nose piercings.
The history of nose piercing dates back to ancient times; it was first recorded in the Middle East approximately 4,000 years ago.
The practice of nose piercing is still followed among the nomadic Berber and Beja tribes of Africa and the Bedouins of the Middle East. The size of the ring gifted denotes a family's wealth. It's given by a husband to his wife when they marry, and it represents financial security for her in the event that she and her husband are divorced.
In the 16th century, nose piercing was brought to India from the Middle East by the Mughal emperors. In India, a stud (called a "Phul") or a ring ("Nath") is usually worn in the left nostril, although both nostrils are pierced in some areas. The reason the left nostril is more commonly pierced is due to that spot being associated with female reproductive organs in Ayurveda (Indian medicine); the piercing is supposed to make childbirth easier and lessen period pain. An Indian woman's nose piercing is sometimes joined to her ear by a chain.
In the west, nose piercing first appeared among the hippies who had traveled to India in the late 1960s. In the 1970s, the practice of nose piercing was adopted by the Punk movement as a symbol of rebellion against conservative values.
Nowadays, nose piercing is gradually becoming more socially acceptable. Many celebrities have their noses pierced. For example, Miley Cyrus, Christina Aguilera, and Slash from Guns & Roses. More and more, you'll see everyday people sporting these piercings, too, including professionals in a variety of settings ranging from retail outlets to doctor's offices.
In the 16th century, nose piercing was brought to India from the Middle East by the Mughal emperors. In India, a stud (called a "Phul") or a ring ("Nath") is usually worn in the left nostril, although both nostrils are pierced in some areas. The reason the left nostril is more commonly pierced is due to that spot being associated with female reproductive organs in Ayurveda (Indian medicine); the piercing is supposed to make childbirth easier and lessen period pain. An Indian woman's nose piercing is sometimes joined to her ear by a chain.
In the west, nose piercing first appeared among the hippies who had traveled to India in the late 1960s. In the 1970s, the practice of nose piercing was adopted by the Punk movement as a symbol of rebellion against conservative values.
Nowadays, nose piercing is gradually becoming more socially acceptable. Many celebrities have their noses pierced. For example, Miley Cyrus, Christina Aguilera, and Slash from Guns & Roses. More and more, you'll see everyday people sporting these piercings, too, including professionals in a variety of settings ranging from retail outlets to doctor's offices.
tongue piercings.
Tongue piercing was practiced in a ritual form by the ancient Aztecs, the Maya, and the Haida, Kwakiutl, and Tlingit tribes of the American Northwest. The tongue was pierced to draw blood to appease the gods and to create an altered state of consciousness so that the priest or shaman could communicate with the gods. Tongue piercing is now one of the most popular piercings people get.
nose piercings.
It's commonly thought that in the history of body piercings, earlobe piercings were probably one of the first attempted due to the ease with which earlobes can be pierced. What evidence is there to support that theory? In 1991, the oldest mummy in the world was found frozen in an Austrian Glacier; tests showed the body to be over 5,000 years old. The body had pierced ears, and the holes had been enlarged to 7-11mm diameter.
Ears were probably first pierced for magical purposes. Many ancient tribes believed that demons could enter the body through the ear; ear piercing could prevent that from happening, because demons and spirits are supposed to be repelled by metal. Sailors used to have an ear pierced due to the superstitious belief that doing so would improve their eyesight, keeping them safer at sea. Additionally, if a sailor's body washed up on shore somewhere, a single earring could pay for a Christian burial. To this day, ear piercing is done as a puberty ritual in many societies. In Borneo, a mother and father each pierce one of their child's ears to symbolize the child's dependence on his or her parents. Even in the US, it isn't uncommon for parents to pierce their little girls' and boys' earlobes.
Ear piercing isn't just for girls; it's an almost universal practice for men and women alike. It's only in western society that it has been considered feminine, although that prejudice has decreased in recent years. At multiple times in history, great men wore complex earrings. For instance, during the Elizabethan era, many famous men such as Shakespeare, Sir Walter Raleigh and Francis Drake wore gold rings in their ears. The practice for men of status to wear earrings goes back even further than that. As the Roman Republic grew more feminine with wealth and luxury, earrings were more popular among men than women.
Ears were probably first pierced for magical purposes. Many ancient tribes believed that demons could enter the body through the ear; ear piercing could prevent that from happening, because demons and spirits are supposed to be repelled by metal. Sailors used to have an ear pierced due to the superstitious belief that doing so would improve their eyesight, keeping them safer at sea. Additionally, if a sailor's body washed up on shore somewhere, a single earring could pay for a Christian burial. To this day, ear piercing is done as a puberty ritual in many societies. In Borneo, a mother and father each pierce one of their child's ears to symbolize the child's dependence on his or her parents. Even in the US, it isn't uncommon for parents to pierce their little girls' and boys' earlobes.
Ear piercing isn't just for girls; it's an almost universal practice for men and women alike. It's only in western society that it has been considered feminine, although that prejudice has decreased in recent years. At multiple times in history, great men wore complex earrings. For instance, during the Elizabethan era, many famous men such as Shakespeare, Sir Walter Raleigh and Francis Drake wore gold rings in their ears. The practice for men of status to wear earrings goes back even further than that. As the Roman Republic grew more feminine with wealth and luxury, earrings were more popular among men than women.
labret/lip piercings.
The piercing of the lip(s) is widely practiced throughout the world, although lip piercing history is richest in tribal cultures. Only two tribes pierce the lip(s) with a ring: the Dogon tribe of Mali and the Nuba of Ethiopia. Among the Dogon, lip piercing has religious significance; they believe the world was created by their ancestor spirit "Noomi" weaving thread through her teeth, but instead of thread, out came speech. All the other lip piercing that is practiced around the world is done with labrets, which can be made from a pin of wood, ivory, metal, or even quartz crystals. Among the tribes of Central Africa and South America, the labret piercing is stretched to extremely large proportions, and large wooden or clay plates are inserted in place of labret pins over time.
Among the ancient Aztecs and Maya, labret piercing was reserved for male members, who wore beautiful labrets fashioned from pure gold to look like serpents, golden labrets with stones inserted in them, and labret jewelry made of jade or obsidian. The Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest and the Inuit peoples of northern Canada and Alaska wore labrets fashioned from walrus ivory, abalone shell, bone, obsidian, and wood.
The Makololo tribe of Malawi wear lip plates in the upper lip.
Among the ancient Aztecs and Maya, labret piercing was reserved for male members, who wore beautiful labrets fashioned from pure gold to look like serpents, golden labrets with stones inserted in them, and labret jewelry made of jade or obsidian. The Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest and the Inuit peoples of northern Canada and Alaska wore labrets fashioned from walrus ivory, abalone shell, bone, obsidian, and wood.
The Makololo tribe of Malawi wear lip plates in the upper lip.
septum piercings.
Septum piercing is probably the second most common type of piercing among ancient people after ear piercing; it's even more common than nostril piercing. The practice of septum piercing is likely as popular as it is for the same reasons as nostril piercing, with the added attraction that the piercing can be stretched so that large pieces of jewellery can be inserted. For example, pigs' tusks, pieces of bone, feathers, pieces of wood, and other natural materials.
Septum piercing is particularly common among warrior cultures, most likely due to the fact that a warrior with a large tusk through the septum looks especially fierce. The use of septum tusks is very common in Irian Jaya, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, with pigs' tusks being the most popular material used as septum jewelry. Among the Asmat tribe of Irian Jaya, the most prestigious septum tusk is the "Otsj", which is a large bone plug that can be as thick as 25mm in diameter. Otsj are usually made from the leg bones of pigs, but occasionally they are made from the tibia bones of enemies slain in battle.
Septum piercings were a beloved tradition of the Aztecs, Maya and Incas in particular. They wore a variety of jewelry in their pierced septums, but jade and gold were the most popular materials because of their religious connotations. The modern day Cuna Indians of Panama continue this practice by wearing thick, pure gold rings in their septums.
This type of piercing is also popular in India, Nepal, and Tibet, where a pendant is worn. Some septum jewelry found in these cultures is so large that it prevents the wearer from being able to eat without manually lifting the jewelry during meals. In Rajasthan in Himachal Pradesh, pendants are particularly complex and extremely large.
Septum piercing was widely practiced by many North American Indian tribes. The name of the Nez Percé tribe of Washington state stems from their practice of piercing the septum. "Nez Percé" is French for "nose pierced", and it was given to the tribe by French fur traders.
Australian aboriginals pierced the septum with the goal of flattening the nose. They passed a long stick or bone through the piercing to achieve the desired effect because they believed a flat nose to be the most desirable-looking.
The age at which septum piercing is done varies greatly between different tribes. Among the Bundi tribe of the Bismarck Ranges of Papua, New Guinea, septum piercing is performed using the thin end of a sweet potato plant, usually between the ages of 18 and 22. However, some tribes perform this on children as young as age 9-10.
Septum piercing is particularly common among warrior cultures, most likely due to the fact that a warrior with a large tusk through the septum looks especially fierce. The use of septum tusks is very common in Irian Jaya, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, with pigs' tusks being the most popular material used as septum jewelry. Among the Asmat tribe of Irian Jaya, the most prestigious septum tusk is the "Otsj", which is a large bone plug that can be as thick as 25mm in diameter. Otsj are usually made from the leg bones of pigs, but occasionally they are made from the tibia bones of enemies slain in battle.
Septum piercings were a beloved tradition of the Aztecs, Maya and Incas in particular. They wore a variety of jewelry in their pierced septums, but jade and gold were the most popular materials because of their religious connotations. The modern day Cuna Indians of Panama continue this practice by wearing thick, pure gold rings in their septums.
This type of piercing is also popular in India, Nepal, and Tibet, where a pendant is worn. Some septum jewelry found in these cultures is so large that it prevents the wearer from being able to eat without manually lifting the jewelry during meals. In Rajasthan in Himachal Pradesh, pendants are particularly complex and extremely large.
Septum piercing was widely practiced by many North American Indian tribes. The name of the Nez Percé tribe of Washington state stems from their practice of piercing the septum. "Nez Percé" is French for "nose pierced", and it was given to the tribe by French fur traders.
Australian aboriginals pierced the septum with the goal of flattening the nose. They passed a long stick or bone through the piercing to achieve the desired effect because they believed a flat nose to be the most desirable-looking.
The age at which septum piercing is done varies greatly between different tribes. Among the Bundi tribe of the Bismarck Ranges of Papua, New Guinea, septum piercing is performed using the thin end of a sweet potato plant, usually between the ages of 18 and 22. However, some tribes perform this on children as young as age 9-10.
navel ('belly-button') piercings.
Navel piercing is a recent invention and has never been recorded in ancient cultures. However, the navel has long been recognized as an erogenous zone, because of the difference between men's and women's stomachs. Women's stomachs differ from men's in that they are more rounded in the lower part, are longer than men's, have a greater distance between the navel, and are more deeply recessed than men's. These features are often exaggerated by artists to make women appear more feminine in paintings.
In September 1994, Suzy Menkes of the New York Times said, "It is easy to pinpoint the moment when body piercing went mainstream. Christy Turlington came out at a London Fashion show, and in the middle of her navel was a ring! The next day Naomi Campbell showed the world that anything Christy could do, so could she. A gold ring with a small pearl pierced her navel. And then at Isaac Mizrahi's show the two came out together, navels bared and be-ringed: body piercing as a Supermodel totem." Naomi Campbell said, "I like it, I think it's fun!" Christy Turlington was quoted as saying, "I always thought it was a pretty feminine thing to do - and you can always take it out." So, it was no surprise when Madonna got her navel pierced shortly after Naomi and Christy, followed closely by Cher and Janet Jackson. Now anybody can join the ranks of celebrities and supermodels and have their navels pierced, too, and so many have in the years since!
In September 1994, Suzy Menkes of the New York Times said, "It is easy to pinpoint the moment when body piercing went mainstream. Christy Turlington came out at a London Fashion show, and in the middle of her navel was a ring! The next day Naomi Campbell showed the world that anything Christy could do, so could she. A gold ring with a small pearl pierced her navel. And then at Isaac Mizrahi's show the two came out together, navels bared and be-ringed: body piercing as a Supermodel totem." Naomi Campbell said, "I like it, I think it's fun!" Christy Turlington was quoted as saying, "I always thought it was a pretty feminine thing to do - and you can always take it out." So, it was no surprise when Madonna got her navel pierced shortly after Naomi and Christy, followed closely by Cher and Janet Jackson. Now anybody can join the ranks of celebrities and supermodels and have their navels pierced, too, and so many have in the years since!