Body piercings which are currently flaunted by millennials have been in practice since ancient ages. Back then people pierced their bodies for cultural, religious and aesthetic reasons. Today, it is done predominantly as a symbol of self-expression and for aesthetic reasons. A wide range of body piercings and styles are available making it easy to find one to suit everyone’s tastes.
If you are looking for a safe and best piercing experience, head to Almost Famous body piercing. They are a top pick among many body piercing enthusiasts because of their experienced piercers and warm environment. They have 7 branches spread across Minneapolis, North Dakota and Illinois featuring an extensive range of piercings.
History of body piercings:
Though you’ll find numerous body piercing types in the current ear, if you go back in history the trend of body piercings was even more wild and interesting.
- Expanded ear piercing around 3300 BC: The oldest mummy found Otzi could be 5000 years old. It was found that he had his ears piercing with holes 7mm to 11 mm in diameter.
- Around 1300 BC: The reign of King Tut lasted from 1332 to 1323 BC. There were found to be depression on his ears linking it to earrings.
- 49 to 44 BC: Earrings were a common accessory among Roman men and there are evidences of Julius Caesar using nipple piercings. Piercings depicted strength and virility for Roman men.
- Sailors: Piercings weren’t always reserved for the wealthy. Sailors from various eras wore earrings so that if they died at sea, the earring will be used to cover their funeral expenses.
- 14th to 16th century: Tongue piercings were followed by Aztecs and Mayans as a part of rituals. They communicated with the Gods through the altered state of consciousness that resulted from piercing
- Mid 14th century: Nipple piercings were common among wealthy French women. Queen Isabella launched ‘garments of the grand neckline’ dress that came with plunging necklines that exposed breasts. Women wore matching jewelry to go with the dress.
- 16th century: Mughal emperors introduced nose rings in India. Indian women wore a stud or ring in their left nostril as the left side is considered to be related to female reproductive system.
Few tribal traditions:
The Dogan tribes pierce lips to symbolize creation of the world. Piercings are a part of marriage and puberty ritual in some tribes. Makalolo women wore it for aesthetic reasons. The Asmat tribe from Indonesia uses septem piercings of about 25mm in diameter and even inserted the leg bone of pig/femur of a killed enemy within it.
The reasons why people over the world choose to do body piercings vary but piercings continue to be in trend. If you want something subtle to start with, you could try simple ones like ear piercings as there are ear piercing styles that suit everyone.