Cross cultural issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Cross cultural issues - Essay Example Cultural diversity exists between the United States and Europe. Citizens of the two countries differ in culture, beliefs, faith practices and economic inclination. These differences make business management practices in various parts and organizations different. U.S’s proven management systems and practices may not work appropriately in Europe. For instance, a U.S based Multinational Corporation; the effectiveness of her management control system and practices would evidently differ from one country to another or even from one branch with diverse cultural inclination to another in the same country. Therefore, our study intends to compare cultural inclinations of the two countries; the U.S and Europe and understand the implications of the differences to the expansion of a U.S based organization intending to establish a branch in Europe by purchasing an already existing firm in the same line of production. Global trade has tremendously increased in the recent past. This has probed the multinational corporations or individuals who intend to venture into the international trade to learn about international business. Therefore, it is very important to learn and understand the different cultures of the world before enrolling in doing business in foreign countries. This would reduce the risks involved in business transactions. Understanding other countries’ negotiation tactics, greetings, communication styles, body language, meeting and dress, and social events are keys to have good business relationships with other partner countries. For instance, the United States and Europe are nations that regularly interact in business relations. Although they share similarities, the two countries share a lot of differences. In the United States, the first impression matters a lot and is basic to the success of every business relationship. The Americans appreciate eye contacts and a firm hand shake with business partners (Bowie, n.d, p.1-12). As a matter of

Energy Audit Essay Example for Free

Energy Audit Essay

Invisible Man Essay: Ethics and Invisible Man :: Invisible Man Essays

Ethics and Invisible Man    The issue of ethics is central to the theme of The Invisible Man.   This essay will examine the ethical issues presented in Ellison's novel in the context of Kenneth Strike's "Principle of Equal Respect".    In one incident Invisible Man is in his third year at a Negro college and is regarded by the President, Dr. Bledsoe, as bright and trustworthy, a young man who has potential. Dr. Bledsoe assigns him to drive a prominent trustee, Mr. Norton, on a tour of the vicinity. Invisible Man inadvertently drives Norton to the old slave quarters, past the home of Jim Trueblood, a local pariah who has committed incest with his young daughter; both his wife and daughter are pregnant by him. At Norton's insistence, the student stops. Norton feels compelled to hear Trueblood's spellbinding version of his crime. Embellished several times over, it is so effective that Norton has a mild stroke. Before leaving, however, Norton gives Trueblood $100, a gesture which angers Invisible Man, who sees it as a reward for a heinous crime. He is careful, though, to mask his emotion.    When he returns to campus, Invisible Man is severely reprimanded by Dr. Bledsoe for betraying his trust and for exposing the trustee to such "trash" as Jim Trueblood. Invisible Man is made to feel as though he should have acted in a deceptive manner; he should have had sense enough to deal with white folks. Then he is led to believe that he is being given a semester off, but the young man is, in fact, expelled from college. Bledsoe gives Invisible Man sealed letters to powerful men in New York City, saying that they will help him get a job. However, when Invisible Man visits the offices of these men, he is unable to get even one interview. Finally one man reveals that the letters call the bearer an enemy of the college who should not be helped but should be given the illusion of hope.    The reader may wonder whether Bledsoe behaves ethically or uses his power abusively. One may argue that, as president of the college, Dr. Bledsoe is responsible for the lives and education of hundreds of students. In this regard, he must be careful not to offend powerful supporters necessary for the institution's survival. But does this permit his sacrifice of Invisible Man?

Comparing the Role of the Black in the South in Clotelle and Absalom, A

Role of the Black in the Southern Family as Evidenced in Clotelle and Absalom,   Absalom!  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚   Southern Literature, more than anything else, is a discussion of the family. And in the family, particularly the Southern family, no question is as pivotal--or causes as many disputes--as "who belongs?" Southern Literature has been, in many ways, a canon of exclusion. From a culture built upon controlling and utilizing an entire race for the express purpose of advancing another, a canon of yearning and despair is left. And in no place is this as clear as within the family, the unit by nature designed to nurture and support--and ultimately overcome. Stereotypically, the family longed for by every Southerner is one of impeccable repute, a white triumph, clean of any African blood, with a heritage predating the Revolution and a lineage reaching beyond the next millennium. Clotelle, by William Wells Brown, is an appeal to the Southern ideal that African-Americans do not and can not fit into the traditional, lily-white aristocratic familial structure which ruled the South during his time--and reigned for many years thereafter. Traditional Southern canon emphasizes the Thomas Sutpens--of William Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom! --who ejects African-Americans from his family (as he attempts to create a new one), and men like the Sheriff of Charles W. Chesnutt's "The Sheriff's Children," who sells a pregnant slave--carrying his unborn mulatto child--into slavery. The advancement and protection of one's name is also highlighted by Sutpen and by Clara Hohlfelder in another Chesnutt tale, "Her Virginia Mammy." These are ideals which Brown understands and resists, and tries--ultimately in vain--to defy. Clotelle does not adjust itself to the tr... ...ildren are born as a result--are disposed of as quietly as possible, in order to keep the familial superstructure as maximally pure as possible. A white man does not marry a slave, or make a respectable woman of her. He keeps her and his child in a shed outside of town, he sends them to New Orleans, or sells them to the rice swamps to toil under the whip for the remainder of their lives. Southern literature excludes the African-American from its families, thus robbing her of her identity and forcing her to become a mere brick in the base below the superstructure. Works Cited Brown, William Wells. Clotelle. Miami: Mnemosyne Publishing, 1969. Chesnutt, Charles W. "Her Virginia Mammy" and "The Sheriff's Children." Collected Stories of Charles W. Chesnutt. New York: Penguin, 1992. 114-148. Faulkner, William. Absalom, Absalom! New York: Vintage, 1990.   

Nike Promotions Essay

After looking at Nike’s marketing strategy with respect to product, price, place and promotion, the outstanding success of the brand name calls for more attention to Nike’s promotional strategies. Nike’s promotions and advertisements have been deemed the best in the retail industry. The â€Å"Just Do It† slogan is supposedly one of the most famous and easily recognized slogans in advertising history. It would be safe to claim that brand management is easily one of Nike’s core capabilities. With the company’s advertising budget today reaching $2.4 billion, it is worth looking into Nike’s advertising strategies and how these strategies helped strengthen the brand image. 1980-1988: Early Advertising Before television advertisements, Nike released several successful print ads. One of its earliest print ad campaigns was the â€Å"There is no finish line† campaign by John Brown and Partners. The posters were an instant hit, since, it did not focus on the running shoe product, but instead on the person wearing the shoes. At this early stage, Nike saw the lucrative value in sports sponsorships. The company began sponsoring track and field athletes like Carl Lewis. With lucky breaks, Nike signed some bigger names in the athletic world like Wayne Gretzy and, probably the most important sponsorship signing in Nike history, Michael Jordan. 1988: The JUST DO IT Campaign This campaign was probably Nike’s most known and successful. In 1988, Nike worked with ad agency Wieden and Kennedy to create the slogan Just Do It. The company used this campaign to cash in on the jogging/fitness craze of the 80s. Top competitor Reebok was sweeping the aerobics race so Nike responded with Just Do It ads that practically shamed people into exercising, and more importantly, to exercise in Nikes. The Just Do It ads truly embodied the philosophy of grit, determination and passion to encourage consumers to embrace the culture of fitness rather than focus on the product. The Just Do It campaigns were also successful because of their celebrity features including Bo Jackson, John McEnroe, and Michael Jordan. These famous athletes reassured the quality of the Nike product and gave Nike a â€Å"hip† brand image. These ads were basically turning sweaty, pain-ridden exercise into something sexy and exciting. And lastly, the Just Do It ads were usually humorous, thus connecting to consumers on a level that made them comfortable and feeling positive about the brand. 2000-2005 Using its cooperations with various ad agencies, Nike released several popular and well-received TV commercials. In fact, the company received two Emmy awards for best commercial twice. The first was for â€Å"The Morning After,† which featured a runner on his morning jog on January 1, 2000, facing the chaos of the Y2K predictions. The commercial really connected to consumer emotions, as speculations of the new millennium were the conversation buzz around that time. The second Emmy was for a Nike commercial called â€Å"Move† that featured many famous and regular athletes performing a serious of athletic pursuits in a creative â€Å"pass it on† way. Starting in 2005, Nike released another successful ad campaign that were targeted at athletic woman. The ad focused on women’s Thunder Thighs and Big Butts, encouraging them to embrace their athletic body parts and shapes. This was yet another successful way Nike connected to the consumer on a personal level, as we all know that women tend to care about their self images. 2005 to Present Having built up an empire of a brand, Nike continued to focus on celebrity endorsements. Nike took famous athletes in a variety of sports to feature them in ads. LeBron James from basketball, Tom Brady from football, Ronaldhino from soccer, Roger Federer from tennis and Tiger Woods from golf, just to name a few. Using the A-list, top-notch names in the athletic world really helped tip Nike over into the â€Å"elite† brand division. At this point, Nike is reaching its peak in sales and in brand image. Having reached this peak, Nike is now changing up the promotion game and branching out to the digital world. With a 40% decrease in print and TV advertising, Nike is now trying to stray away from superstars. Now that Nike as perfected the art of branding, it is moving on to a world where consumers want to be told less. In 2010, Nike launched its new marketing division called Nike Digital Sport. This digital focus on sports conceived the Nike+ platform, which is a marriage of Apple and Nike technologies that allows people to track their athletic performance. It is also a platform that allows Nike to virtually have personal conversations with its consumers and, subtly study its consumer’s behavioural patterns. Overall, it seems like Nike is always in tune with consumer preferences and addresses them through strategic and well-executed advertising tactics. It is no surprise that the Nike brand is one of the most well recognized in the world.

Roman Emperor Septimius Severus

Roman Emperor Septimius Severus Severus came to power by disposing of rivals with a better claim to power than his own. His immediate predecessor was Didius Julianus. Septimius Severus died peacefully, leaving, as joint successors, his sons Caracalla and  Geta. Dates April 11, A.D. 145-February 4, 211 Reign 193-211 Places of Birth and Death Leptis Magna; Eboracum Name Lucius Septimius Severus Augustus (Severus) Occupation Ruler (Roman Emperor Septimius Severus was born in Africa, at the Phoenician city of Leptis Magna (in Libya), to a presumed equestrian (wealthy) family with consuls in it, on April 11, 145, and died in Britain, on February 4, 211, after reigning for 18 years as Emperor of Rome. Family Parents:  P. Septimius Geta, (equestrian) and Fulvia Pia Wife:  Julia Domna Sons:  Bassianus (Caracalla) (b. 188); Geta (b. 189) Following the murder of Pertinax, Rome supported Didius Julianus as emperor, but as Severus entered Rome having been declared emperor by his troops in Pannonia on April 9, 193 [DIR], the supporters of Julianus defected, he was executed, and soon the soldiers in Italy and the senators supported Severus, instead; meanwhile, troops in the East proclaimed Syrias governor, Pescennius Niger, emperor, and the British legions, their governor, Clodius Albinus. Severus had to deal with his rival claimants. He defeated Pescennius Niger at the A.D. 194 Battle of Issus not to be confused with the battle in 333 B.C., in which Alexander the Great defeated the Persian Great King Darius. Severus then marched into Mesopotamia, where he set up a new legion and declared war on Roman emperor Clodius Albinus. Even with the legions of Britain, Gaul, Germany, and Spain, behind him, Albinus still lost to Severus in 197 near Lyon [see Lyon Museum], and committed suicide. The reputation of Septimius Severus changes with the times. Some consider him responsible for the Fall of Rome. According to [virtual-pc.com/orontes/severi/MoranSev193.html, 6/29/99] Jonathan C. Moran, Gibbon blamed Severus for the changes that led to turmoil and ultimate decay in Rome. The De Imperatoribus Romanis entry on Severus explains the charge: by giving greater pay and benefits to soldiers and annexing the troublesome lands of northern Mesopotamia into the Roman empire, Septimius Severus brought increasing financial and military burdens to Romes government. His reign was also considered bloody and according to the Catholic Encyclopedia, he may have been involved in the murder of his predecessor, Pertinax. The Catholic Encyclopedia also says he persecuted the Christians and forbade conversion to Judaism and to Christianity. On the other side, Septimius Severus restored stability to the Roman Empire. He improved performance and increased morale by making (expensive) changes in the military and praetorian guard. He restored Hadrians Wall and was involved in other construction projects. He also played the part of the traditional emperor: He reformed the grain supply for the city of Rome.... He put on games... for the people to keep them diverted and on his side. He freed his friends from debt and gave donatives to the soldiers and people. He also heard lawsuits.... Severus also began appointing his own men to the senate, one the emperors traditional prerogatives.- [www.virtual-pc.com/orontes/severi/MoranSev193.html#1, 6/29/99] Severus and Traditional Auctoritas Print SourceSeptimius Severus: The African Emperor, by Anthony Richard Birley Also, see Historia Augusta - The Life of Septimius Severus Septimius Severus and the Severan Emperors Septimius Severus and his successors were known as Severan Emperors Septimius SeverusCaracallaGetaEmperors Pertinax and Didius JulianusRoman Emperors Timeline 2nd CenturyRoman Emperors Timeline 3rd Century Ancient Sources on Septimius Severus HerodianHistoria AugustaDio Cassius

Important Read This Before Getting a Belly Button Piercing

Important Read This Before Getting a Belly Button Piercing SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Belly button piercings may appear totally cool and effortless from an outside perspective, but they actually require serious commitment if you want them to look good in the long run. They heal slower than many other types of body piercings, and they require a significant amount of aftercare. This guide will take you through the piercing process and show you how to avoid potential problems as you heal. If you follow this advice, you'll be showing off a piercing that is both stylish and healthy in no time! Feature image: Spookygonk/Flickr, used under CC 2.0 Can You Get a Belly Button Piercing? Some people are disqualified from getting a belly button piercing. Typically, belly button piercings go through the â€Å"lip† of skin above the belly button. Although most people can technically get these types of piercings, it's best to have a good flap of skin above the belly button for the piercer to put the jewelry through if you want it to heal properly. The piercing also needs room below and behind the flap so that the area doesn’t become irritated in the healing process. If you don’t have a solid flap of skin on the top of the belly button, sometimes piercers can go for the lower lip of the belly button instead (though this is a rare option). Here’s an example of what a typical belly button piercing looks like: She did it/used under CC by 2.0 Unfortunately, if you have an outie belly button, you most likely won’t be able to get it pierced. Some people believe that outie belly button piercings are the only "true" belly button piercings because they actually involve piercing the inner part of the navel. However, infections in outie belly button piercings can travel to your internal organs and become extremely dangerous. Most reputable piercers will not take this risk. In case you're unsure of which type of belly button you have going on, here's what an outie looks like: Belly Button-3/used under CC 2.0 The piercer will always examine your belly button carefully before starting the process to see if your anatomical setup will allow for the piercing to heal safely. What Are the Risks Associated With Belly Button Piercings? Even if you believe that your belly button is the ideal candidate for a snazzy new piece of jewelry, you should know that some health risks come hand-in-hand with getting this type of body piercing. These risks include: Allergic reactions to the jewelry Excessive bleeding Jewelry rejection or migration (migration is when the piercing moves internally to a slightly different spot, and rejection is when your body starts to push the jewelry out and you see more and more of the barbell) Bacterial infections Permanent scarring (this can happen if you don’t bother to remove the jewelry after your body has decided to reject it) You can minimize these risks by finding a reputable piercer and caring for your piercing appropriately during the healing process (discussed in the next couple of sections). Does a Belly Button Piercing Hurt a Lot? Good news: most people say that belly button piercings don’t hurt that much. They’re comparable to ear lobe piercings in terms of pain. If you’ve gotten your ear or nose cartilage pierced before, that type of piercing usually hurts more than a belly button piercing. You may experience some soreness and throbbing in the first few days, but it shouldn't interfere with your life significantly. One downside to belly button piercings is that they do take significantly longer than other piercings to heal. While ear piercings typically heal in 6 to 8 weeks, a belly button piercing is usually not fully healed for six months to a year (which is why many people suggest getting your piercing in the winter so you can show off the fully healed final product come beach season). If you've ever gotten this type of piercing on your upper ear, chances are that it hurt a lot more than most belly button piercings. (left ear, used under CC 2.0) How to Get Your Belly Button Pierced Here's a rundown of the steps you need to go through to ensure the best piercing experience. Taking the process seriously and finding a reputable piercer can make all the difference in the speed of your healing and satisfaction with your piercing overall. Step 1: Know the Laws and Regulations If you’re over 18, make sure you bring an official form of photo ID like a driver’s license or passport. If you’re under 18, you must have a parent or guardian present to sign off on your piercing. This article has a list of piercing regulations for all the different US states if you'd like to verify your state's specific policies. Piercing places sometimes take these rules further and say they won’t do certain types of piercings on minors or won’t pierce anyone under the age of 16 even with the consent of a parent or guardian. In addition to checking the laws in your state, research the regulations at the specific place where you plan on getting pierced to see if they have any special stipulations. Step 2: Find a Good Piercing Place The quality of the piercing place makes a huge difference in the likelihood that your piercing will heal properly. Look for places near you that have good Yelp reviews and appropriate credentials (check to see if the piercer is a member of the Association of Professional Piercers). Most piercing places also have websites where you can check out the portfolios of their piercers and read reviews from other customers. Avoid going to sketchy booths in the middle of the mall or really any place that doesn’t look like a doctor’s office when you get into the piercing room. The piercing should be done with sterile equipment in a squeaky clean environment to ensure the lowest risk of infection. Don’t ever let anyone pierce you with a piercing gun! They cause too much trauma to the area and can’t be properly sterilized. One Day We Will All Die, used under CC 2.0 Step 3: Prepare to Get Pierced First off, take a shower beforehand. It’s just polite not to be smelly when a stranger has to touch your belly button. Also, make sure you’re fully hydrated and have eaten at least a little something within the hour so you don’t feel woozy during the process. Above all, do NOT get drunk before you get your belly button pierced. Any piercing place worth its salt will turn away an intoxicated person, both because you don’t have the capacity to make good decisions after drinking and because drinking can cause excessive bleeding at the piercing site. Try to live a healthy, responsible lifestyle at least for the 24 hour period before your piercing. Step 4: Choose Your Jewelry The materials that are least likely to irritate the piercing site include surgical stainless steel, surgical titanium, Tygon plastic, and solid 14K gold. You should try to avoid jewelry made of nickel or sterling silver because these metals are the most likely to cause allergic reactions in people with sensitive skin. If you’ve gotten other piercings in the past, be mindful of how your body has reacted. Also, choose a piece of jewelry that you won’t get tired of seeing. Remember, you won't be able to take it out for another six months to a year. Go with a barbell rather than a ring because there’s less risk of the barbell getting caught on stuff in the healing process. Belly buttons are typically pierced with 12 gauge jewelry, which is around 2 mm in diameter. This is much larger than the jewelry used in a typical ear piercing, which is 1 mm or less in diameter. It’s better to have a thicker piece of jewelry because it will make the piercing sturdier and more resistant to tearing and migration. Triforce de Awesome!, used under CC 2.0 Step 5: Pay Your Piercer Navel piercings can range in cost, but they’re $40-$60 at most piercing places. This includes both the procedure and the cost of the jewelry. If you’re happy with the way things go, it’s considered good form to give your piercer a 10-20% tip on top of the regular price. That's it! You'll have a brand new navel piercing. Now comes the long and hard part - caring for your new piercing. Caring for Your Belly Button Piercing First off, DON’T ever touch or clean the piercing without washing your hands first! If you ignore this rule, you’re asking for an infection. Just leave it alone and let it heal except for when you need to move it around a little bit to clean it. Similarly, you should wear loose clothing that won’t irritate the piercing area in the healing process. Try to sleep on your back and avoid tanning beds at least for the first couple months of healing. The concentrated UV rays can set back your body's natural healing process. It’s also not a good idea to go in public pools or hot tubs because the piercing could get infected from whatever gross types of bacteria may be lurking in the water. If you really feel the need to go in a pool or hot tub while your piercing is still young, you should clean it immediately afterward. You can still do sit-ups and other exercises when your piercing is healing as long as you don’t experience too much discomfort from the movement. Like you, this cat is gonna get his beach body no matter what it takes. (sit-ups, used under CC 2.0) The best way to care for the piercing is to wash it with saline solution two times a day for at least the first month of healing. You can make your own saline solution by mixing a teaspoon of sea salt with five ounces of water, or you can buy the plain saline solution that is sold at pharmacies. Put the saline solution in a little cup. Then, press the rim of the cup against your stomach around the piercing, and lean back to completely submerge the piercing for two minutes. Afterward, take a q-tip, dip it in the solution, and gently rub it around the areas where the piercing goes through your skin. Be sure to use sea salt to make your solution, not table salt! (Salt-(sea)_B130623, used under CC 2.0) You may see your piercing oozing clear fluid that forms a crust around the hole. This is normal early in the healing process. There may also be some swelling, redness, and discoloration, but these issues should dissipate fairly soon after you get the piercing. Don’t clean your piercing more than the recommended two to three times a day. Excessive cleaning can cause skin irritation and dry out the area. If it's been at least a month since the piercing and everything looks good, you can stop doing these daily cleanings. You may clean the piercing sporadically after this point if you continue to see evidence that it isn't fully healed. You should still minimize the activities listed at the beginning of this section until you reach at least the six month mark. Potential Problems (and What to Do About Them) In this section, I'll talk about how to spot signs of trouble with your piercing. It's important to take action on these issues immediately so you can avoid serious health consequences and permanent scarring down the road. It's important to know what's normal and what's not. We'll cover the most important issues below. Allergic Reaction Sometimes, if you get the wrong type of jewelry, you can end up with a nasty allergic reaction around your piercing. Signs of an allergic reaction include: An itchy rash around the piercing area Intermittent tenderness around the piercing If you think you may have an allergic reaction, go back to the piercer, and ask to switch your jewelry out for a different type of material. I list some suggestions for people with sensitive skin in the â€Å"choosing your jewelry† advice in the previous section. Bacterial Infection Infections are very common with belly button piercings because they’re in such a vulnerable area. Signs of infection include: Yellowish-green discharge with a foul odor Prolonged redness around the piercing, especially if it gets worse over time Skin around the piercing is hot to the touch You feel a burning sensation in the area Prolonged swelling around the piercing Abdominal pain (in really serious cases, the infection can become internal) Red lines radiating from the piercing Consistent acute pain (although slight bruising and occasional sharp pain from movement are normal) Here's what an infection can look like: See how the area around the piercing is red and swollen? This will probably also be hot and painful to the touch. It can even look worse than this, with leaking pus around the piercing. (Sorry, I know it's a little gross, but it's important to know what something bad looks like.) If you think you have an infection, first of all, contrary to what you might think, you should leave the jewelry in your belly button. Taking it out could cause further complications, including the formation of abscesses in the area. Use the same cleaning procedure detailed in the previous section, but soak the piercing for ten minutes in the saline solution. You may be able to rub a small bit of antibacterial cream around the piercing to soothe the infection, but use it sparingly. If the infection doesn’t go away within a week or two, go to a doctor to check if you need to take more drastic measures to prevent it from developing further (i.e. taking oral antibiotics). You may need to return to the piercer to get the jewelry taken out if the infection has become too severe. Lean on the side of cautious - it's always better to get something checked out and have nothing wrong, than to try to tough it out and make a problem worse. Migration and Rejection Another issue that is common with belly button piercings is migration and rejection of the jewelry. Signs of migration and rejection include: You can see way more of the barbell than you could when it was initially pierced (because it’s getting pushed out of your body) Noticeable movement of the holes of the piercing marked by a trail of redness Redness and scarring in the area Hole appears larger than it was initially The skin between the holes is translucent and thin If you notice this happening to your piercing, you will have to go to your piercer to get the jewelry removed, let everything heal, and eventually try piercing it again. There’s no way to fix the issue without taking out the piercing and starting over. Migration and rejection don’t mean the piercing is infected, so they aren’t overall health risks, but they come with more aesthetic problems when they’re not addressed. Piercings that the body rejects but that are not removed promptly often cause serious scarring. Rejection happens with a lot of body piercings. You can faintly see the rejection scar from my eyebrow piercing in this picture (I waited too long to take it out because I liked it so much). (Sam Lindsay/All rights reserved.) How Do You Know When You’re Done Healing? As mentioned above, it takes around six months to a year for a belly button piercing to heal to the point where you can take it out and change it. If you reach the six to nine month mark and aren’t experiencing any of the issues detailed in the previous section, you can check the piercing to see if it’s fully healed. Wash your hands, and try sliding it back and forth a bit to make sure it moves freely without pain. If everything feels and looks good, I’d recommend going back to your piercer so they can verify that you’re completely healed. They will be able to take out the piercing and replace the jewelry for you. If you change your piercing on your own, be sure to sanitize both the new jewelry and the piercing site before insertion. Infections are a risk even in piercings that are essentially completely healed, so don’t lose all respect for hygiene after months of vigilance. Summary: Key Tips for Getting a Belly Button Piercing Here's a quick rundown of most important things to remember when getting a belly button piercing. Before you get pierced, you should: Check to make sure your belly button is a good candidate for piercing Understand the risks involved and be willing to take on the responsibility of keeping the piercing clean Be aware of the laws for your state (may entail asking your mom or dad to go with you) Find a reputable piercer When you're at the piercing studio, you will need to: Choose jewelry that is least likely to irritate your skin Verify that everything appears sterile and professional in the piercing room Be prepared to endure a bit of pain (about the same as getting your ear lobe pierced) Pay (and tip) the piercer After you get your belly button pierced, you should: Never touch it without washing your hands first Clean it two to three times a day with saline solution for at least the first month Avoid tight clothing around your midsection, tanning beds, hot tubs, public pools, and sleeping on your stomach until the piercing is at least mostly healed Monitor the piercing site to make sure there are no issues with allergic reactions, infections, or rejection of the jewelry Don't change your jewelry until six to twelve months into the healing process when you can slide the jewelry back and forth without pain or resistance If you have more questions about any specific problems you're experiencing with your piercing, you should talk to your piercer to get an expert's opinion. Otherwise, just continue to enjoy your awesome new belly bling!