Story by Samantha Shaw-Kieffer
Would you consider yourself a prejudice person? Do you or have you ever judged another by the color of their skin, where they lived, the way they wore their hair, if they had a tattoo, their body weight, if they had a pretty/handsome face, or what about body piercing?
To test my curiosity, I went to the mall, bought a stick on earring, and put it on my nose. My son was the first test. He passed it well. (He thought I was “COOL!”) The second person was my husband. Needless to say, he was not happy. He would not even look at me and when he did, he told me it looked as though I had a big zit.
I could not help but laugh. I told him it should not matter to him if I had a nose ring or not, that I was still the same Sam.
My next test was the public and my co-workers. In all honesty, I was extremely self-conscience. I detected the clerk at the gas station eye me, eye my dress, and then eyed my nose, as she rang up my Diet Pepsi. I could almost hear what she was thinking, so I explained to her what I was doing. She just smiled, and stated I did not look like the type to wear a nose ring. I just snickered and left. However, on my way into work, I wondered–just what type does have body piercing? Personally I think it is a neat way to express ones self, within a certain limit.
Well, as I made my way into work, I went to Margenia, one of my best friends. Her reaction? “Oh my!”
Then there was Jan, who did not say a word, Barb, who I consider to be my Indiana Mom, had the same reaction as Margenia. Dianna told me I wore it well, but for those who know Dianna, she is always an extremely pleasant and positive person. Well, my last test was my best friend I grew up with from childhood–Pat. She just looked and laughed. She would not say a word, so I asked her what she thought of it and she politely said. “I don’t.”
Well, my little charade was over, so I had to come clean. I explained to my friends that it was a test. I received one response through e-mail from Marie Gunter, which made me see a whole new side of her. She told me “something like that should not make a difference” and she would have still thought I was the same old Sam as before. Her response made me realize that some people are open-minded.
I like to consider myself an open-minded individual when it comes to how people express themselves. Whether it is through the way they dress, fix their hair, wear their jewelry or even body piercing.
I had one final comment to my husband. I told him it could be worse, and he asked how. My response? “If I was as thin as I was when we met, I’d get my belly button pierced.” He just looked up to the Heavens and muttered “Thank you!”
