Body Piercing History

Topic: Body Piercings

Body piercings and how they shape who we are

There has been a long going battle between whether body and facial piercings are a good choice. Many employers prefer their workers to be metal free, and many parents prefer the same for their children, but is it actually all that bad? To better understand piercing culture, also known as Body Modification or The Body Mod community, let’s go back to where it all began.

Though piercings did not begin in Asia the people of this area are greatly responsible for their popularity. The Apadravya piercing is the first recorded act of this form of body modification in the area, is mentioned in the Kama Sutra, and the Palang is still practiced in Southeast Asia. I mention these two

Throughout history residents of these areas have been known to wear elaborate rings in their noses, specifically the nostrils, usually gold and adorned with jewels. They are often attached to a decorative chain which is then connected to the earlobe via an earring.

Speaking of nose piercings, you can date these back to ancient times, first recorded in the Middle East around 4,000 years ago. It's also noted The Bible in Genesis 24:22, where it's recorded that Abraham asked his oldest servant to find a wife for his son, Isaac. The servant found Rebekah, and gifted her a "golden earring". The original Hebrew word used was Shanf, which means "nose ring".

The nose piercing reached India in the 16th century via the Middle East by the Mughal Emperors. In India, a stud (Phul) or a ring (Nath, also mentioned in paragraph 2) is most commonly worn in the left nostril as that is associated with the female reproductive organs in Indian medicine. It is thought that the piercing can help to alleviate the pain of childbirth.

The nose piercing is first seen in the Western territories worn by hippies who travelled to India in the 1960s, and then was later adopted by the punks in the 1970s as an act of

Some of these are the tongue piercing (First seen practiced by the Aztecs and the Tlinglit tribes of the American Northwest.), lip piercings (Most commonly seen in the Western territories but originally practiced in Africa), navel (Belly button, never actually recorded to be done by primitive cultures and it a modern invention in an attempt to make women appear more feminine, as the belly button is known as an erogenous zone.), and of course, the nipple and other genital piercings.

So, if piercings have been around for so long, why do older people dislike them so much? Well, it’s quite simple: they’re stubborn, set on disliking what they like, and are in fact too narrow minded to recognize the cultural significance piercings hold. This, again, probably draws back to the punk movement of the