I knew a lady whose granddaughter said that when she finished school, she had to get either a tattoo or a navel ring. She asked her why. She then replied, "Look, if you have to get either, a navel ring is the better option." I agree with her. Yes, 16 year olds, as this girl was, are insecure, and yes, a tattoo can be removed, but it's not as simple as rubbing it out, and it's not without risk. One of the things you have to remember is, you get a tattoo at 17, and you think it's great, but, will you still like it next week, next month, next year, at 27, 37, 47? You don't know. Whereas, if you get a navel ring, all you have to do is take it out and it will seal over.

The same principle applies with breast implants. In some cases they have exploded. But if a 17 year old girl gets them and decided she doesn't like them and wants them removed, she's scarred.

I also think that there needs to be greater education of young women about nipple piercings. I'm not sure if breast implants have the same impact, BUT, a nipple piercing can harm the milk duct, and if a woman wants to have children, she may not be able to breast feed them. Okay, I'm not going to pass judgment as my own mother tried to breast feed me for the first week of my life, and it didn't work because milk wasn't available, and my mother got distressed, but also, I'd get distressed because I couldn't get a feed and I was hungry.