Body piercings have been around for centuries, and their meanings have varied from culture to culture. In some cultures, piercings are seen as a sign of beauty and are used to enhance a person's appearance. In other cultures, piercings may symbolize a rite of passage or a spiritual connection.
Some people pierce for religious or spiritual reasons, while others pierce for self-expression, for aesthetic value, for sexual pleasure, to conform to their culture or to rebel against it. Some forms of piercing remain controversial, particularly when applied to youth.
In situations like this, adrenaline is released, and after the piercing, people may feel quite relaxed in contrast. For many, people want to push their bodies to the limits and attempt to develop a physical endurance, so the physical part of it can play a part for some people's reasoning for getting pierced.
While nowadays there isn't always a meaning or reason behind piercings other than for adornment or personal choice, some of the first piercings came about due to spiritual or religious reasons. Ancient tribes believed that piercings offered protection from demons and spirits because metal repelled such beings.
In many societies, ear piercing is done as a ritual indicating puberty, of which each of the parents would pierce an ear, symbolising the child's dependence upon them. The Ancient Egyptians are of the oldest bodies found with stretched ear lobes.
In the 1980s and 1990s, there was a saying recited by men that helped them decide which ear to pierce. “Left is right, right is wrong.” The meaning behind this phrase is that men who pierce their left ears are heterosexual, and men who pierce their right ears are homosexual.
Like tattoos and other body modifications, piercings express a variety of spiritual and moral meanings. In fact, the Māori, the people of Africa, Aztecs, Indians, and Asians decorated their bodies with piercings to represent fertility, strength, protection, and wealth.
Piercing different body parts is an ancient practice in many cultures; in the West, the countercultural movements of the 1960s and 1970s also incorporated it. Today, piercings are widely accepted; any political significance they once had has been watered down, and their decorative function now reigns supreme.
There's nothing explicitly forbidding lay Buddhists to get body piercings. A monk wouldn't get them because they'd be considered a form of unnecessary luxury.
The Church of Body Modification is a non-theistic religion with approximately 3,500 members in the United States. The church practices body modification in order to "strengthen the bond between mind, body, and soul" and to experience the divine.
This eases one's emotional distress too by working on the pain center in the brain that senses both emotional and physical pain.
Piercings are more controversial. 55% of men are attracted to them, 45% aren't. But overall, more than half of guys say they like both tattoos and piercings. The most attractive spot for a tattoo is the hip.
Piercings have an amazing, magical ability to help improve your confidence and self image. And for many hundreds of yeas across many cultures piercings have been viewed as a status symbol, and a symbol of beauty and strength. Modern piercing is no different.
It signifies womanhood, elegance, and for some even a sense of rebellion. In Indian nose piercing is as much a part of tradition as bangles, a mangalsutra or a bindi.
Nose piercings used to be considered rebellious and daring - now, not so much. Nostril piercing, left or right, is a delicate and low-key embellishment. In India, a nostril piercing was associated with reproduction and easy childbirth. In nomadic tribes, nose jewelry was an indication of wealth.
Most North American Tribes see the ring as a rite of passage after a successful return from a soul-searching journey in the wilderness. The septum piercing was used to signify their success and show their rite of passage into manhood.
Exodus 21:1-6
“Pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life.”
Catholic Teaching
In terms of moral guidance, the Church's teaching authority doesn't say anything explicitly about tattoos or body piercings. Neither practice is strictly prohibited, nor considered intrinsically evil.
Many people partake in them to express their personality or aesthetic. Previous research on tattooed and pierced individuals has linked them to having lower self-esteem and a higher need for uniqueness. Trauma survivors may turn to body modification as a way to overcome past experiences.
Rhino and Nasallang Piercings
These are definitely up there with the rarest and most unusual piercings! We must note that these piercings are rare for a reason. They are not something we would generally offer to the general public, simply because they are quite extreme and carry a certain amount of risk.
If you have any piercings, like a lip ring, nose ring, or gauge, unfortunately the odds are not really in your favor, with 48 percent, 61 percent, and 50 percent of women, respectively, finding them unattractive. You might come off a little attention-seeking, according to the women surveyed.
In a recent study, it was found that staff found it unlikely for people who have 'body art', including tattoos and piercings, to be acceptable work partners, however, had no issue working with these people in non-customer settings.
Ultimately, much of the Christian debate around body piercing, tattoos, and other modifications boils down to personal interpretation of scripture and concepts. Some see piercings as self-expression and not “marking your body,” whereas others see piercing as a sin that goes against the Bible's teachings.
It's thought that when you pierce certain areas on the body, the flow of energy is improved and the functions within the body are more regulated. While acupuncture is still incredibly popular today, body piercing is also now commonly used to improve health as it's thought to work in a similar way.
Pre-Y2K (and beyond), it's been socially understood that wearing one earring on the right ear means someone is gay; the left, straight.