YOUR FAVORITE PIERCINGS WERE COOL BEFORE YOU WERE BORN!
It's true. Almost every piercing you can think of broke big in Western fashion as early as the 1970s and early 80s, and often much earlier in other parts of the world. While the popularity of certain styles have ebbed and flowed with other modern fashion trends, piercings remain popular across all social classes and cultures in a variety of placements and styles.
Tongue Piercings
People sometimes ask me if the tongue piercing is even cool anymore. It is if you want it to be. Like many modern piercings, tongue jewelry has been around as long as there have been tongues to pierce, with evidence supporting the practice in both the Aztec and Mayan societies and likely earlier.
Thanks to the availability of 316L surgical grade stainless steel tongue piercing took off in the 1980s in the U.S., making its stylish little way from the first licensed piercing shop in California to the east coast, continuing to grow in popularity until it leapt the cultural barrier into the mainstream in the 90s and 2000s.
My favorite mod: Venom and Multi style tongue piercings
Navel Piercings
Nothing reminds me of the 2000s more than belly rings. It started in the 90s as what Marie Claire calls "the Spring Break Piercing," then supermodels wore navel jewelry on the runway. Suddenly, it was the new millennium. The bare midriff was totally fashionable again (for awhile) and Brittany Spears and Carol Rodríguez had their belly buttons pierced - so why shouldn't the rest of us?! I don't think the belly ring has ever stopped being popular since.
In case you didn't know, navel jewelry is right for all body types in 2018 and forevermore. Belly button rings generally come in a few different lengths to fit all the different beautiful bellies out there and you can even keep your navel ring if you're preggo with flexible options. The future is NOW.
Septum Piercings
The septum is absolutely my favorite piercing that I am shamelessly, totally afraid to get. Despite personal cowardice I find that something about a pierced septum speaks to the timelessness of the art of piercing as a tradition and makes me feel like we are all one people in the end.
The septum and other nose piercings made their way into U.S. fashion as hippies and travelers returned from experiencing various Eastern cultures where nose piercings were a common sight. The style hit hard with punks especially across the globe in the 70s and 80s, only to be adopted onto the runway in the 90s and into our hearts forever after.
That's it for now. I'll be back with more background on some of your favorite piercing trends soon. Let me know what you want to know about! Let me know what you love!
- Is there a piercing you would love to see featured?
- What piercings do you want to see from start (in the parlor) to finish (wearable pieces that you can order now)?
- Do you want to send a pro-style selfie of you and your perfect piercing?
If you have any suggestions or pics for us, comment below. We love to hear from you!
