Body piercing has been around for centuries. They were first performed as cultural and spiritual rituals, often to transcend physical pain and reach a higher state of enlightenment. But today they are mostly done for aesthetic reasons to add a touch of beauty and art to the body.

Piercing

When I was 15 I begged my poor mother for a belly ring, and being the awesome woman she is, I got what I wanted. Fast forward 10 years and I am without said belly ring.

Do I regret taking it out? Not at all. Do I regret not getting a better piercing in a different place? Yes. I think a tongue ring would have been a better option, but alas, my mom wasn’t that cool when I was 15. I just wanted to look cool and my belly ring was merely for aesthetic purposes.

But piercings were first performed for cultural and spiritual reasons and have now bled over into modern society for aesthetic reasons. Looking back at the history of body piercings one has to genuinely respect what they stand for, from the well known to the ones we speak about in hushed tones.

Common Piercings: The Ear

 Ear piercing was probably mans first attempt at body modification because the earlobe is simple to pierce. The oldest mummified body to date (5000 years old) was discovered to have pierced ears.

Ears were first pierced for magical reasons. Demons were believed to enter the human body through the ears and metal was believed to repel these malevolent spirits, which gave rise to ear piercing.

Today, pierced ears are the most common of piercings and in western culture they are simply performed for aesthetic reasons and for body decoration.

Nose Piercing

Nose piercing is even mentioned in the Bible and was first recorded in the Middle East 4000 years ago. In Genesis 24:22 Abraham requests a wife be found for his son Isaac. Rebekah became his chosen wife and a gift given to her was a ‘Shanf’, which translates from Hebrew into English as ‘nose ring’. Nose rings still carry a cultural significance amongst the nomadic Berber and Beja tribes of Africa and the Bedouins of Arabia.

In Western culture, the nose ring gained popularity in the late 1960s amongst hippies who had travelled to India to seek spiritual awareness. It was then adopted by the punk youth culture as a symbol of their non conformist attitudes. Today, these piercings are socially acceptable and even found on Disney’s sweetheart, Miley Cyrus.

Tongue and Nipple Piercing

Tongue piercing is, surprisingly, one of the most popular forms today. It is an extremely provocative tool when it comes to oral sex (for both sexes, mind you) and is easy to hide.

Then there is the nipple ring. Its history goes back to Roman Centurions who wore leather armour breast plates. It is believed that the nipple rings they sported were to hang their capes from (those with nipple rings will probably dispute this claim).

Today nipple rings are worn for aesthetic or sexual reasons. They can play a role in the master/slave relationship in fetish subculture; or simply to add beauty and self expression to the body.

Genital Piercing

Genital piercing exudes an erotic and devastatingly sexy appeal; taking kinkiness and fetishism to another, altogether magnificent realm. Today, genital piercing is extremely popular.

The Prince Albert is surrounded by countless myths and tentative theories as to its origin. This piercing of the penis was popularised by Jim Ward in the early 70s, and he concocted elaborate stories surrounding its origin.

These ersatz tales included the belief that Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria, invented the piercing to tame his bulging penis in his tight trousers. None of Ward’s fanciful stories can be proven, but they add a great narrative to the enigma of the piercing.

Sexual Pleasure and the Prince

This piercing is extremely effective for increasing sexual pleasure in both partners, which is why it is the most popular male genital piercing. Come one girl’s, you have all wondered what it is like!

There are other male genital piercings such as the Fraenulum, which is the second most popular after the Prince Albert. The Fraenulum is the small ridge of flesh that joins the foreskin to the Glans of the penis.

There is also the Guiche piercing, which gains its history from a Samoan puberty ritual (this is also widely disputed). Then there is the Hafada or scrotum piercing. This is a piercing on the side of the scrotum where there is a crease.

Female Genital Piercing

There are many kinds of female genital piercing from the Christina and clitoral to the outer and inner labia. The Christina is probably the least popular due to the extensive healing period that comes with it and its high rejection rate as it is a vertical piercing at the top of the outer labia that comes out vaguely above the pubic area.

The Fourchette is another less popular form of female genital piercing as you have to have just the right anatomy for it. The jewellery is placed over the perineum and should be inserted into the extra flap of skin tissue here, but most women do not even have this. This type of piercing can also cause pain during sex and is easily torn with movement.

Labia Piercing

Labia piercing was once used by men to prevent their wives and slaves from having sex with other men. The labias would be pierced and closed together with a lock; ultimately creating a chastity belt.

The outer labia piercing is not as popular as its sister piercing, the inner labia, as it can be rejected by the skin which can push the jewellery out quite easily. Less painful and easier is the inner labia piercing. It is popular for its aesthetic appeal as well as its incredible physical stimulation. It heals quickly, so women have been known to get multiple piercings along the labia area.

Piercing: Mind over Body

Throughout the world there are people who have taken piercing to new heights; getting as much of their bodies pierced as possible to create their own self-expression as well as a work of art.

These people are not to be frowned upon or criticised, but rather respected for the courage it takes to sit through the pain, endure the stares and live their body dream.