a rather unsettled Susmitha, an IT professional.

Most 'traditional' parents are still not comfortable with this unconventional trend. Lakshmi Iyer, a mother of two, says, ''I am strictly against piercing done only to flaunt. It makes one look bizarre.'' History shows Indian men and women following the tradition of body piercing. The minimum an Indian girl does, is ear and nose piercing. The very question of feminity resides in this tradition, claims an expert on the condition of anonymity.

Men, too, have been piercing pierced their ears since centuries.

In some communities, the earlobes of baby boys are pierced to save them from death, among other reasons.

Even our ''good old'' Maharajas used to flaunt bejewelled danglers and necklaces. Call it a timeless tradition!

UNI