- Stop the piercer. At whatever moment you realize you are being violated, tell them to stop. Doesn’t matter if they are in the middle of the piercing procedure – tell them to stop. If they stop, get up. Got a needle sticking in you? Pull it out. If they won’t stop, use force. Whatever it takes, get them to stop.
- Forget your modesty, grab your clothes and get the hell out of the room. Get to the front of the studio or wherever the phone is and tell them to dial 911. Most studio owners and/or employees are going to be just as upset about this misconduct and will help you have the offender detained and arrested.
- If you cannot get cooperation from anyone in the studio, you might be able to get help from another customer. If this fails to bring results, your only choice is to leave the studio and call the police yourself from the nearest phone. Be sure to let the authorities know that you were refused help by the entire staff of the shop – at this point, that makes all of them accomplices to a crime.
- Show no mercy. Too many people lose their momentum at this point and give up. Then when the police ask if they want to press charges, they say no because they don’t want to cause any trouble, they’re tired and they just want it to be over with. But if you let these abusers get away, they will still be out there to harm someone else. Protect yourself and protect others.
- If you are a minor, entrust an adult who will support you through the ordeal. If your parents don’t believe you or are too busy being angry about you getting a piercing they didn’t approve of, find someone else to help you. A teacher, a counselor, another relative – whatever it takes. Don’t give up just because someone tries to minimize your story saying you’re “just a kid”. You can also [email=tattoo.guide@about.com]email me any time.
Empowering yourself against someone who tries to victimize you can make you a stronger person. It inspires others to fight back or come forward about abuse they have endured. It makes it more difficult for potential abusers to find weak prey to attack. Do your part to help make this a safer world for everyone by protecting yourself with knowledge. Never assume you’re safe, and always prepare for the worst. In most cases, you’ll find it to be unnecessary and overly excessive – and that’s a good thing.
