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Earrings are attached to the ear through a Piercing in the Earlobe or some other external part of the ear, except in the case of a clip earring, which clips onto the lobe. Common locations other than the earlobe for piercings include the Rook , Tragus , or across the Helix. The simple term "ear piercing" usually refers to an earlobe piercing, whereas piercings in the upper part of the external ear are often referred to as "cartilage piercings." Cartilage piercings are more complex to perform than earlobe piercings, and take longer to heal. Earring components can be made out of any number of materials, including Metal , Glass , Precious Stones and Bead s. Earring designs can range from small loops or studs to large plates or dangling items. Earring size is generally limited by the physical capacity of the earlobe to hold the earring without tearing. People who habitually wear heavy earrings may find that over time, the earlobe and piercing stretch. Earrings are worn around the world in most cultures, both currently and historically. In many cultures, it is common to pierce the ears of young girls soon after birth. This has become somewhat controversial because of its involuntary nature, similar to, but much less severe than Circumcision . Although not as common as with females, ear piercing among males has also become popular in North America and Europe. TYPES OF EARRINGS Modern standard pierced earrings Regardless of the type, modern standard pierced earrings have two primary means of attachment: ''posts'' and ''wires''.
Body piercing jewelry used as earrings Body Piercing Jewelry is often used for ear piercings, and is selected for a variety of reasons including the availability of larger gauges, better piercing techniques, and a disdain for mainstream jewelry.
Clip-on and other non-pierced earrings Several varieties of non-pierced earrings have been invented over the years, presumably so that the wearers could avoid the discomfort of having their ears pierced.
Permanent earrings Whereas most earrings worn in the Western world are designed to be removed fairly easily to be changed at will, earrings can also be permanent (non-removable). They were once used as a mark of slavery or ownership (e.g., see Ex.21:2-6 ). They appear today in the form of larger gauge rings which are difficult or impossible for the wearer to remove without assistance. Occasionally, hoop earrings are permanently installed by the use of Solder , though this poses some risks due to toxicity of metals used in soldering and the risk of burns from the heat involved. Besides permanent installations, locking earrings are occasionally worn by people of both genders, due to their personal symbolism or erotic value. EAR PIERCING Pierced ears are earlobes or the Cartilage portion of the external ears which have had one or more holes created in them for the wearing of earrings. The holes may be permanent or temporary. The holes become permanent when a flesh tunnel is created by scar tissue forming around the initial earring. History Ear piercing is one of the oldest known forms of body modification, with artistic and written references from cultures around the world dating back to early history. Pierced ears were popular in the United States through the early 1920s, then fell into disfavor among women due to the rising popularity of clip-on earrings. There continued to be a small male following, however, particularly among Sailor s, where a pierced earlobe often meant that the wearer had sailed around the world or had crossed the equator. There was also a long-held belief that puncturing the earlobe was beneficial to increasing the accuity of Eyesight (see Acupuncture ) or of hearing (perhaps through Resonance ). Ear piercing continued to be practiced by Western women of various cultures, e.g., Hispanic , but was less common in Anglo-based cultures until the 1960s. At that time, the practice re-emerged, but since there did not exist a commercial market, most ear piercings were done at home. Teenage girls were known to hold ''ear piercing parties'', where they performed the procedure on one another. Such an event is depicted in the 1978 motion picture Grease , where Sandy ( Olivia Newton-John ), the leading lady, is pierced by her friends. Ear piercing became commonly available in physician offices. Some of the earliest commercial, non-medical locations for getting an ear piercing appeared in the 1960s at Manhattan jewelry stores, although the overall commercial market was still in its infancy. By the 1970s, ear piercing was common among many females, thus creating a broader market for the procedure. Department stores throughout the country would hold ear piercing events, sponsored by earring manufacturers. At these events, a nurse or other trained person would perform the procedure, either pushing a sharpened and sterilized ''starter earring'' through the earlobe by hand, or using an ear-piercing instrument modified from the design used by physicians. In the late 1960s, ear piercing began to make inroads into the male population through the Hippie and Gay communities. In the late 1970s, amateur piercings - often with safety pins and multiple piercings - became popular in the Punk Rock community. By the 1980s, the trend for male Popular Music performers to have pierced ears helped establish a fashion trend for men, which was later adopted by many professional Athlete s. British males started piercing both ears in the 1980s; George Michael of Wham! was a prominent example. The heavily jeweled Mr. T was an early example of an American celebrity wearing earrings in both ears, although this trend did not become popular with mainstream American males until the 1990s. In the latter part of the 20th Century , some Americans and Europeans adopted the convention that when a man pierced just one of his ears, it symbolized his being Gay . In some circles, it was the left ear, while in others, the right. Men with bilateral ear piercings were relatively rare, and were sometimes interpreted as Effeminate or Bisexual . However, the convention tended to vary from one region to the next, and was not always followed. Sometimes, men would pierce a particular side to symbolize their preferred role in a relationship (see Hanky Code ), or for personal style preference. Since the early 1990s, the concept has largely lost its signficance ( bmezine.com ). Multiple piercings in one or both ears first emerged in mainstream America in the 1970s. Initially, the trend was for females to wear a second set of earrings in the earlobes, or for males to double-pierce a single earlobe. Asymmetric styles with more and more piercings became popular, eventually leading to the cartilage piercing trend. A variety of specialized cartilage piercings have since become popular. These include the Tragus Piercing , Antitragus Piercing , Rook Piercing , Industrial Piercing , Helix Piercing , Orbital Piercing , Daith Piercing , and Conch Piercing . In addition, Earlobe Stretching , while common in primitive cultures for thousands of years, started to appear in Western civilization in the 1990s, and is now a fairly common sight. However, these forms of ear piercing are uncommon compared to standard ear piercing. Piercing by men in pop culture Piercing by men Hong Kong Pop culture Many men or young male adults in Hong Kong (HK) today begin to pierce one or both their ears to mimic Hip Hop culture in the North America. This trend was brought over by HK singers who lived in North America for school and returned back to HK for careers in the entertainment industry. The most notable singer is Edison Chen . This trend has spread quickly over HK male population and is starting to move into mainland China pop culuture. The ear rings are usually diamonds also mimicking US hip hop culture. Although at first the piercing symbolized a bad boy or rebellious nature but it has evolved out of that nature. It is common in men who are good and bad. Piercing techniques A variety of techniques are used to pierce ears, ranging from "do it yourself" methods using household items to medically sterile methods using specialized equipment. A long-standing home method involves using ice as a local anesthetic, a sewing needle as a puncture instrument, a burning match and rubbing alcohol for "sterilization", and a semi-soft object, such as a potato, cork, or rubber eraser, as a push point. Sewing Thread may be drawn through the piercing and tied, as a device for keeping the piercing open during the healing process. Alternatively, a gold stud or wire earring may be directly inserted into the fresh piercing as the initial retaining device. Another method for piercing ears, first made popular in the 1960s, is the use of sharpened spring-loaded earrings known as ''self-piercers'', which gradually push through the earlobe. However, these could slip from their initial placement position, often resulting in more discomfort, and many times would not go all the way through the earlobe without additional pressure being applied. Ear Piercing Instrument s, sometimes called ''ear piercing guns'', were originally developed for physician use but with modifications became available in retail settings. Today most people in the Western world have their ears pierced with an ear piercing instrument in specialty jewelry or accessory stores, or at home using disposable ear piercing instruments. An earlobe piercing performed with an ear piercing instrument is often described as feeling similar to being snapped by a rubber band. Cartilage piercings tend to be more painful. An alternative and growing practice is to use a hollow piercing needle, as is used for Body Piercing . This technique is similar to the early sewing needle approach, but when done by a professional body piercer is extremely safe, less painful than an instrument piercing, and produces a piercing with faster healing time. This procedure is available at body piercing shops, and often also at Tattoo shops that also offer body piercing. In primitive cultures and among some neo-primitive body piercing enthusiasts, the piercing is made using other tools, such as bone spurs. Initial healing time for an earlobe piercing performed with an ear piercing instrument is typically 6-8 weeks. After that time, earrings can be changed, but if the hole is left unfilled for an extended period of time, there is some danger of the piercing closing. Piercing professionals recommend wearing earrings in the newly pierced ears for at least 6 months, and sometimes even a full year. Cartilage piercings will usually require more healing time than earlobe piercings, sometimes 2-3 times as long. After healing, earlobe piercings will shrink to smaller gauges in the prolonged absence of earrings, but may never completely disappear. The health risks with conventional earlobe piercing tend to be minimal, particularly if proper technique and hygenic procedures are followed. Earlobes will sometimes develop a minor Infection . More commonly, the person will develop an Allergic reaction to Nickel in some jewelry. Earlobe tearing, during the healing period or after healing is complete, can be minimized by not wearing earrings, especially wire-based dangle earrings, during activities in which they are likely to become snagged, such as while playing sports. Also, larger gauge jewellery will lessen the chance of the earring being torn out. With cartilage piercing, the blunt force of an ear piercing instrument will traumatize the cartilage, and therefore make healing more difficult. Also, because there is substantially less blood flow in ear cartilage than in the earlobe, infection is a much more serious issue. There have been several documented cases of people developing severe infections of the upper ear following piercing with an ear piercing instrument, which required courses of antibiotics and/or surgery to clear up. The use of a sterilized hollow piercing needle tends to minimize the trauma to the tissue, and minimize the chances of contracting a for more information on the healing process for pierced ears. FURTHER READING
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