The History of Body Piercing
Body piercing has slowly moved into the mainstream of society, as more people have needed to find unique ways to express their individuality. Beginning in the 70s, body piercing found a place in the youth counterculture of the day, but it never gained popular acceptance until recently. Now body piercing has become a fashion accessory of the pop culture, and can be seen on professional athletes, Hollywood superstars, teenagers from every walk of life... even 'soccer moms' have been known to sport a belly ring. Just as things change, they tend stay the same. Body piercing, as it was in ancient times, is still used as tool for personal expression, a means of distinction, and a fashion accessory.
Body piercing has been going on for thousands of years. It was a part of many ancient tribal cultures of South America and Africa, and to this day is still a part of many of these tribal cultures. Body piercing has had its place in the ancient civilizations of India, the Egyptian and Roman empires, and the Victorian societies of Europe. It has been used as a rite of passage for many ancient societies, and a symbol of one's standing in their society.
Body piercing disappeared from most western cultures where it was considered the practice of barbarian tribes until the Elizabethan era when sailors came into contact with tribes who believed that ear lobe piercings enhanced long distance vision. This was of obvious benefit to sailors who spent most of their time on the open ocean. Interestingly enough, modern acupuncture techniques support this idea. The next major appearance of body piercing came later in the Victorian era when genital piercings became fashionable, allegedly to impose chastity in women and to prevent the male genitals from showing through the tight trousers fashionable at the time. Though piercings mostly died out after this time, ear lobe piercings continued to be fashionable in women up until the present day.
