By A Nose — Are This Season’s Faux Septum Rings A Yay Or A Nay?

septum-ring-trend

Ever since celebrities like Rihanna, Kat Graham, and Shay Mitchell started posing on the red carpet and on Instagram with faux septum rings, fashion hounds could smell a trend in the making. Sure enough, within months, clip-on septum rings have emerged as the next festival-friendly, Boho-flavored accessories, this year’s answer to last spring and summer’s metallic temporary tattoos. If you search #septumrings or #fauxseptum on Instagram, you’ll find hundreds of photos that capture the trend.

But can we really get behind the septum ring trend? Well, I myself have had mixed emotions about it. Initially, I scoffed at the trend, wondering why anyone would want to look like a bull. But then the septum rings started getting daintier and more embellished, with pretty iridescent stones, filigree designs, rope-like textures, and so forth. I started to see the potential and now, well, I’m considering trying the look out mysef — especially since there’s no commitment involved. The beauty of faux septum rings lies precisely in their temporariness — there are no needles involved and, once the trend dies out or you grow tired of wearing the accessory, you can just tuck it away. No harm, no foul.

If only more faux face and body jewelry had existed when I was a teen! Like many a rebellious adolescent, I went through a period when I was really into piercings. First, I got three additional piercings on each ear — one on each ear lobe, directly next to the main central hole (which I’d had as a child since, in Puerto Rico, it’s customary to pierce kids’ ears when they’re babies or tots), and two along the helix (the curved upper part of each ear). Then, of course, came the ill-fated belly ring. I was about 16 and studying in a New Hampshire boarding school when, during a day trip to Boston, I had my belly pierced at what was, in retrospect, a pretty sketchy place (the fact that they agreed to pierce my tummy even though I was 16 and looked about 12 should’ve been indicative). I thought I’d be well on my way to baring my belly a la Britney Spears, but it didn’t quite end up that way. Despite my best efforts to routinely apply Bactine as directed and later cleanse the area gently with soap and water, I wound up with a rather epic infection. When I went back home to Puerto Rico for the summer, my dad had to take me to the doctor who, in turn, had to prescribe a bunch of antibiotics. I still remember him asking, “How much did you pay for that thing?” I said, “Fifty dollars,” and he responded, “Well, now it cost another $150 to get it taken out. Well done.” Dad was not pleased.

This, however, did not stop me from getting my nose pierced a few years later, a decision that led to a series of not-so-small calamities (I’ll save those for my book). I got a small stud, which I thought looked adorable, but which many found objectionable — including my dad, who insisted I take it off during meals, so he “wouldn’t lose his appetite.” At the time, I swore I’d never take that stud off but, about a year later, I got a bad cold, the ring fell out, and the whole closed up. I was too lazy to get the area pierced again, and so I moved on. So much for my devotion to the piercing.

In retrospect, most of these piercings were silly ideas but, luckily, they could all be removed (albeit painfully and often with some light scarring left behind), so there was no permanent damage done (save for the hairs I made my stressed-out father lose!). And, hey, I was expressing my individuality and trying to find my voice and asset my independence — all pretty standard adolescent fare. That said, it would’ve been nice had there been some fun body jewelry that didn’t require having a needle poked through my flesh!

Which brings me to the current septum ring craze. If it’s not your cup of tea, I get it (again, the image of a bull with a gold ring through its nose is hard to shake). But if you pick a truly intricate and feminine design and wear it with a bold lip, you might just discover the appeal. And hey, they’re even easier to remove than flash tats.

Dig the trend? Here are some septum rings you can pick up to get ready for festival season:

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