No little dolphin on the ankle, no simple single set of dangly earrings – there are a lot of mamas out there who have it pierced and inked – in all sorts of amazing places. It’s becoming more acceptable, but still not the norm, and while we all know someone with a sleeve or more than a few things pierced, that was probably not the demographic filling the room at your last PTA meeting. We caught up with Keona from Richmond, Virginia, mother of 5 and a very cool inked and pierced mama to ask the questions you know you want to know about those piercings and tattoos.

Our lovely mama Keona has two visible dermals – those diamond-like shimmers on her chest – stretchers in her ears, a delicate stud of a lip piercing and a nose piercing. Scroll down to see more of what she has covering her shoulders, arms, back and legs.

1. What do you have pierced? Tattooed? 

My ears were pierced but are now stretched, I have the top part of my ears pierced twice on both sides, I have the center of my bottom lip pierced, my nipples pierced, I have my tongue pierced twice, I have my hood of my vagina pierced. I also had several dermals at one point. I have numerous tattoos all over my body – and more to come. 

2. Did any of them hurt?

All of them hurt but my hood piercing. That did not hurt.

3. Do you have tattoos for your kids?

Yes, butterflies with their names.

4. Do your children find them strange?

No, not at all. They love to see what I’m going to get next!

5. You have your nipples pierced, did it affect breastfeeding?

It did because the jewelry got in the way, so I had to take them out. And even then I had milk come out of holes.

6. Would you encourage your kids to get tattoos and piercings too – if they wanted? And at what age?

I did with my oldest, She was 17 when she got her first tattoo. We went together and we got matching owls.

7. Does having lots of piercings and tattoos make the teachers/other parents uncomfortable or have trouble talking to you?

I find them to be very accepting.

8. What are the biggest misconceptions about mamas being pierced and tattooed?

We don’t care about our kids. We do not educate them, we keep them and our homes dirty.

9. Have you had to take any of the piercings out? 

Yes, I had a couple of dermals. I had to remove them for surgery.

10. Is it expensive?

Yes, some of my piercings are expensive and my all of my tattoos were. My back one $350, it took 8 hours total. My dermals cost $80 apiece.