A Symbol

People are always skeptical about piercing their ears, especially in the cartilage. In my opinion, getting my cartilage pierced was the best $12 I have ever spent. 
My family is extremely conservative in the sense that it is obsessed with image and purity. I decided to pierce my ears in the summer after my sophomore year mostly because I felt that I needed to detach myself from my overprotective parents. Initially, I obediently asked my mother if I could pierce my cartilage. The answer was as I expected: no. My mother actually reacted quite dramatically and lectured me on my lack of religious traditionalism. Of course, a week later, in an act of insubordination, I decided that I should ignore my mother's dissent and pierce them anyways. Of course, it was something so simple to be labelled as an "act of rebellion" - however, I saw it differently. I truly detested my parents at the time and this will always be a reminder of my individuality in junior year.
Most people argue that piercing one's ears resembles conceit and self obsession. I find this to be true to some extent. However, I do feel like judging one by how many pieces of jewelry are dangling off their ears is immoral. There will always be a hidden story behind each action. People are not as repulsive as their image(s) might suggest.