body modifications

So every since 8th grade year I've been asked many times "Did that hurt?", "How long did it take for you to get to that size?", "What are you going to do when your old?" And my answer would always be "Not at the moment but when I had it done and a couple days after it sure did" "A couple months now", & "I'm not going to do anything because I don't and will not regret having them". What I'm referring to are the piercings and stretching of my ear lobes I've been doing for quite some time now. 

Stretched lobes: The process of stretching or increasing the size of your ear lobes with tapers or taping to have a bigger piercing. NOT called gauging.

The two body modifications have been in my life since 2008 and will be in my life for as long as I live. But between then and now I've had a Monroe, tongue, septum, spider & snake bite pierces, and PLUGS not called gauges. And in the process of all that I've had swelling & only once a blowout. Not the best thing to have and pretty disgusting. I've learned new techniques on how to take care of them and how to stretch without having the gross blowouts. But for the past few months I've stretched and downsized so many times that I've lost count, basically because I lose plugs easily and waiting to buy new ones takes some time. Today at the size of 1&3/8 inch, I've decided to stretch up to my goal of 1&3/4inch or possibly 2inches... if I can. 
Sounds quite large but i don't think so, because since I've started each size I get to it seems smaller each time. Not that it's because it's a "new" trend and tons of people have them now, but because it makes me different from other people and makes me who I am. Not a rebellious teenager trying to get attention. I am the total opposite. 
Having body modifications and the society now has made it very difficult to have people understand how different it is for people like me live in world without being an out casted and put on the spot. Such as being in high school and being asked in front of class "Why did you do that to yourself!?", or having jokes made like "Your grand kids will be swinging around with your ears", or people sticking pencils or their fingers through it (not amusing and also very annoying). Or having a summer job and being asked to take the studs out of my piercings and having to take out the plugs also. Ithink one of the biggest challenges of my modifications will be getting a job.  I have a friend who is going into nursing and he had to take out his plugs and close them completely before he starts his training. And as for me and my interest in being in the navy... I can't because of my lobes once again. I guess having a job limits your wants in your life sometimes. Like having certain tattoos it's "frowned upon" in our society.
In the end I'm almost 18 I'd say that it is not a lot for someone my age to have had that many modifications because when you think outside of the small little town we all live in it isn't. Many teenagers I've seen have more metal in their face than I ever had. And the trends will remain and grow with time.
-Go Big or Go Home,

xo.