# Wearing piercings



## luis masci

I know young people like to look fashionable and that
is fine with me. But what bothers me is those wearing
facial piercings, because it makes a bad impression on
me. Yesterday I was shocked seeing a teenager with a
lot of them hanging from his eyebrows, ears and lips.
I think wearing them would be annoying.
My questions are:
1. Is this style usual in your region/city? How do
you feel about it?
2. (knowing there are a lot of young people in this
forum) Have you ever worn any piercings? In that
case how do you feel about it?


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## Moogey

> 1. Is this style usual in your region/city? How do
> you feel about it?



Not really common in my immediate area. I see it though when I go out of my area for a little bit. 

I don't like them and I don't really see the point in them. Surely it must be some way to express oneself, but I personally don't get it. It doesn't make sense to me now and probably never will. Besides, having any body piercings would simply not be me. If I had one, it would misrepresent who I am.

However I respect those who have them because they are (probably?) being themselves and are presenting themselves as themselves. In other words, I respect people for who they are.



> 2. (knowing there are a lot of young people in this
> forum) Have you ever worn any piercings? In that
> case how do you feel about it?



I've never worn a piercing and I never intend to. Reasons described above. I also don't personally know anyone who has piercings other than ear piercings.

-M


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## panjabigator

Nose rings and earrings are pretty big in India. My grandparents encouraged my sister to get second earring holes and a nose ring. There are some piercings though that I'll never understand. Has anyone heard of a Prince Albert?

I have never worn any piercings. My parents would never tollerate it and it takes a certain type of guy to pull off piercings. I am not one of them.  I also do not want to wear any...simply not for me.


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## danielfranco

In this very urban setting of DFW is common to see young (and also old) people with body and facial piercings. They seem to go hand in hand with tatoos and unconventional hair stylings. And clothing. And financial stability. Well, the financial side is taken care of by pretty affluent parents, in many cases. In many other cases, I wonder how they can afford all that "decoration".
I'm not a puritan, nor a religiously devout anything, but that form of "grooming" always makes me thing of the word "thug", for no apparent reason...
I guess I'm just too square, or something...
Nevermind me. Go ahead, pierce, express yourself. Be happy. Hakuna Matata.


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## .   1

They are very common in Australia.
Tongue studs are no longer shocking.
My daughter has a friend with spinal (sleeper rings through the skin above the spine) piercings.  He also has rings down each side of his ribs that he threads ribbons through.
I was in a Chemist Shop today and saw a young mother with her child in a pram accompanied by her partner tattooed up to the hair line and she smiled at me as to show her tongue stud.
My neice horrified her parents with a pierced navel but after the fuss died down they are still the same.

I must confess to a strong dislike of the concept of piercing a perfectly acceptable skin but the concept of hanging metal out of the skin seems insane to me.  There is significant risk involved and injuries are not rare with tongue studs allowing some dentists to buy holiday homes.

The danger of snagging the jewellery and ripping it out seems quite possible.


.,,
The picture of two studdees entangling each other within their tiny metal rings and piercings is painful to even picture.


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## Mr Chu

Piercings are seen very often down here (Santa Cruz) and in other places I´ve been living. I`ve readed somwhere that is a kind of response to the lack of control over oneself´s life in modern society, so it appears as the last refuge of the expression of one´s will. In other words, your own body is one of the few things you can rule or decide on. I guess it´s fine and as an expression in a global scale a prefer it to anorexia nervosa as a reaction to modern life


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## Mr Chu

I guess the surprise, rejection andd other things we can feel when faced to pierced and/or tattoed persons is very alike to that our grand parents felt when guys started growing long hair


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## Learning

In Spain, it is quite common to see young people wearing pearcings (in the tongue, in the lips, in the eyebrow...) 
I wouldn't wear any piercing.


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## la reine victoria

In my part of the world piercings are very common.  To those who like to have them, then that is their choice.

My younger son, in his teen years, set out to shock me by saying he was getting his nose pierced.  I said, "Good for you, I'm sure you will look wonderul."  I even paid for it.  He had failed in his mission to shock.

Then he went on to have his eyebrows pierced, and about three in each ear.

It was just a phase.  He has long since discarded them.

I have heard of a "Prince Albert" for men's penises.  A lot of girls have clitoral piercing for enhanced sexual pleasure.  Also nipples are pierced.

Many rips and tears to these regions have been reported  .  I don't think it's a good idea.  


LRV
Crossing her
legs in
terror.


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## la reine victoria

PS:  I am reminded of the punk rockers who used to pierce their faces themselves and wear safety pins in the holes.  





LRV


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## LV4-26

People have worn ear rings for centuries. Piercings are no worse nor better.
I dislike ear rings the same way I dislike piercings. I don't mind anyone wearing them (my son has got an eyebrow piercing). Only the mere sight of them hurts me - not morally but sort of *physically*. I know they do not hurt those who wear them but it doesn't stop me from feeling uncomfortable. Actually, I dislike any kind of physical mutilation. To me, they all are, including ear rings. When she was 9 or so, my daughter had a hard time trying to convince me to let her have her ears pierced.  Maybe I'm mentally unbalanced...a psychological trauma in my babyhood or something, maybe... 

Anyhow, people can do what they like as long as I'm not forced to look at it.

On a sociological point of view, I think it all pertains to the political economy of signs, as Jean Baudrillard would name it. One day, it will surely be considered as totally "square".


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## cuchuflete

It's a common custom among some visible minority of young people around here.  It doesn't bother me at all.  I have no interest in trying it.  

Why do people do it? Why do they wear clothing that looks different from what their parents wear?  They are just being conventional within their own generation, and calling for a little attention.  The parents, in turn, are usually conventional is a different way.


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## Outsider

luis masci said:
			
		

> 1. Is this style usual in your region/city? How do
> you feel about it?


I wouldn't say that it's usual, but you do see quite a few young people with piercings. If you think about it, a generation ago it was normal for girls to pierce their ears. There's no fundamental difference between that, and what we're seeing now.
In my opinion, though, piercing can be taken to inesthetic extremes. For example, those rows of piercings that some use in their ears I find ugly. But this is just my opinion.



			
				luis masci said:
			
		

> 2. (knowing there are a lot of young people in this
> forum) Have you ever worn any piercings? In that
> case how do you feel about it?


I have never worn piercings, but then I'm not as young as that anymore. Piercings became fashionable "after my time".


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## Brioche

I dislike body-piercings intensely. One piercing per ear is enough.

My younger son got an eye-brow piercing on his 18th birthday, and later a nipple piercing.  The nipple piercing became infected, was very painful, and made him quite unwell, and had to be removed. The eye-brow piercing is still there, but I think he has been cured of the desire for more.

My parents had cattle on the farm, and I always think of a bull when I see a nose piercing.  They are _particularly attractive_  in the winter, with condensation or snot hanging off them.


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## Outsider

At least, parents can use piercings to keep their sons on a tight leash.


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## pinky panther

I feel like I should stand up for piercings here!!  In moderation I think they can look very attractive.  They are becoming more and more common in England, but I've noticed a lot less since moving to Paris.  I myself have had about 8 various piercings (not all ears) and my last boyfriend had a PA.  It's not as bad as you would think...


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## panjabigator

There are just some piercings on that people do that I'll never quite understand...why would you pierce your penis?  That is ridiculously painful sounding.

I almost half expect someone to PM me saying "actually, no it isn't!"


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## pinky panther

It's hard to explain, but you get an adrenalin rush when you've had something pierced.  Not everyone's idea of fun   I know!!!  Sometimes it's better to keep them covered though, I think facial piercings show a certain attitude (problem?) whereas private piercings aren't on show to everyone and can be more fun!!


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## mytwolangs

panjabigator said:
			
		

> I almost half expect someone to PM me saying "actually, no it isn't!"


 
Ehhh not this bunch. Decent folks here...

Piercings can be removed, except for those stretch ones, those are hideous.

Tattoos are the commitement that cannot easily be reversed. 
I just wish women would quit getting tose stupid low back ones, that is like putting a bumper sticker on a rolls royce.


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## luis masci

Mr Chu said:
			
		

> I guess the surprise, rejection andd other things we can feel when faced to pierced and/or tattoed persons is very alike to that our grand parents felt when guys started growing long hair


Noooooo mi querido compatriota...you can’t say that is the same. Long hair isn’t dangerous and painful; piercings (according some people already have said here) indeed are.


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## Sallyb36

They are not uncommon here.  My eldest son had his eyebrow pierced when he was 18, and I hated it, but he doesn't wear anything in it now, (he's 21 this year) so thankfully it was just a phase!  

I don't mind navel piercings or earrings, but don't like any others, they make me feel uncomfortable.


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## stephyjh

I've got 3 piercings, about to get a tattoo, and never had an issue with safety. If you find a decent piercer and keep the site clean, you won't have a problem.


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## fenixpollo

luis masci said:
			
		

> 1. Is this style usual in your region/city? How do you feel about it?
> 2. (knowing there are a lot of young people in this forum) Have you ever worn any piercings? In that case how do you feel about it?


 Some U.S. statistics from a poll conducted in 2004, reported by the Associated Press:
about 24% of Americans between 18 and 50 have at least one tattoo
about 14% of Americans between 18 and 50 have a piercing anywhere other than in the soft lobe of the ear

about 36% of Americans age 18 to 29 have at least one tattoo
about 33%of Americans age 18 to 29 have a piercing anywhere other than in the soft lobe of the ear 





> Until recently, Oklahoma was the last holdout with tattooing still outlawed there, but as of November 1, 2006, it will be legal to get a tattoo in all 50 states. However, some states let local city and county governments decide whether or not they'll allow tattoo shops.[...] In many places, a tattoo artist must be licensed and the shop must pass inspection, either by state or local officials. Some places merely require the artist to register with the state. Only in a few places are tattoos not regulated at all.


 source

In my region, I agree that approximately one-quarter of the people have piercings in places besides the earlobe. edit: the closer you are to a university, the more people you see with perforated body parts. 

I used to have two earrings in my left ear, in the lobe and in the cartilage. (Traditionally, if a man wore an earring in his right ear, it was a sign that he was homosexual.) I took them out for one reason: healing. Even after 4 years, if I took out the earrings overnight, the darn things would close up. Apparently, my body didn't want holes in it, so I finally listened to my body and kept the earrings out.

People who think that tattoos or piercings are not aesthetically pleasing will latch on to stories of tattoo infection and piercing "ripping" as further evidence that body modification is gross, ugly and scary, if not evil. In fact, these cases are very, very rare: except for studies involving prison inmates and Hepatitis C, there is little to no research that indicates that piercings or tattoos are at all unhealthy or risky.

The body modification industry as a whole (at least in the US) is a safety-conscious industry. People who have tattoos and piercings tend to be very body-conscious people who take care of their tats, scars, rings, plugs, posts and studs as religiously as birds preen or cats bathe.


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## Vanda

Well, if a person wants to wear piercings I agree it has to do with his/her taste - if he/she is an adult. About health, safety etc people have already said above, so I won't add anything.
But I can tell my personal view on it. It always remind me our Botocudo indians. More. I see no difference from those, only a stylization brought by modernity.  _Nothing new under the sun_.... 



> My parents had cattle on the farm, and I always think of a bull when I see a nose piercing. They are _particularly attractive_  in the winter, *with condensation or snot hanging off them*.


 
Brioche, I coudn't help* lol!!*


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## stephyjh

fenixpollo said:
			
		

> The body modification industry as a whole (at least in the US) is a safety-conscious industry. People who have tattoos and piercings tend to be very body-conscious people who take care of their tats, scars, rings, plugs, posts and studs as religiously as birds preen or cats bathe.


 
I can personally agree wholeheartedly with this. I can't sleep at night unless I've cleaned my rings and the holes they go in. If I've had the pain of getting a hole punched in me, then I'm going to take care of the thing so I don't lose it!


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## maxiogee

I have a tattoo — a frog, on my shoulder-blade — for about the last five years and am giving some contemplation to a piercing. I have a yen for a wee stud in one ear, and might - depending on how I feel about that after a while - be prepared to get another.


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## luis masci

pinky panther said:
			
		

> It's hard to explain, but you get an adrenalin rush when you've had something pierced. Not everyone's idea of fun  I know!!! Sometimes it's better to keep them covered though, I think facial piercings show a certain attitude (problem?) whereas private piercings aren't on show to everyone and can be more fun!!


If I’m getting you correctly, you are suggesting that piercings would be a touch of sexy ingredient. 
It’s evident that both of us are separated not only by distance, language, gender, race and heritage; but also by taste.


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## stephyjh

I don't think it's so much a sexy thing as a feeling of liberation by being able to express oneself in a certain way. At least, that was my feeling. I have 2 sets of holes in my ears (I count each as 1 piercing, because I got them at the same time, but your mileage may vary) and my navel. For me, the pain and adrenaline were sort of like suffering for my art, if that makes any sense. To me, body modification *is* an art.


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## Fernando

I am against piercings. I find them disgusting. Even common earrings are not pleasant to me. Women body is perfect to me. I would like nothing should modify it. Of course it is a matter of taste. If people like it, I can not do anything. 

I find the mere idea of harming my body as a middle step for suicide. It is masochist, and I am a bit closer to sadism (if I had to choose  ).

By the way, excellent data, Fenixpollo.


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## stephyjh

But that's the thing. It's not masochistic, for the majority of wearers. If I wanted to just poke holes in myself for the fun of it, I wouldn't spend the kind of money I do on keeping my piercings clean and buying jewelry. It's about self-expression, not about pain. I know there are some people who do like the pain, but that's not why most of us that have body modifications of any kind do it. We do it because that's what we want people to see of us. Yes, it hurts, but that's not why we do it. Besides, for the pain, it's possible to get the site numbed.


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## Fernando

I know most "piercers" (?) are not masochists. I apologize. I will reword it: I do not even think of getting through physical pain for getting fun or self-expression. Call it "fear" or "common sense", at your will. Let us say that your tolerance to pain to get pleasure (or any objective) is far large than mine.


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## maxiogee

Fernando said:
			
		

> I know most "piercers" (?)



_Piercees_, I would contend! 
Surely the _piercers_ are those are the non-pointed end of the needle?


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## fenixpollo

Fernando said:
			
		

> I know most "piercers" (?) are not masochists.


 Or maybe they could be called The Perforated.  Or people who are "Holier Than Thou".


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## natasha2000

Personally, I don't have anuthing against a piercing or two in the body. As a matter of fact, I have one in the navel, and I think it's beautiful. From my point of view, it has nothing to do with the "expression", but with pure esthetics. And of course, "_de gustibus non est disputandum_", therfore I think it is highly personal matter. I would never pierce my nipple or my tongue or (God forbid) more intimate parts of the body, no matter how one thinks it is exciting. The very same idea makes my hair go up, because these parts of the body are too... Fragile. Too sensitive... I wouldn't also pierce my face, except maybe the nose, but I would wear just a little diamond or silver stud and not a ring.

Tatoos... I like them, but only special kind of motif, the tribal one. the usual place - arms, shoulders or back, maybe ankles on legs... I personally do not have any because I am too coward, and besides, as someone said here, it is for life, so you have to give a good and very long thought about what you will put on your body. but in any case, if I decide to do it, it would be in some not so visible place and not big one. It would never be something like this  or this, but more like this, or this...

(link removed)

All other types of body decoration I find completely incomprehensive from my point of view. Why should one put a metal ball under the skin? Or make scar drawings on the body? I find it very painful and quite un esthetic. But hey, it's just me... 

PS: And yes, I also have two sets of holes in my ears... But I consider this kind a normal thing...


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## lay-z

luis masci said:
			
		

> 2. (knowing there are a lot of young people in this
> forum) Have you ever worn any piercings? In that
> case how do you feel about it?


 

in fact, i do wear piercings, one between my lip and chin and one in my left eyebrow...

how do i feel?? i feel young.. hehe i don't want to feel my self apart from the society or something like that... but sometimes i want to look diffrent from the rest.. by the way i used to wear dreadlocks and i really miss'em!! jaja anyway here in Chile is quite common to see teenagers wearing piercings ...anyway. i'm only 22, and i know i'll have to stop wearing them one day..

saludos!


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## Freyja

I have a shiny diamond stud in my nose and have never had any problem with it.  I remember, as a child,  seeing women from India with diamond nose studs and thinking that it looked so beautiful.  I don't look good with a nose ring, but I think this little diamond looks very pretty.


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## maxiogee

natasha2000 said:
			
		

> --edit to remove deleted link-- This really hurts!!!



How do you know?


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## danielfranco

fenixpollo said:
			
		

> Or maybe they could be called The Perforated.  Or people who are "Holier Than Thou".



*Big smile plastered on face smiley*
Sounds like one of my wife's jokes!



erm... I mean to say that I dig it, alright?
Already.


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## natasha2000

maxiogee said:
			
		

> How do you know?


 
I don't know from the personal experience, but I suppose... If footbal players protect "that" part of their bodies from a football ball because it can hurt them, I imagine that a needle can hurt a lot more....

Maybe I am wrong????


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## fenixpollo

Pain and pleasure are felt in the same area of the brain, using the same neurons and neurotransmitters.  Coincidence? 

Natasha, for the good of work-based forer@s like myself, would you please edit your post to indicate that your links are not safe for work (NSFW)?   Thanks.


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## natasha2000

fenixpollo said:
			
		

> Pain and pleasure are felt in the same area of the brain, using the same neurons and neurotransmitters. Coincidence?
> 
> Natasha, for the good of work-based forer@s like myself, would you please edit your post to indicate that your links are not safe for work (NSFW)?  Thanks.


 
Ok. I'm sorry, I will romove THE link. I forgot that we have here under-aged kids, too...

EDIT:
Hmm... Then Maxiogee should edit his post, too....


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## belén

I have a beautiful story with my tattoo:

I was in a museum in Mexico once and saw a beautiful Aztec drawing that I completely fell in love with. I knew that I wanted that beautiful thingy to be part of me. I copied it and kept the drawing in my wallet. I would look at it and think "oh how nice it would be to have this tattoed", but I was coward and didn't have the guts to make the tattoo, as much as I was dying to have that printing on my body. Once, I met a guy who had many tattoos and I showed him my little drawing. He laughed (for a guy who had at least 20 tattoos, my little 2 cm. drawing was really a laugh) and told me "oh, c'mon I'll take you to my parlor, it's on me", so I thought "well, this is the day", and I just did it! I'd been carrying my drawing for around 7 years in my wallet and finally had the guts and did it!!

For the record, it didn't hurt at all. And I am so happy with it. I haven't had any regrets ever.

Now I have 2 more drawings in my wallet that I want to make, but they are still in working progress.


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## panjabigator

maxiogee said:
			
		

> How do you know?



OMG...I cannot believe someone would do that...to their...that!  These are something I just cannot understand.  

I also do not like those piercings are are in the lower cheek.  They almost look like they are suppose to be beauty marks, but I find them repulsive.


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## panjabigator

belen said:
			
		

> I have a beautiful story with my tattoo:
> 
> I was in a museum in Mexico once and saw a beautiful Aztec drawing that I completely fell in love with. I knew that I wanted that beautiful thingy to be part of me. I copied it and kept the drawing in my wallet. I would look at it and think "oh how nice it would be to have this tattoed", but I was coward and didn't have the guts to make the tattoo, as much as I was dying to have that printing on my body. Once, I met a guy who had many tattoos and I showed him my little drawing. He laughed (for a guy who had at least 20 tattoos, my little 2 cm. drawing was really a laugh) and told me "oh, c'mon I'll take you to my parlor, it's on me", so I thought "well, this is the day", and I just did it! I'd been carrying my drawing for around 7 years in my wallet and finally had the guts and did it!!
> 
> For the record, it didn't hurt at all. And I am so happy with it. I haven't had any regrets ever.
> 
> Now I have 2 more drawings in my wallet that I want to make, but they are still in working progress.



Can you show us the design?


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## luis masci

This is not exactly piercings but has relation with it:
I was told there are (at least in USA) some guys who cut their tongue by the middle. 
They adduce this way they get to do...ehem... a better oral sex to their partners. 
I barely can believe it, but …as my friends say I live into a bubble, maybe I didn’t notice. Do you think is it common nowadays or is it just a matter of a few insane guys?
You can see here the pictures and more information about.


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## foxfirebrand

Beautiful and proportionate body adornment is a matter of taste. There is no moral dimension, societal problem or hygiene issue for me-- but as far as such adornments go I represent the opposite end of the spectrum as this fellow, so take my remarks _cum grano salis._
.


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## fenixpollo

From an informal survey done of 765 people at my company:

_42% -- one or a few well-done, well-placed tattoos are acceptable_
_36% -- they are a turn-off, but I tolerate them as long as they're not on my friends and family_
_18% -- I could care less either way_
_3% -- The more, the better!_

I think that this reflects general attitudes towards tattoos and piercings in the U.S. middle class.


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## maxiogee

fenixpollo said:
			
		

> _18% -- I could care less either way_



I could care less — ughhh! Don't you mean I *couldn't* care less?

If someone *couldn't* care less - their care level = 0%
If someone *could* care less - their care level > 0%


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## Poetic Device

luis masci said:
			
		

> I know young people like to look fashionable and that
> is fine with me. But what bothers me is those wearing
> facial piercings, because it makes a bad impression on
> me. Yesterday I was shocked seeing a teenager with a
> lot of them hanging from his eyebrows, ears and lips.
> I think wearing them would be annoying.
> My questions are:
> 1. Is this style usual in your region/city? How do
> you feel about it?
> 2. (knowing there are a lot of young people in this
> forum) Have you ever worn any piercings? In that
> case how do you feel about it?


 
1.  Unfortunately that style is not out of the ordinary here.
2.  The only piercings that I have is a single hole in each of my ears, and nine times out of ten I don't even wear that.  Every time that i come across someone that has a million peircings on them I just want to walk right up to them and ask if they were in a fishing accident.  I'm an evil wench, I know.


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## fenixpollo

Poetic Device said:
			
		

> 1. Unfortunately that style is not out of the ordinary here.
> 2. The only piercings that I have is a single hole in each of my ears, and nine times out of ten I don't even wear that. Every time that i come across someone that has a million peircings on them I just want to walk right up to them and ask if they were in a fishing accident. I'm an evil wench, I know.


 Welcome back, PD!  

Question for ya... are you going to have your daughter's ears pierced?





			
				maxiogee said:
			
		

> I could care less — ughhh! Don't you mean I *couldn't* care less?


I think so, Tony, but I was cutting and pasting from the company's survey and i didn't catch the error. The brilliant minds in Marketing that wrote the survey are like most Americans: they don't know the difference between "could" and "couldn't" in this phrase.


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## Saoul

Strangely no Italian replied to this thread. Piercings and tatoos are quite common among young and "not so young" people, here, nowadays.
I would say, piercing is quite more common among teenagers (due to prices, and pain) and tatoos among 20 something. 
My personal idea is that we are all "returnable bottles". We will have to return the bottle, sooner or later, and I decorate my bottle as much as possible. There's nothing wrong doing it, or not doing it. It is just personal taste. 
I have 5 tatoos and 6 piercings so far. My mother decided to have a tatoo when she was 63, and I'm quite proud of her for that. 
My elder brother (18 years older than me) punished me with a week reclusion when I had my first tatoo, and barked at me quite harshly when I had my last (that was last year).
Just to add a little topic here, hygienic issues related to piercings and tatoos are quite small and inconsequential, if we consider that Blood Donation is allowed after a 6 months break after your last tatoo or piercing. 
That is more or less 2 months more than male general breaks between two donations (one every 4 months). That states something about the fact that maybe this is not an hygienic issue, after all.


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## Heba

It is normal for girls here to have a hole in each ear. 
Piercing in other parts of the body is very very rare for both boys and girls. Most of the people consider it disgusting and a sign of misbehaviour.

A friend of mine went to England and came wih a pierced eye-brow. Whenever I looked at her, I could not help thinking of how physically painful this might be for her, though she told me that there is no pain and that there is no harm since she is cleaning it (with water and salt solution- as far as I remember). When she was introduced to new friends, the first question after knowing her name was ''does not it hurt?''

Tattos are very rare too. Some people wear tattos that last for a few days, but not the ones done with needles.

Personally I do not like tattos or piercings. I never wore them and will never do.


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## heidita

. said:


> I must confess to a strong dislike of the concept of piercing a perfectly acceptable skin but the concept of hanging metal out of the skin seems insane to me. There is significant risk involved and injuries are not rare with tongue studs allowing some dentists to buy holiday homes.


There is no way I could have expressed this better.

 I dislike piercings of any kind, even though in Germany they are really "big". Why should anybody want to have an extra hole in the body? I personally don't even have my ears pierced for ear-rings. I also dislike any kind of body decoration. My husband loves me so much the better, as I dislike *all* kind of decoration, jewellery included.


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## heidita

Poetic Device said:


> 2. The only piercings that I have is a single hole in each of my ears, and nine times out of ten I don't even wear that.


 

Now that I see you beuatiful baby...what I find especially disgusting here in Spain is the women with their babies in pharmacies having their babies' ears pierced as is customary in Spain (not so in Germany). To see and hear the babies scream their heart out and for no reason at all, I justdon't seem to be able to understand this barbaric custom.


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## natasha2000

heidita said:


> Now that I see you beuatiful baby...what I find especially disgusting here in Spain is the women with their babies in pharmacies having their babies' ears pierced as is customary in Spain (not so in Germany). To see and hear the babies scream their heart out and for no reason at all, I just don't seem to be able to understand this barbaric custom.


 
This was also the custom in Serbia from very ancient times. In the country, grannies did it with a ordinary sewing pin. But not anymore. A while ago, parents become more and more reluctant to this idea, and they leave the "making-holes-decision" to their kids when they grow up. The thing is... Many of the kids, when they come to puberty, decide to make more holes than their parents would like.... And even those kids who are not supposed to do it by the tradition (read:boys)....


----------



## ForzaItalia

I think that piercings are just another fad to get up peoples noses! Once the shock factor wears thin and they are considered to be the norm, people will probably stop wearing them.

The next big craze is obviously going to be horrific facial tatoos and then what?


----------



## Saoul

ForzaItalia said:


> I think that piercings are just another fad to get up peoples noses! Once the shock factor wears thin and they are considered to be the norm, people will probably stop wearing them.
> 
> The next big craze is obviously going to be horrific facial tatoos and then what?



Fad? Piercing and tatoos have hundreds of years of history. Tribal history. 
"Horrific" facial tatoos are made in some tribes since I don't know 2.000 years? 
They have a value, a significance, importance. They are the face of a culture.


----------



## ElaineG

When I was younger, I had a belly button ring.  As my belly has gotten less flat and I no longer parade around in midriff t-shirts, I let it heal up.  

Before I did it, I had to research the issue -- my religion (Judaism) prohibits tattoos, and I didn't know if there was a similar prohibition on piercings.  It turned out there wasn't, but I'm curious, do other religions comment on the advisability/permissibility of these "body enhancements"?


----------



## TonioMiguel

luis masci said:


> I know young people like to look fashionable and that
> is fine with me. But what bothers me is those wearing
> facial piercings, because it makes a bad impression on
> me. Yesterday I was shocked seeing a teenager with a
> lot of them hanging from his eyebrows, ears and lips.
> I think wearing them would be annoying.
> My questions are:
> 1. Is this style usual in your region/city? How do
> you feel about it?




For me, I do come from a semi-protestant culture that does not agree with the practice yet for me the reason I am not doing it is my personality.  I know for me if I did a piercing it would scar me and I am not big on scars on my face let alone my arms.  Tatoos to me are a beautiful form of art yet I could never bring myself to mark up my body.  The US is very big on piercings both male and female it can be used to mean ownership to a group like goths and emos but I have met people where it's is just a form of fashion.  



luis masci said:


> 2. (knowing there are a lot of young people in this
> forum) Have you ever worn any piercings? In that
> case how do you feel about it?



Myself no.  Like I have said I am not into scarring my skin tissue.  I got overly upset in 2003 because a cut from somekind of tree left a mark on my left hand.  I even have a birth scar on my right hand that looks like a face.  On the other hand, my sister did her eyebrow once and currently has a stud on her nose.  I have even had a secretary at a school I worked at with one in her nose.  The weirdest I saw when I was in HS my senior year 1998.  A new teacher had her ears decked out with earings and nose too.  I laughed 2 years ago when I saw her still teaching and much to my surprise most of her piercings she did away with. It must have been a phase.


----------



## zooz

We have a saying: "if anything exceeds its limit, it'd turn against itself". Wearing piercings with moderation is accepted in my eyes. Though I'm against this kind of action, deslike it and won't ever do it.

In my home country, it's neither common nor admissible in the society. However, things have changed a bit in the last five years and it's sometimes percieved among the young generation. I doubt it'd be normal to wear piercings here, in the near future.


----------



## TonioMiguel

zooz said:


> "if anything exceeds its limit, it'd turn against itself".



Zooz, is this anything like "if you over do it, it is bound to do itself in?"

I am a western thinker which lives by the Greek belief "Everything in moderation" and I would like to understand your position more readily because I will be teaching multiculturalism in my classroom.


----------



## zooz

TonioMiguel said:


> Zooz, is this anything like "if you over do it, it is bound to do itself in?"
> 
> I am a western thinker which lives by the Greek belief "Everything in moderation" and I would like to understand your position more readily because I will be teaching multiculturalism in my classroom.



Hi Tonio Miguel,

I believe that would be the better English version. As to my personal position, I've stated it in my reply. I'm not against them if worn with moderation and looked nice, nor I'm a piercings fan. Anyhow, and to clear this up, my opinion doesn't represent the point of view of the majorities in the Middle Eastern societies where piercings (except the ear-piercings) and tattoos are probably considered as taboos. If you you'd to inquire more about this matter, please feel free to pm me.


----------



## Poetic Device

Now, what is your definition of "moderation"?  Does it include a tongue piercing here or a brow piercing there?


----------



## Fleurs263

In the eighties in England the fashion was to get a SECOND ear piercing, which by today's standards is lame. However, I had to hide my ears form my father and my aunt told me she associated more than one ear piercing with prostitutes! My point is that what is questionable today will be old hat in a decade or two!. Human beings are constantly re-creating fashions. African tribes have been way ahead in the piercing stakes for a long time ... it's just fashion and I think it's probably best to just view as such. Tattoos were once seen as the domain of sailors, soldiers or "well hard geezers"! Now people have tattoos, which have an emotional significance for them.


----------



## Kajjo

Fleurs263 said:


> African tribes have been way ahead in the piercing stakes for a long time ... it's just fashion and I think it's probably best to just view as such.


I believe that piercings to a quite high degree express group behaviour and are suited to protest against parents or social systems. In many cases they are not decorative but provocative. Many more mellow people consider them disgusting and my guess is that many young have piercings exactly because of that notion. Social acceptability is a strong point here. What once were colorful and strange haircuts, are nowadays piercings. 

I grant everyone the freedom to do what they want or like. But we need to call it what in many cases it is: provocation and experimentation.

By the way, most tribal piercings are highly traditional and ritual. Only very few are purely decorative. 

Kajjo


----------



## emma42

A couple of years ago I had my entire head pierced with one enormous metal ring.  Unfortunately, I had to have it removed because I could no longer wear any of my lovely hats.


----------



## ElaineG

emma42 said:


> A couple of years ago I had my entire head pierced with one enormous metal ring. Unfortunately, I had to have it removed because I could no longer wear any of my lovely hats.


 
Couldn't you get specially made hats?  I thought London was famous for its haberdashery.


----------



## emma42

London?  Where's that?


----------



## Fernando

emma42 said:


> A couple of years ago I had my entire head pierced with one enormous metal ring.  Unfortunately, I had to have it removed because I could no longer wear any of my lovely hats.



I think I will represent "vox populi": Do you have a photo?????


----------



## emma42

Fernando, Forer@s - I lied.


----------



## Chipolata

I work for my government at the reception of one of our offices in Mexico. I have my nose pierced (I have a small diamond) and I have a tatoo in my back (usually it's covered). I dress properly so I look all right. Nobody seem to bother. People know I'm a good worker and this is what really matters.


----------



## Fleurs263

Kajjo said:


> I believe that piercings to a quite high degree express group behaviour and are suited to protest against parents or social systems. In many cases they are not decorative but provocative. Many more mellow people consider them disgusting and my guess is that many young have piercings exactly because of that notion. Social acceptability is a strong point here. What once were colorful and strange haircuts, are nowadays piercings.
> 
> I grant everyone the freedom to do what they want or like. But we need to call it what in many cases it is: provocation and experimentation.
> 
> By the way, most tribal piercings are highly traditional and ritual. Only very few are purely decorative.
> 
> Dear Kajjo, I understand your point. I think I was trying to point out that it will all be viewed as of little significance in a decade or so ... Without doubt, piercings are a form of expression and  I for one, find the tooth like metal additions sometimes seen protruding from people's mouth very unnattractive. ( I don't know what they're called, but they are kind of gothic and I think they are supposed to look like vampire's teeth or something .. sorry don't know how else to describe them). I would have to say it's possible that soem piercings are done to provoke a reaction ... but who knows ... I certainly didn't have a second ear piercing to look like a prostitute ... do you see my point?
> As for the African tribes ... my understanding is the traditions of piercings and neck rings etc are completely decorative .. a young woman's value increases by how many rings, tattoos or piercings she has .... and to put this into a new perspective that would be how many goats she is worth.  One final thought ... these young women are now rebelling against their parents and some are refusing to conform to their tribes' norms re: piercings, rings etc ... by refusing to have them!


----------



## Etcetera

luis masci said:


> 1. Is this style usual in your region/city? How do you feel about it?


In Russia, it's still quite unusual to see a person with a lot of piercing. Girls and women often wear earrings (and so do I), but it's pretty common all over the world, right?
Personally, seeing a person with a lot of piercing on their face makes me feeling really uneasy. It doesn't look beautiful or attractive to me. I can only think about the pain this person suffered when they were going through the operation.



> 2. (knowing there are a lot of young people in this
> forum) Have you ever worn any piercings? In that
> case how do you feel about it?


I only wear earrings. I really love them, but I don't feel like making one more hole in my body.


----------



## nushh

From a piercing-lover in Madrid:



> 1. Is this style usual in your region/city? How do you feel about it?


Lobe earrings (not so much cartilage piercings) are everywhere, labret and eyebrow are pretty popular; brats usually go for navel and madonna (which are huge amongst teenagers from lower-income areas). From time to time you do see cheek, nipple and surface piercings, but those are definitely not "mainstream".

I love piercings, just not most facial ones (madonnas always look cheap and tacky to me - but it might have something to do with most of the people who sport a madonna wearing gold jewelry, which I can't bear to see ). Labrets and eyebrows I love to see on others - not so sure they'd work on my face. 



> 2. (knowing there are a lot of young people in this forum) Have you ever worn any piercings? In that case how do you feel about it?


I've worn several piercings for 10 years, non-ear piercings for 5, but no tattoos yet (I try to wait a few years before doing anything "permanent" to my body, in case it's just a phase, and I haven't thought of a design I wouldn't get tired of). I go for piercings I can choose to show or not to whom I like and piercings that might have a use for me -tongue, other sensitive areas- or not so usual ones (I love my industrial, even if it's slowly becoming a bit more popular now).

My feelings about it: as long as you're an informed adult and take the time to think it through, look up a good professional -it's worth paying a little more and not going anywhere near a piercing gun- and take good care of your piercing at all times, go ahead. Keywords: "hygiene" and "disposable tools" .


----------



## nushh

heidita said:


> what I find especially disgusting here in Spain is the women with their babies in pharmacies having their babies' ears pierced as is customary in Spain (not so in Germany). To see and hear the babies scream their heart out and for no reason at all, I justdon't seem to be able to understand this barbaric custom.



You are *so* right on that one. Like I said, I love piercings and encourage people to get them if they're sure they want them, but piercing a child (not to mention a *baby*) is barbaric.

What really annoys me is having to listen to people bashing a tongue or a nipple piercing on a 25-year old and then rushing to get their own babygirl's little earlobe pierced with a piercing gun - do they even know how unhygienic that is? It's so hypocritical.


----------



## Etcetera

nushh said:


> You are *so* right on that one. Like I said, I love piercings and encourage people to get them if they're sure they want them, but piercing a child (not to mention a *baby*) is barbaric.


I wholeheartedly agree!
Let alone that even the smallest earrings look odd on a little girl's earlobes.


----------



## Chaska Ñawi

Since a baby isn't able to consent to this entirely non-medical procedure, to me it seems rather like assault and battery.  

If mothers restricted their little girls to studs, it wouldn't be quite so bad .... but when they insert hoops and dangling earrings, it really restricts their daughters' ability to play normally.  How can you climb trees, roll down a hill, or do many sports without risking your ears?  (Maybe the subconscious idea is to keep one's daughter sedate and decorous at all times.)

My last school had a toboggan run, and every winter we'd have some poor little girl with a ripped earlobe from hooking her overly large earrings on something during a wipeout.


----------



## Poetic Device

Chipolata said:


> I work for my government at the reception of one of our offices in Mexico. I have my nose pierced (I have a small diamond) and I have a tatoo in my back (usually it's covered). I dress properly so I look all right. Nobody seem to bother. People know I'm a good worker and this is what really matters.


 
Now, see, I never understood nose piercings.  To me they look like zits just begging to be popped.

As far as the baby thing is concerned I 100% agree.  Everytime I go to the mall I hear some poor child screaming from pain and it tears at me.  I would love to give the parent(s) an example of how their little one feels...


----------



## Sallyb36

What is a madonna and an industrial piercing please?  (Excuse my ignorance, i'm old!! )


----------



## fenixpollo

If you do a web search for these terms, you'll discover that an industrial piercing is two or more piercings connected by a single barbell, and a madonna piercing is a stud in the area between the nose and lip, where a man might grow a moustache. The labrum is the "soul patch" below the lower lip.


----------



## Sallyb36

Thanks Fenixpollo.  I must admit that even the thought of having any of these done fills me with a kind of horror.  When I see people with strange piercings I can't help but stare in horrified fascination.


----------



## Sallyb36

I'm not against them in any way, by all means live and let live,. but I could never consider having anything like that done to myself.  Have considered a tatoo many times but never done it, and don't think I ever will.


----------



## Chipolata

Poetic Device said:


> Now, see, I never understood nose piercings. To me they look like zits just begging to be popped.


 
Hehehe well I don't know maybe you're right. It's very shiny to be a zit, though! It has been on my nose for more than 5 years now and it's a part of my face. It seems to be socially accepted wherever I go. Maybe I wouldn't be accepted for some jobs but my boss has no problem with it.

Concerning tatoos, I've seen jobs proposals saying "no tatoo" (in Mexico). In Quebec I've seen a policeman with a tatoo. 

As somebody said in a previous post, moderation - and discretion is the key to be accepted by the mainstream. I wouldn't have a tatoo in a place you can't hide as I wouldn't have a second piercing in my face.


----------



## Poetic Device

Speaking of tattoos, one of my ex-coworkers has a tatoo that says "Tattoos poison you". Moron?


----------



## emma42

How about "Tattoos" affect one's ability to spppeelllll?


----------



## Chipolata

emma42 said:


> How about "Tattoos" affect one's ability to spppeelllll?


 
Thank you for the correction. I'm still learning English...


----------



## emma42

You're not the only one, chipolata!


----------



## Kajjo

Fleurs said:
			
		

> I would have to say it's possible that soem piercings are done to provoke a reaction ... but who knows ... I certainly didn't have a second ear piercing to look like a prostitute ... do you see my point?


Sure I do. Many oldfashioned people have difficulties to understand that such customs change and two earrings not always are an offer for a bargain of the special kind.

Kajjo


----------



## nushh

Chaska Ñawi said:


> If mothers restricted their little girls to studs, it wouldn't be quite so bad .... but when they insert hoops and dangling earrings, it really restricts their daughters' ability to play normally.



That's important, sure, but to me the problem's in the act of piercing your kid, regardless of how encumbering is the jewelry you choose to use. It's more about leaving your kid's flesh and skin alone until they're old enough to decide what to do with it - it's their right to decide...


----------



## Cracker Jack

I do not approve of workers engaged in public relations counter-work or those with direct, first hand contact with clients wearing piercings for both sexes (any facial, lingual piercings among males and piercings other than earlobes for females.)

I know that some of you may not concur with my opinion.  Personally, I feel averse to these type of workers with such bearing.  It's a big turn-off to see bank tellers, customer service personnel, university professors, or even physicians and health workers dealing with patients strutting their stuff with unsightly body piercings.

To me these are eyesores and represent some unresolved conflicts or hang-ups.  I have read a previous thread but they dealt mostly with teen-agers and other misfits of society.  I would like to know what you think about professionals wearing body piercings in work environment during work hours.

Thanks a lot.


----------



## fenixpollo

Cracker Jack said:


> I would like to know what you think about professionals wearing body piercings in work environment during work hours.


 There are a lot of fashions that I don't enjoy seeing in the office. Blue blazers with gold buttons, for example, seem very tacky to me. Also, very large, dangly, shiny earrings that touch women's shoulders. If I mention low-cut blouses or miniskirts, I'll be accused of chauvinism or something, so I won't mention them.

Everyone has fashions that they like and others that they don't. It's called "taste". Piercings are just one person's expression of taste. As long as the man in the blue blazer works well with others; as long as the woman with the dangly earrings provides good service as she does her job; and as long as the young man with facial piercings has a professional attitude, who cares whether I agree with their fashion sense? And more importantly, who am I to judge them?


----------



## maxiogee

fenixpollo said:


> There are a lot of fashions that I don't enjoy seeing in the office. Blue blazers with gold buttons, for example, seem very tacky to me. Also, very large, dangly, shiny earrings that touch women's shoulders. If I mention low-cut blouses or miniskirts, I'll be accused of chauvinism or something, so I won't mention them.


Yeah, good job you didn't mention contentious issues. 



> Everyone has fashions that they like and others that they don't. It's called "taste". Piercings are just one person's expression of taste. As long as the man in the blue blazer works well with others; as long as the woman with the dangly earrings provides good service as she does her job; and as long as the young man with facial piercings has a professional attitude, who cares whether I agree with their fashion sense? And more importantly, who am I to judge them?


The most-pierced woman I had to deal with worked in a video-store which I eventually worked in. When I first met her I was working in a different branch, and felt she was lacking in certain aspects of 'presentation', and yet when I worked with her she was not only knowledgable about the business but had a better rapport with customers than most of the other staff. The lip- and tongue-piercings didn't interfere with her work.
Don't judge a book by the holes in its cover.


----------



## Poetic Device

I understand where you are coming from, Maxi, but I have to agree with Fenixpollo.  There is just something that I dislike about being served/helped by a person that looks like they were in a fishing accident.  To me that just shows that the person has no respect for their body.  Can you imagine someone looking like that serving you your meal at a resteraunt?  I don't know, maybe I am just odd...  Especially for my age.


----------



## maxiogee

I don't see it as disrespect for their body - and I think that's the nub of the matter. We are probably not affected as much by the piercing itself as by our interpretation of attitudes behind the piercing.


----------



## Poetic Device

Yeah, actually.  I'll agree with that.  Very well put.  You're so smart!


----------



## fenixpollo

Hold the phone, PD! 





Poetic Device said:


> I understand where you are coming from, Maxi, but I have to agree with Fenixpollo. There is just something that I dislike about being served/helped by a person that looks like they were in a fishing accident. To me that just shows that the person has no respect for their body. Can you imagine someone looking like that serving you your meal at a resteraunt? I don't know, maybe I am just odd... Especially for my age.


 I disagree with everything you said here. The intent of my post was to say that piercings are *not* unprofessional or disrespectful -- just a matter of personal taste.  I did not state my personal preference, but as you can read in my posts above, I think that piercings can be attractive and interesting accessories.  I go crazy for girls with eyebrow piercings! 

And I can very well imagine a server with many facial piercings, and I have been served many a meal by perforated college students and hippies. It has never bothered me and, more importantly, I have never had a foodborne illness from food that was served by a pierced person.  Piercings are not inherently unsanitary, and as has been stated above in this thread, people with piercings tend to be more fastidious in their grooming than people without piercings.


----------



## Poetic Device

Bullocks!  I meant to put I agree with Cracker Jack!!!  I'm sorry!  Now that I read your post, I understand but have to respectfuly disagree with you.  I feel that if you are in certain professions that you should not wear your jewelry of choice.  This is a bad example, but it would be like an HST wearing danlgy earrings and anti-brow.  Some things just don't fly.  Also, if someone was all punked out and worked as a teller in a bank, what would you think?


----------



## fenixpollo

I would think that it's a bank that _values diversity_, unlike most companies that simply comply with the EEOC and other government equality laws.  Again, the bottom line is not what the person looks like, but how they do their job.

What's an HST?


----------



## SaritaMija

Around here (urban area) it is extremely common for young women to wear nose studs. Tongue rings I feel are much more common these days than even naval piercings.

I have had nine piercings in my ears, but now I don't wear very many at all. I have also had my nose pierced, but since let that close up. I think multiple peircings are becomming unfashionable. And yes, they can be annoying.

I currently wear one earring in each lobe, one rook piercing and one tragus piercing.


----------



## Poetic Device

fenixpollo said:


> What's an HST?


 
Human Service Technitian


----------



## fenixpollo

So, like Social Workers and Health Care Workers, all summarized nicely in one generalized job title.  Why would it be a bad thing for a person in one of these jobs to have multiple "alternative" piercings?


----------



## Poetic Device

Who said anything about Social workers?  Granted, I don't think that it is too bright of an idea for them to wear anything like that either, but a human service technitian is someone that is part of nursing staff.  In my opinion, having an HST wear odd piercings is like allowing a current (or reformed) heroine addict draw blood from you (actually, that sort of makes sense, because at least they will almost certainly find your vein).  Sorry for being so raw.


----------



## fenixpollo

Honestly, I would LOVE IT if the next person who had to draw blood from me were a former (you're right -- not _current_) heroin addict. Someone who knows how to find a vein, and not the plumbers that have been masquerading as the nurses who have stuck me the last few times. 

I googled the title Human Services Technician and found information that suggests that the field includes social work (link).  I fail to see how a health worker with piercings is incongruous, because piercings are not disrespectful of the body (on the contrary) and are not inherently unhealthy.  Health workers who smoke, now that's incongruous.


----------



## Poetic Device

No, that site is for another title/position.  Here is what an HST is:  they do beddings, take blood preassure, things of that nature.  They are right next to the patients and they do whatever the doctors do not do.  The reason why I mentioned them initially was because of this:

Before I had Savvy, I worked at a psychiatric hospital, and there, of course, we had an abundance of HSTs and other types of nurses.  I cannot begin to tell you how many times someone went in with jewelry that they were not supposed to have and they wound up bloody either because the piercing got snagged onto a piece of equiptment or a patient acted out.  I brought this up to prove a point (and I am not even sure what that is now, but I think this was it):  There are reasons why people are not permitted to wear such jewelry, whether it be because of appearance or because of safety.  Does this make any sense?  If so, could you tell me what I just said, because I am not even sure I understood it.


----------



## ElaineG

The other day I was trying to order something from a large national retailer as a last minute Christmas gift. I absolutely could not understand anything the (American) person at the other end of the phone said. 

I felt embarassed saying "What?" and "Excuse me?" repeatedly because it seemed that the salesperson had a speech defect, and I felt terrible to be reminding them of it. About 8 minutes into our painful conversation, the saleswoman confessed that she had gotten a "fourth stud" in her tongue and hadn't gotten used to it yet.

While I find subjectively find excessive piercing gross and ugly, I generally assume it is anyone's personal decision to make. However, I do think -- and that's not the first time, but only the most recent time, that I've been taken aback by "pierced tongue slur" -- that people whose livelihoods depend on communicating with the public should ask themselves whether their lingual hardware is making it hard for them to do their job.


----------



## Poetic Device

You brought up a good point, and also, while we are talking about oral piercings, do you know how bad they are for your mouth/teeth?  For your reading pleasure, look up _The Journal of the Georgia Dental Association_, Vol. 24, No. 7, July 2004.


----------



## morgana

Hi everybody,
I have a piercing at the centre of my lower lip, I've had it for 5 years now. Some time ago I talked with my dentist to find out whether the stud could give my mouth/teeth any problems. He checked me up and said that everything is allright. I guess a lot depends on the piercer's skills  

------

EDIT: I've read someone saying that a woman's body is perfect the way it is and doesn't need painful modification... it is clear to me that you are not a woman   ever heard of depilation wax or eyebrox plucking?


----------



## maxiogee

morgana said:


> EDIT: I've read someone saying that a woman's body is perfect the way it is and doesn't need painful modification... it is clear to me that you are not a woman   ever heard of depilation wax or eyebrox plucking?



What, to the beholder anyway, is the aesthetic difference between painful and painless modification?
Is there 'pain' involved in the length of time it can take some women to carefully and skilfully apply the quantities of make-up without which some of them feel 'undressed'? As the sort of guy who can be out of bed and out of the house in about ten minutes, I'd say taking anything over half-an-hour to 'prepare' oneself for the world is getting close to painful.


----------



## Poetic Device

morgana said:


> Hi everybody,
> I have a piercing at the centre of my lower lip, I've had it for 5 years now. Some time ago I talked with my dentist to find out whether the stud could give my mouth/teeth any problems. He checked me up and said that everything is allright. I guess a lot depends on the piercer's skills
> 
> ------
> 
> EDIT: I've read someone saying that a woman's body is perfect the way it is and doesn't need painful modification... it is clear to me that you are not a woman  ever heard of depilation wax or eyebrox plucking?


 
I think that italso has to do with how long you have the the piercing and how often you have it in.  I think whether you sleep with it in or not has soething to do with it as well.


----------



## morgana

Good point, max. I feel my piercing as a part of my garments or my make up.

D.V., you cannot take an oral piercing off very often, nor you can sleep without it, for a long, long time, or the hole will close. I've never taken it off in five years, so I guess some damage should be visible by now. Anyway, most of the people don't keep them on for more than a couple of years... at least the people I know.


----------



## Poetic Device

I just realized that I can attach my findings instead of having everyone search for it. I'm so sorry! I'm such a schmuck sometimes! Here is what I am talking about. Morgana, please know that I am not doubting you. If anyone between the two of us would know more about this kind of thing, it would be you (the only things that is pierced on me now are my ears). I just know what I have been told/seen, and from that I think that you are one of the lucky ones.


----------



## Atlus

Here in America, tatoos are viewed by most parents as "too permanent" or "dirty".   However, people of the younger generation, like myself, do not believe so.

How are tatoos/body art viewed in your part of the world?


----------



## judkinsc

Atlus said:


> Here in America, tatoos are viewed by most parents as "too permanent" or "dirty".   However, people of the younger generation, like myself, do not believe so.
> 
> How are tatoos/body art viewed in your part of the world?




In general, I agree with your perspective of the U.S. reception of tattoos. Personally, I have five, but they are all concealed by a t-shirt. People of my generation (I'm 23), are nearly always curious and appreciative of my tattoos. My grandparents don't mind them too much either, just my mother. I've met people of my parents generation of both opinions: some appreciate tattoos, and some don't.

As for the original question, and out of an interest in responding to the usual correlation of tattoos with piercings, I should say that I don't have any piercings. But then, I'm a guy, and I don't feel like wearing an earring. On women, I like up to three on an ear, but I don't like other facial piercings. That's just my preference, though. People are welcome to do whatever they like, and I might even think it's neat while not wanting to do it myself.

I see tattoos and piercings both as expression, and I plan on getting more tattoos in the future. I doubt I'll ever get a piercing.


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## Encolpius

luis masci said:


> My questions are:
> 1. Is this style usual in your region/city? How do you feel about it?
> 2. (knowing there are a lot of young people in this forum) Have you ever worn any piercings? In that case how do you feel about it?



Hello, it is rather difficult to say if piercing is common in Central Europe, first because there is tongue piercing or hidden piercing (genitals, nipples). I feel OK about piercing (except face piercing) in both males and females OK, but I think piercing on face makes the face of women, girls ugly. While boys, guys might look more manly. 
No, I haven't worn any piercing and would wear only hidden piercing, nothing on my face.


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## The Machine of Zhu

I will never get a piercing or a tattoo myself. My girlfriend has quit a few (13) and four tattoos, so obviously I don't mind them. I spend a lot of my time with squatters and hardcore punks and I'm usually the only one without a piercing. 

My girlfriend has had a lot of difficulties finding a job due to her appearance (she also has dreadlocks). I firmly believe that if a person is clean has good hygiene, body modifications should not prevent someone from getting a job unless of course it's due to safety issues. 

In general, piercings in the ear and nose and to a lesser extent the lips are quite common here. I think people (not only in Belgium, but for instance also on this board) often show their ignorance or prejudice in regards to body modifications.


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