Why Genital Piercings Are Suddenly So Popular And Why the VCH Keeps Winning
We quietly added genital piercings to the menu at Cherry Bomb last week…and five people booked immediately.
It felt like people were just sitting there waiting for us to offer the service. And why? A trend I’ve noticed is that clients say they want to feel more in their body, specifically parts of their body that have either felt off limits or loaded with shame.
Not necessarily in a “fix my life” kind of way, but more so another step in their journey toward feeling present. Some clients are commemorating a milestone, some are reclaiming pleasure, some are just finally doing something they’ve been thinking about for years.
The main points I’ve gathered from these conversations are that A) people don’t want to feel judged especially in regard to their genitals, and B) if they feel they are safe, they go for it.
In our studio, overwhelmingly people have been requesting a VCH (a vertical clitoral hood piercing).
Why this piercing? For some bodies, the jewelry sits in a way that adds stimulation (though, we never promise a universal outcome because there isn’t one). It also tends to heal fast thanks to blood flow & tissue types in that area. Plus, it’s completely private unless someone chooses to show it. Empowering!
To me, that combination makes the VCH feel approachable, even for people who were nervous walking in.
Note: We are often asked by trans and nonbinary people if genital piercings are only for one type of body. They’re not.
Anyone with a vulva can get VCH piercings.
Anatomy determines what’s possible, but you determine the language we use. Sometimes “clitoral hood” doesn’t fit, so we use a term like foreskin, vertical fold, a duke piercing (for paired piercings), or something else entirely. The most important thing to us is using language that feels most comfortable and affirming to you.
In the end, not everyone wants a VCH or is suited for one, and that’s cool because we have lots of other options!
Sometimes the conversation shifts toward an HCH (horizontal clitoral hood piercing), or inner/outer labia, or even a Christina (a piercing through the pubic mound). It ends up being more about someone’s anatomy and how they want to feel in their body.
Yes, the technical side matters, but the emotional reasons are something I believe in centering.
I have three genital piercings myself, which probably makes me a little biased. I know the nerves, the adrenaline, the pain, and the strange relief afterward. For me it wasn’t only about the look. It was about pushing myself out of a state of mind I’d inhabited for too long.
Afterwards, laying there on the piercing chair with new sparkly bits, I felt like I had made a choice for myself that no one else could touch (without permission) or ruin or claim. It definitely didn’t fix anything in my life, but making the choice and going through with it empowered me, and that was enough to make me feel more at home in my body than I had in quite some time.
The actual process was super straightforward.
Anatomy is examined and we discuss what piercings are possible.
Any questions are answered and nerves are soothed.
The piercing itself is fast and sanitary/sterile.
Aftercare is simple, mostly hygiene and saline spray.
Healing is usually one to three months depending on placement.
Some people feel increased sensation right away, some later, some not at all (especially depending on the piercing). Some feel an emotional shift they can’t articulate. There’s no correct version of the experience.
If anything explains the sudden spike in interest, I think it’s probably this. People are exhausted of feeling detached from their own bodies. They’re tired of acting like their genitals are shameful. When the environment feels calm and normal about it, they finally allow themselves to be calm and normal about it too.
BONUS! Here’s some neutral and useful vocabulary that works for every body.
hood, fold
front fold, upper fold
glans
ridge
soft tissue
mons, mound
inner folds, outer folds
shaft
base
perineal, perineum