Body piercing
[15] In Europe, earrings for women fell from fashion generally between the 4th and 16th centuries, as styles in clothing and hair tended to obscure the ears, but they gradually thereafter came back into vogue in Italy, Spain, England and France—spreading as well to North America—until after World War I when piercing fell from favor and the newly invented Clip-on earring became fashionable.
[16][17][18] According to The Anatomie of Abuses by Philip Stubbs, earrings were even more common among men of the 16th century than women, while Raphael Holinshed in 1577 confirms the practice among "lusty courtiers" and "gentlemen of courage.
"[19] Evidently originating in Spain, the practice of ear piercing among European men spread to the court of Henry III of France and then to Elizabethan era England, where earrings (typically worn in one ear only) were sported by such notables as Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset, Shakespeare, Sir Walter Raleigh and Charles I of England.
From the European Middle Ages, a superstitious belief that piercing one ear improved long-distance vision led to the practice among sailors and explorers.
c. 1500 BCE, the Vedas refer to Lakshmi's nose piercings,[1] but modern practice in India is believed to have spread from the Middle Eastern nomadic tribes by route of the Mughal emperors in the 16th century.
Nose piercing has been practiced by the Bedouin tribes of the Middle East and the Berber and Beja peoples of Africa,[26] as well as Australian Aboriginals.
It was popular among the Aztecs, the Mayans and the tribes of New Guinea, who adorned their pierced noses with bones and feathers to symbolize wealth and (among men) virility.
[28] The Aztecs, Mayans and Incas wore gold septum rings for adornment, with the practice continued to this day by the Kuna of Panama.
[29] The practice of stretching the lips by piercing them and inserting plates or plugs was found throughout Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica and South America as well as among some of the tribes of the Pacific Northwest and Africa.
Women of the Nilotic Mursi tribe in the Nile Valley wear lip rings on occasion that may reach 15 centimetres (5.9 in) in diameter.
[34] They were the oldest form of high status symbol among the Haida women, though the practice of wearing them died out due to Western influence.
Kama Sutra, dated to the Gupta Empire of Ancient India, describes genital piercing to permit sexual enhancement by inserting pins and other objects into the foreskin of the penis.
[11] The Dayak tribesmen of Borneo passed a shard of bone through their glans for the opposite reason, to diminish their sexual activity.
[44] Nipple piercing has also been connected to rites of passage for both British and American sailors who had traveled beyond a significant latitude and longitude.
[46] Body piercing was also heavily popularized in the United States by a group of Californians, including Doug Malloy and Jim Ward.
[48][49][50] As word of body piercing spread to the wider community, Ward began to publish the first publication dedicated to the subject, PFIQ.
[51] A table in Larry Townsend's The Leatherman's Handbook II (the 1983 second edition; the 1972 first edition did not include this list) which is generally considered authoritative states that a purple handkerchief is a symbol for body piercing in the handkerchief code, which is employed usually among gay male casual-sex seekers or BDSM practitioners in the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe.
The group appealed the decision before the High Court of Justice, the House of Lords and finally the European Commission of Human Rights, attempting to overturn the verdict which ruled consent immaterial in acts of sadomasochism, without success.
[54] In spite of their repeated failures, the situation publicized the issue, with The Times editorializing the court's decision as "illiberal nonsense" in 1993.
Among male responders, the order was significantly different, descending in popularity from nipple, eyebrow, ear, tongue, nose, lip and genitals.
A 2001 survey in Clinical Nursing Research, an international publication, found that 62% of people who have had piercings have done so in an effort "to express their individuality.
Some countries impose age of consent laws requiring parental permission for minors to receive body piercings.
[82] In addition to imposing parental consent requirements, Western Australia prohibits piercing private areas of minors, including genitals and nipples, on penalty of fine and imprisonment for the piercer.
[91] However, also in 2006, amid a series of employment discrimination cases in the United States, it became clear that the legality of these dress codes depended upon broader social acceptance of body piercing.
[103] An additional risk for allergic reaction may arise when the stud or clasp of jewelry is made from a different metal than the primary piece.
Piercers are expected to sanitize the location to be pierced as well as their hands, even though they will often wear gloves during the procedure (and in some areas must, as it is prescribed by law).
Wearing sterile gloves is required by law for professional piercing procedures in some areas, such as the states of Florida and South Carolina.
Tools and jewelry should be sterilized in autoclaves,[136] and non-autoclavable surfaces should be cleaned with disinfectant agents on a regular basis and between clients.
[137] A reputable piercing studio should provide clients with written and verbal aftercare instructions, as is in some areas mandated by law.
[138] The healing process of piercings is broken down into three stages:[139] It is normal for a white or slightly yellow discharge to be noticeable on the jewelry, as the sebaceous glands produce an oily substance meant to protect and moisturize the wound.
