Body Piercings
What are body piercings?
The practice or an instance of adhorning the body with Jewelry, or ornamentation that penetrates the flesh.
What is the ethno cultural context of body piercings?
Research has shown that adolescent girls and young women in America and Canada are more prevalent to engage in body piercing than are adolescent boys and young men. As M in General Society(2013) states, "In the United States, it is estimated that one in five adolescent girls either peirce her body or gets a tattoo. (p.1). It has been proven through social studies that the involvment in body piercing differs based on gender and racial background. Interestingly enough, females and white students were found to be more likely than males and non-white students to participate in any form of body piercing. M in General Society (2013) explains that, "such differences may be due to the impact that societal messages send to different genders and racial groups regarding body piercing." (p.1).
Despite the differences between male and females, and their choices in whether or not to engage in body piercing, there still is a number of males who choose to do so. As a result of the gender segregational system, males and females feel differently about which parts of their bodies are appropriate to expose, even in the slightest. As M in General Society (2013) informs, "Males and females also differ in the part of the body they choose to get pierced. For instance, the navel is the most common area for piercing amoung girls and young women. Females were found more likely than males to have thier piercing located in an area that is easily visible for an onlooker like navel or nose, while males were more likely to have their peircing in a less obvious and more sexual location like tongue, nipple or genitalia. (p. 2).
There are many reasons for females to obtain any form of body peircing, it could be personal taste, peer pressure or even a religious requirement. Females are often more likely to obtain piercings in order to be fashionable. (M in Genreal Society, 2013, p.2). One of the most common peices of evidence that a girls reasoning is based on fashion, appears when she says,"I've always wanted one!" In essense, the fact that a female states that she has "always wanted one," supports the thesis that she has been watching her peers and the media, and is falling into social/ peer pressure. Another reason for participating in body peircings, comes from those in different walks of life/perspectives on body modifications in general. Similar to the tattoo, M in General Society (2013) suggests, "for young people, body art represents a mechanism of control and ownership of their own physique." (p. 2). In the same way that our society uses tattoos, and has used tattoos in the past, as a source for control of members of thier culture, American females and some males use piercings to display self ownership of their own body.
To conclude, young men and women often see the concept of body peircing as a means to alter thier appearance and/or gain physical, mental, emotional and societal control of their own bodies.
What is the history of body peircing?
The earliest form of body peircing that we can remember is seen in the Ancient Egyptian civilization, these people loved to adhorn themselves with the highest fashions, which made their body peircings reflect status and love of beauty.
Over 5,000 years ago, a male Egytptian mummy had his ears peirced with larger guage-plugs, researchers believe that guage-plugs may have been the earliest form of body peircing there is. (Roberts, 2004, p. 1)
Throughout all historical and modern Egyptian culture, we see most of what they went through in order to portray beauty and elegant, royalty. It is ineresting that they restricted some of the piercing forms to certain people in society, for example, only the Pharoah was able to pierce his navel. Anyone esle who attempted this form, would be executed for rebelling against the Pharoah.
Roberts (2004) gives us another example in that, "almost every well-to-do Egyptian wore earrings, though, to display their weath and accent their beauty." (p. 1).
Similarly to Ancient Eqypt, body peircings were also seen in Biblical times as well. Not only was it seen as extremely attractive among Biblical woman, the Romans used it to serve practical purposes. Roberts(2004) reveals to us that "Roman Centurians pierced their nipples not because they liked the way it looked, but to signify their strength and virility." (p. 1). To the individual Roman Centurian, each piercing represented great honour and displayed the Centurians dedication to the Roman Empire.
At one time, during the reign of Julius Caesar, genital piercings were popular. This went into the time of the gladiators, who were slaves, and the owners of these fighters would pierce the head of the penis and tie the organ back to the testicles with a leather strap. This process was used to prevent the gladiators from having sex without the owners consent.
Around the same time, the Aztec, Mayan and some American Indian people began to practice a form of tongue piercing as part of a religious ritual. (Roberts, 2004, p. 1).
Piercing crazes fluxuated between many different time periods such as, hundreds of years later for the French and Indian settlers, the Renaissance, the Elizabethan era, the Victorian era, all the way through to the 1960's. At this time, the "hippies" were beginning to emerge and conform to the native piercings that they saw on their travels. Roberts(2004) reminds us that, "For rebellious teens from America, it was a great form of rebellion. After bringing nose piercings back to the U.S., the interest in body piercings of all kinds quickly caught on during the 1980's and the 1990's." (p. 2).
Before our society had a chance to grab hold of this change, our high school students and some stay-at-home-moms, were participating.
The practice or an instance of adhorning the body with Jewelry, or ornamentation that penetrates the flesh.
What is the ethno cultural context of body piercings?
Research has shown that adolescent girls and young women in America and Canada are more prevalent to engage in body piercing than are adolescent boys and young men. As M in General Society(2013) states, "In the United States, it is estimated that one in five adolescent girls either peirce her body or gets a tattoo. (p.1). It has been proven through social studies that the involvment in body piercing differs based on gender and racial background. Interestingly enough, females and white students were found to be more likely than males and non-white students to participate in any form of body piercing. M in General Society (2013) explains that, "such differences may be due to the impact that societal messages send to different genders and racial groups regarding body piercing." (p.1).
Despite the differences between male and females, and their choices in whether or not to engage in body piercing, there still is a number of males who choose to do so. As a result of the gender segregational system, males and females feel differently about which parts of their bodies are appropriate to expose, even in the slightest. As M in General Society (2013) informs, "Males and females also differ in the part of the body they choose to get pierced. For instance, the navel is the most common area for piercing amoung girls and young women. Females were found more likely than males to have thier piercing located in an area that is easily visible for an onlooker like navel or nose, while males were more likely to have their peircing in a less obvious and more sexual location like tongue, nipple or genitalia. (p. 2).
There are many reasons for females to obtain any form of body peircing, it could be personal taste, peer pressure or even a religious requirement. Females are often more likely to obtain piercings in order to be fashionable. (M in Genreal Society, 2013, p.2). One of the most common peices of evidence that a girls reasoning is based on fashion, appears when she says,"I've always wanted one!" In essense, the fact that a female states that she has "always wanted one," supports the thesis that she has been watching her peers and the media, and is falling into social/ peer pressure. Another reason for participating in body peircings, comes from those in different walks of life/perspectives on body modifications in general. Similar to the tattoo, M in General Society (2013) suggests, "for young people, body art represents a mechanism of control and ownership of their own physique." (p. 2). In the same way that our society uses tattoos, and has used tattoos in the past, as a source for control of members of thier culture, American females and some males use piercings to display self ownership of their own body.
To conclude, young men and women often see the concept of body peircing as a means to alter thier appearance and/or gain physical, mental, emotional and societal control of their own bodies.
What is the history of body peircing?
The earliest form of body peircing that we can remember is seen in the Ancient Egyptian civilization, these people loved to adhorn themselves with the highest fashions, which made their body peircings reflect status and love of beauty.
Over 5,000 years ago, a male Egytptian mummy had his ears peirced with larger guage-plugs, researchers believe that guage-plugs may have been the earliest form of body peircing there is. (Roberts, 2004, p. 1)
Throughout all historical and modern Egyptian culture, we see most of what they went through in order to portray beauty and elegant, royalty. It is ineresting that they restricted some of the piercing forms to certain people in society, for example, only the Pharoah was able to pierce his navel. Anyone esle who attempted this form, would be executed for rebelling against the Pharoah.
Roberts (2004) gives us another example in that, "almost every well-to-do Egyptian wore earrings, though, to display their weath and accent their beauty." (p. 1).
Similarly to Ancient Eqypt, body peircings were also seen in Biblical times as well. Not only was it seen as extremely attractive among Biblical woman, the Romans used it to serve practical purposes. Roberts(2004) reveals to us that "Roman Centurians pierced their nipples not because they liked the way it looked, but to signify their strength and virility." (p. 1). To the individual Roman Centurian, each piercing represented great honour and displayed the Centurians dedication to the Roman Empire.
At one time, during the reign of Julius Caesar, genital piercings were popular. This went into the time of the gladiators, who were slaves, and the owners of these fighters would pierce the head of the penis and tie the organ back to the testicles with a leather strap. This process was used to prevent the gladiators from having sex without the owners consent.
Around the same time, the Aztec, Mayan and some American Indian people began to practice a form of tongue piercing as part of a religious ritual. (Roberts, 2004, p. 1).
Piercing crazes fluxuated between many different time periods such as, hundreds of years later for the French and Indian settlers, the Renaissance, the Elizabethan era, the Victorian era, all the way through to the 1960's. At this time, the "hippies" were beginning to emerge and conform to the native piercings that they saw on their travels. Roberts(2004) reminds us that, "For rebellious teens from America, it was a great form of rebellion. After bringing nose piercings back to the U.S., the interest in body piercings of all kinds quickly caught on during the 1980's and the 1990's." (p. 2).
Before our society had a chance to grab hold of this change, our high school students and some stay-at-home-moms, were participating.