To Pierce or Not to Pierce Body piercing is rooted very deep in our past. With this deep history we are able to look at the reasons people choose to get certain body parts pierced.

To Pierce or Not to Pierce

Body piercing is rooted very deep in our past. With this deep history we are able to look at the reasons people choose to get certain body parts pierced. Do they get them because of the tradition of their culture, or rather just a trend or fashion statement? Throughout time piercings have generally proven to be traditional rather than trend, but in today's western culture we have noticed that piercing has begun to take the form of a trend rather than tradition. Even though today many piercings have become trends rather than tradition they still carry on some significance that began from their original traditions.

About four thousand years ago, nose piercings were first noticed in the Middle East. Ancient Bedouins wear these rings to show the wealth of their family. The more wealth they have the larger the ring in the nose.

English: An ethnic Adivasi woman from the Kutia Kh...

English: a pierced human tongue Deutsch: gepiercte...

English: Tongue piercing

This ring would be given by the husband to his bride. In India women wore nose rings in the their left nose to make childbirth easier because this was considered to be associated with the female reproductive organs. In the West nose rings first appeared among hippies who traveled to India in the late 1960's and then later was carried on by the Punk movement in the late 1970's. This was done mainly to rebel from former conservative values. Even today many do not react well to these types of piercings. This as mostly just a trend but also had some significance associated with it. Today nose piecing may still show some symbol of defiance, but it is mostly just a trend now.

Another type of body piercing is the tongue piercing. While this type of piercing has many more risks associated with it, many people continue to pierce their...