Men's Lifestyle Buzz

Beginnings

Many cultures and ethnicities have practiced piercing various body parts for more than 7000 years. Besides the decorative function, it has mostly served to distinguish them from other peoples. Still practiced by many peoples and cultures in developing countries, piercings and body plugs may, amongst other functions, be a sign of maturity, represent social status or a way to celebrate their religion. However, these rituals have little in common with the piercings in the late 1990s in Europe and North America.

Piercing tradition

Various Indigenous peoples in Africa, South America, North America and Asia still practice the piercing of the earlobe, nasal septa, nostrils, lips and genitals. The jewelry is created from wood, shell, clay, horn or bone. For a piercing tradition used in early Europe, there is very little evidence. Only a few examples exist such as a Celtic bronze mask with ear holes on both sides.

Piercing in western culture

The common ear ring became prevalent in the 1970s (except for sailors, who were already wearing them for many years prior). Piercing in it’s modern form came into it’s own in the early 1990s. In the space of a few years the public began wearing piercings beyond the ear, including the first common instances of belly button piercings and the early use of body plugs. Popular youth media channels such as MTV played a big hand in spreading the cult and making is socially acceptable. ​​

Social problem

“It’s all a matter of taste," said the monkey when he bit into the soap. A similar situation developed with piercings in European society. As with tattoos, there are always a few people who decide to set a new course, to be different from everyone else. However, some piercings do not have a particularly positive reputation. "Body mutilation" is a term used to negatively describe some more edgy piercings and body plugs. Followers of the extreme piercing cult (wearers of surface piercings such as chain piercings, corset piercings) have become most difficult to integrate, especially if they aspire to wear them openly in the professional world. Often times these people are referred to as "sick" or "crazy", especially in the case of painful, extreme and risque piercings.

Medical problem

A piercing is an injury and the body must naturally heal from it. If the wound is not treated hygienically and/or does not heal properly it can very quickly become a serious infection and lead to serious health concerns and ugly scars. The sensitive mucous membranes are especially sensitive to these concerns and require attentive aftercare.