Belly button rings are back and no thank you.

I was 17 years old when I convinced my parents to let me get my navel pierced, and they had just become a thing.

I had the triple pierced ears, the toe ring, the belly chain (I did love a trend). I wasn’t interested in a nose, eyebrow or nipple (ouch!) ring. But to me, the belly-button ring was the coolest new trend I’d seen in a long time, and I wanted in.

Lacking courage, I made my appointment with the only doctor in a region that was piercing navels. Unlike tattoo parlours or piercing venues, this doctor offered some local anesthetic, so he was the man for me.

I was in love. After a few days of oozing puss, antiseptic application, and turning the ring around daily, it finally looked as I wanted it to. Super cool and super sexy. At least, that's what I thought at the time.

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I loved a barbell myself, with a big ol’ gemstone, and wasn’t too keen on the hoop styles. And given that low-rise jeans and crop-tops were the fashion choice of the time, there was plenty of opportunity to show it off.

When I did eventually take the ring out, it wasn't because they were off-trend. While they’d probably lost a touch of their cool-factor, I was still very much into mine.

But, at 27 and pregnant with my first baby, my navel ring didn’t look quite so hot anymore. In fact, it looked as though it might rip clean through my very stretched skin.

As I waded through the baby and toddler years, trying to keep up with fashion as best I could, I rarely gave my belly button piercing a second though.

Oh, there was the odd occasion I’d pull out an old ring (yes, I kept them) to see if it still fit. Each time though, I found it couldn’t go further than halfway, having closed up with time. I did discover that a standard earring did go through though, and quietly — inexplicably — celebrated that fact.

Fast forward to now and I’ve watched with a mix of horror and dismay, plus a touch of nostalgia, as my 17 year old niece had her belly button pierced. My feelings about it? Mixed.

These mixed feelings are intensified by the coinciding return of low-rise jeans, a resurgence I’m loath to accept. I think I speak for all millennials (and probably most Gen Xs and even Boomers) when I say it’s a wonderful thing to be able wear something flattering and still trendy (hello high-rise). Because let’s face it, low-rise jeans aren't flattering.

Adding to the horror of my youth’s fashion revival is the return of ballet flats. As a dedicated lover of the pointed toe, the small round nub of a ballet flat poking out of my (low-rise?) jeans doesn’t excite me. Hell, I didn’t even like them when they were first on trend.

When it comes to the belly-button ring though, I must coyly admit that my disdain for its return is more about my enduring love for the piercing than a genuine dislike; it's more about my wishing I could relive my navel ring days. 

Sometimes I still find myself rubbing two fingers across my stomach, a habit I developed as I felt the metal bar through the fabric of my clothes. Alas though, my belly-button just doesn't quite look the same after birthing three kids.

So while I love a fashion revival (crochet, flares and round sunnies please!), I say we skip this blast from the past, and put the low-rise jeans, ballet flats, and your (cute, fun) belly rings back into the bin where they belong.

How do you feel about belly button rings? Tell us in the comments section below.

Feature image: Getty.