Gay ear pierced
You know…, gay ear pierced. Despite changing times and modern progress, many people still associate body piercings particularly a single piercing in the earlobe as a symbol of someones sexuality. So, just in time for pride month, the team here at Amato decided to delve deeper into where this all started.
These days, seldom does a trend stick around for longer than a few weeks before a neologism replaces the one before it, permeating the halls of TikTok or Instagram and causing all of us to second-guess what was once considered mainstream — only to then swap a coveted wardrobe staple for the latest passing fad. Still, certain exceptions prevail. Even today, one of the most unshakeable cultural signifiers has been the "mono" piercing — more precisely, and befuddling, on which ear it's placed and what it says about your sexuality. Pre-Y2K and beyond , it's been socially understood that wearing one earring on the right ear means someone is gay; the left, straight. Despite recent data and celebrities supporting otherwise, the demagogic proverb "Left is right and right is wrong" has been a whisper placed upon gay and straight men and their piercers for decades. No one really seems to know where the adage originated.
Gay ear pierced
When the pandemic sent me off campus, I returned to my childhood bedroom full of existential questions about my identity. Nine months later when I came back to campus, I had seven piercings. While home, I considered how I performed for others and how I truly wanted to present. I love to over-accessorize, and piercings allowed me to adorn myself in more ways. As a Depop seller might put it, my ears were an old pair of Y2K jeans just waiting to be bedazzled. Piercings were also a way for me to rebel against the gender binary and heteropatriarchal norms that harshly dictate gender performance and expression. Some people's love language is touch, while others prefer words of affirmation or acts of service. On my third date with my boyfriend, I gave him a piercing. It felt strangely euphemistic at the time. On my right ear, I have two lobe piercings, two helix piercings and a rook piercing. Image courtesy of Alex Chun. I gave Emma their lobe triples, bringing them to 8 piercings total. They say that piercings have allowed them to construct their aesthetic in a way that is entirely in their control. For so long, piercings also have been that.
For so long, piercings also have been that. A particularly rebellious person might even pierce their cartilage! It was only worn by rock stars and tattoo artists.
We accepted it as gospel and never questioned its validity. But as I grew up, it seemed like everyone I met, no matter their place of origin, knew and understood the earring code, as arbitrary as it seems. Historically speaking, the truth is more complex. Earrings on guys have signified many things over the years, such as social stature or religious affiliation. In his book The Naked Man: A Study of the Male Body , Desmond Morris explains that earrings have indicated wisdom and compassion in the stretched earlobes of the Buddha, while pirates wore them in the belief it would protect them from drowning. In the Elizabethan era, earrings were quite fashionable for men, he writes.
Sorry, the content of this store can't be seen by a younger audience. Come back when you're older. Have you ever heard the term "gay ear"? When people talked about the gay ear, they referred to a specific ear being pierced on a man. This trend didn't include women in the gay ear fad because, in most Western cultures since the s, it has generally been a cultural norm for females to have their ears pierced. Keep in mind that this performative measure was originally used to discriminate against men based on their perceived social class, not sexuality. Initially, the only men who had pierced ears were usually sailors. But it wasn't until the late s that people attributed a man who had his ear pierced to being gay. Now, men have pierced ears for endless reasons. With piercings no longer serving as any sort of identifier to occupation or sexual orientation, pierced ears are relatively common among all genders.
Gay ear pierced
Ear piercing for men is growing in popularity, and we have the numbers to prove it. Are you thinking of about having your ears pierced? Here are a few questions to consider, starting with the first one that most men face when thinking about ear piercing:. One Ear or Two? There is no right answer to this question. Comfort: Keep in mind that it takes at least 6 weeks for an earlobe piercing to heal. After that, you can change into new earrings, but to prevent your piercing from closing, you will need to wear earrings as much as possible for the next 6 months.
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With the positive surge in gay rights, the ability to marry one another and hold hands in public; no one needed to hide behind antiquated codes or symbols anymore, we could be out and proud! By the 90s, It had become so widely accepted as a secret code that there was an article about it in the New York Times. You can do whatever the fuck you want with your piercings. Performance performance. Maia says that after she got the piercing, she experienced a week of regret as she adjusted to the new look. In some areas it was reversed, and the left ear was a signifier. In other words, if you walk up to a young adult on the street and ask them who they are, they'll probably just tell you. Historically speaking, the truth is more complex. For Salem, the "gay ear piercing" is a smaller yet crucial part of a bigger picture. And according to ancient Chinese belief, the left earring meaning also symbolized that a person's life had been endangered, and to prevent a recurrence, an earring was worn to prevent bad luck. We decided that it depended what side of the Mississippi, you were on. Today's isms, like no-makeup makeup and tantouring, don't force us to relive the best of the worst; rather, they remind us that the journey of defining a "personal" style is as finite as doing the dishes: you're never really done.
Sometimes we feel misunderstood, and sometimes we misjudge others.
Necessary Necessary. For Salem, the "gay ear piercing" is a smaller yet crucial part of a bigger picture. Piercings are often associated with defiance, so it makes sense that queer people love them. That queer people use fashion and beauty as armor or a way to communicate is not a new concept. We can't rely on mainstream media to tell our stories. No one really seems to know where the adage originated. If it were in my right ear, that would mean I was gay. Nine months later when I came back to campus, I had seven piercings. Piercings were also a way for me to rebel against the gender binary and heteropatriarchal norms that harshly dictate gender performance and expression. It was common to be physically attacked if it were found out that you were anything but straight. Latest on Queerty. Image courtesy of Alex Chun.
What good luck!