Seniors embrace bold body art - Piercer’s ‘sweet mouth’ attracts elderly in downtown Kingston

Gone are the days when tongue and nipple piercings were taboo for women over 40.

In fact, the daring trend has now captivated senior citizens. Just ask Jahiem Matthie, a street piercer on Beckford Street in downtown Kingston, who claims his most loyal customers are older women - some even in their 70s.

"My piercings are painless, so sometimes people will come to do one, but end up getting five or six. Bwoy, I don't know, but old people always a find mi, ya man. Just recently a pierce a lady navel, and she was 73," he said.

Matthie says he doesn't pry into why seniors are suddenly embracing body modifications.

"Sometimes dem just feel young...remember, age is just a number, so a person just feel as young as dem feel. "It's business for me. The only age group I will turn back is those that are underage," Matthie said.

His TikTok page is blowing up with videos of elderly clients, but not everyone's a fan. Matthie said he remains unbothered and usually finds their comments humourous.

"Dem cuss mi out sometimes and say I should tell the women no, but mi nah go do that. A person free to do what they want. Nuff a dem spend their lives raising their families and just getting a chance to focus on themselves," he said. Matthie added that he sometimes gets weird and strange piercing requests.

"One time a girl come to mi to do a piercing, and it was the weirdest one. Yuh know that little flesh between the vagina and the bottom? Mi a tell yuh it was the weirdest one I ever did, but people a bore dem ankle, toe, shoulder, elbow, hand, and so on," he said.

Matthie said that customers come from as far as Westmoreland and St James to the capital city for their piercings in his makeshift office. And though his set-up is unconventional, with cardboard and Solitex as his office decor, customers don't mind the quirky charm -- especially when they're treated to blasting dancehall music and local fashion sales.

"Mi sweet mouth attract more than a dozen clients daily!" he chuckled.

"Sometimes people will reach out to mi on TikTok from other parishes and will just make the journey. People will just a pass a go about dem business and just stop. People from all walks of life come right here in downtown Kingston and get dem body pierced," he added.

"Mi used to sell the ring dem, and people use to ask mi if mi know anyone who do piercings, so mi use to carry the work go give two guys down a Matthews Lane. I asked one of them to teach mi and him tell mi say it is not my line, and mi must continue bring the customers to him. Mi decide say mi nah carry back any more work to them and mi a go do it myself. Mi did have two female friends beside mi a sell clothes and mi try pon dem first," Matthie said.

Between laughter, Matthie said the piercings were far from perfect.

"Mi seh, the top part of the navel piercing gone a east and the bottom part gone a west. Mi say it lean, and up to today day, one of them still wear it although it lean. More time she will pass and tell mi to sell her a navel ring, and mi ask har what happen to har, because if she want the entire stall of rings, I will give her because is she mi try out on," he said.