|
||||||||
| Ear piercing has existed continuously since ancient times, including
throughout the 20th century in the Western world. However, in many
cultures within the United States, it became a relative rarity from the
1920s until the 1960s. At that time, it regained popularity among
American women, and was eventually adopted by men in the hippie and gay
communities, and later the punk rock culture. Ear piercing, of either or
both ears, has always been practiced by men in many non-Western
cultures. By the 1980s, male ear piercing had become somewhat common in
the United States, although men usually only pierced one of their ears.
Today, single and multiple piercing of either or both ears is extremely
common among Western women, and fairly common among men. Less conventional forms of body piercing have also existed continuously for as long as ear piercing, but generally not in Western cultures. For example, women in India routinely practice nostril piercing, and have done so for centuries. In the 1970s, body piercing gained popularity in the gay BDSM sub-culture. In 1975, Jim Ward opened The Gauntlet, America's first storefront body piercing operation, in Los Angeles. Attitudes toward body piercing have grown more accepting in the West and in other parts of the world. In some areas, certain types of piercings, even those once considered radical, are becoming more accepted. For example, while ear piercing was long uncommon among middle- and upper-class Western males, today men with pierced ears can be seen working in banks and other traditionally conservative settings in some areas, though this is by no means universal. In other parts of the world, ear piercing is still considered inappropriate for males in many settings, as are multiple ear piercings on women. Female pierced through the following: Lobe (Ear), Septum (Nose), Labret (Lips)[edit] Personal attitudes Attitudes towards piercing can be divisive. Some regard the practice of piercing or of being pierced as spiritual, sometimes embracing the term "modern primitive", while others deride this approach as insulting, as cultural appropriation, or as faddish. Some see the practice as a form of artistic or self-expression, while others choose to be pierced as a form of sexual expression and/or for sexual stimulation or the perceived increase in sexual feeling that certain piercings are thought by some to create. For some people, piercing is part of an S-M lifestyle or relationship, or is incorporated into S-M play. Some people choose to be pierced for symbolic reasons. For example, some survivors of sexual abuse have said that they experience piercing as allowing them to retake control over their own bodies. Some people choose to be pierced to symbolize certain relationships. For gay men, piercing has historically been viewed as a form of public self-identification or "coming out". However, the current popularity of piercing among many different groups has diluted much of its specific cultural identification and symbolism. While some people consider body modification to be a sign of non-conformity, others deride body piercing as faddish. This can at times lead to prejudice or cognitive bias against those with piercings or visible signs of past piercings. source:wikipedia.org |
||||||||