#ear piercing

[marzipanandminutiae]

articles about the “wild new trend” of piercing from the late ‘50s and early ‘60s are fascinating to read. a selection of excerpts:

- one doctor cautioned that girls with pierced ears would be “required to constantly wear earrings to hide the holes in their heads” (or you could just not be weird about a tiny dot on someone else’s earlobe?)

- Genevieve Dariaux, then director of the Nina Ricci couture house, said in 1965 that “Pierced ears are unthinkable for an elegant woman, and even more dreadful for a young girl.” bear in mind that, as I’ve said, earrings that made your ears LOOK pierced were still common. what the difference was, nobody has yet made plain

- lots of evidence that going to a doctor was the preferred “safe” method for piercing at the time. but many doctors refused to do it, or said they would but that they strongly discouraged patients from having the procedure done. this checks out with my mother’s experience in 1965- her schoolmate’s anesthesiologist father did free piercing for all his daughter’s friends

- some teenagers around 1965 called clip and screwback earrings “chicken earrings” (implying that the wearers were too scared of pain to get their ears pierced, I think)

- one advice column, also from 1965, implied that pierced ears were just a passing fad. the previous several centuries of western history would like a word, Mx. Columnist...

- A GIRL WITH RESTRICTIVE PARENTS BRINGING UP THE ARGUMENT THAT HER GRANDMOTHER HAD PIERCED EARS. YES. FINALLY SOMEONE REALIZED THE LOGICAL FALLACIES HERE. the argument against that is, indeed, a sort of “that was the Bad Old Days and we know better now” deal as some other commenters have hypothesized

- one article mentions that the trend could be part of the Victorian revival that was just becoming popular in the mid-60s, which is a fascinating thought I’ve never considered before

- many doctors complaining that they were suddenly being called upon to pierce ears despite not really knowing how. this is interesting, because before the Great Ear-Piercing Taboo, jewelers offering piercing services were more like modern piercers than Claire’s employees (and doctors weren’t involved at all unless an infection set in). descriptions I’ve read of Victorian piercer-jewelers mention a lot of things we’re familiar with today- needles designed with a hollow for inserting the starter jewelry, for example, and even “freezing” solutions to numb the earlobe. so in those early resurgence days, going to a long-established jewelry store for your piercing might actually have been a better option than a doctor’s office

- two young women in a 1964 Canadian article (from Calgary) mention that they think screwback earrings look cheap and gaudy, and the pierced version is more conservative and tasteful, in an interesting reversal of mainstream thought

- a newspaper columnist saying pierced ears give him “the wim-wams,” so they are to be avoided. whatever the hell that means

- a LOT of people seem to think that ear piercing was popular in the Victorian era because wealthy women didn’t want to lose their expensive jewelry. sorry folks- my collection of Victorian costume earrings (all pierced) says otherwise

- much confusion as to why modern girls want to do something so old-fashioned

- one woman marvels at how comfortable it is to wear earrings in pierced ears, as opposed to clips and screwbacks. I feel infinitely blessed, as an earring-lover, to have been born when I could escape the scourge of ear-vises altogether

- apparently an eccentric elderly man on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, literally bribed all the women of the community to pierce their ears because he liked the way it looked. one of them mentioned that she held out for $25- $244 CAD or $188 USD in today’s money. all because some rich Victwardian codger had a very specific fetish

- this absolutely incredible response of an Indian diplomat’s wife when asked, in New York, why she wore a diamond nose stud: “Because I feel [diamonds] become me more than rubies or emeralds.” QUEEN

- “when the fad changes, as it indubitably will-” are you certain of that, ma’am

[one-time-i-dreamt]

My dad took me to get my ears pierced at a shopping centre that had a Pride party on, and said some super homophobic shit, but then I made a speech and ugly cried, got my ears pierced and picked out some glittery rainbow earrings, and went to go dance with my fellow gays.

Also, I think David Tennant was there, but I’m not sure.

[black-salt-cage]

ଘ(੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ♡‧₊˚

[thestalkerbunny]

Me: oh Great, I finally found a place to do my piercings. Let's look at their site; Yelp had good reviews but always check their personal website-

Website of the Tattoo/Piercing Place:

Me: Well that is a GREAT sign.

[bodymodificationnation]

rinku_shanti: I had the pleasure of working on a Charlene’s piercings that were done elsewhere, and let me tell you, her setup was absolutely beautiful! She had some stunning @BVLA pieces in place, but I had the opportunity to downsize them and add some chains and charms to enhance this already stunning look. 😍✨

[stuckinstardewvalley]

Got a secret piercing yesterday (dad doesn't like piercings) let's see how long I can hide it for

[allthepiercingsandbodymods]

Daith piercing by @tati.piercings on Instagram.

[tavolienek]

[a-welsh-spoonie]

I recently started my ear stretching journey, I'm stretching multiple holes on one lobe. Would anyone be interested in updates on stretching from someone with EDS?

[softcenteregg]

This was on a whim of wanting to draw someone piercing another persons ears and these guys fit the bill. I always assumed that Zoro pierced his own ear?

[hazeltailofficial]

VALENTINE'S DAY FLASHBACK

Heart Ribcage Plugs from Hot Topic Vintage Gunmetal Heart Drop Earrings

hazeltail on youtube / hazeltailofficial on tiktok / hazeltailofficial on ig / @hazeltailofficial / @hazeltail

[marzipanandminutiae]

You made a post stating that pierced ears weren’t accepted in America from the 20s to 60s, but I was under the impression that many women, esp in the 40s and 50s, often wore classic Pearl or diamond stud earrings. Have I been deceived by Hollywood again?? :c

Clip-ons and screw-backs, my dear Anon!

(Screw-back earrings, c. 1950s)

Piercing your ears was frowned upon, but wearing earrings remained wildly popular. I don't understand the logic here, since it looks functionally identical to wearing pierced earrings in practice, but apparently that was A-okay.

Earring clamped onto your ear? Fine! That exact same earring going through your ear? DIRTY AND/OR FOREIGN HARLOT.

Make it make sense.

(Pierced earrings DID still exist, since some women- for cultural or personal reasons -bucked the zeitgeist. But they were by far the less common of the two options.)

(Also, clips and screw-backs hurt in my experience. Like. You have your ear pinched in a vise for as long as you're wearing them, basically. My mom, born 1953, remembers Grandma taking her clip earrings off the second she got home from a party, always. And yet I saw clips advertised as "torture-free" earrings in a 1930s ad. Yes, skip the torture of like 30 seconds with a needle for the comfort and ease of clamping something heavy onto your ear with sheer pressure, all day long.)

(The whole "pierced ears bad" fad makes about the least sense to me of any fashion-related historical Hot Take.)

[littlegreenwyvy]

I should get more piercings; I only got the one ear done years ago, I think I should at least even out on the other side

[melmellisuk]

✨𝗘𝗮𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗘𝗮𝗿✨

⠀

The art of ear stacking or stacked ear piercing has gained immense popularity in recent years, and it’s not hard to see why. This trend allows you to express your individuality and create a unique look by combining various gold earrings, ear cuffs, and ear piercing studs. In this article, we will explore the world of ear stack gold and provide you with tips and ideas to create a perfect curated ear.

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Before diving into the world of stacking earrings, it’s essential to have a clear vision of the look you want to achieve. Browse through fashion magazines, pinterest or instagram, or even consult with a professional piercer to gather inspiration. Consider the shape of your ear and the placement of existing piercings to create a harmonious and balanced look..👇

[red-sky-dry]

Got myself a new adopt recently and naming her Sierra.

Lined art done in Clip Studio and colored in Ibis paint.

[bodymodificationnation]

perrymdoig: A new wardrobe for @margaret_cho featuring some of my work and some by others. Margaret has always had complete trust in what we put together for her, and the studio had a blast outfitting her ear with this very eclectic set. All designs by @BVLA