Did you know body mods have always been in style, from the Ancient Egyptians to the age of Industrial ear piercings! Those mummy’s sure had style.
It’s true. Scientific findings show that people have been piercing their ears as long ago as they first started mummifying people! A 5000-year-old mummy said to have been excavated in Ancient Egypt, found large plugs, or gauges, in the ear of the mummified corpse! And they weren’t even the first ones to have thought it up.
Whether you’re a fan of archaeology, or just into the badass alternative piercings of today, we’re looking at the history of ear piercings through time, right down to the industrial ear piercing jewelry of today!
Piercing fun facts throughout history
Looking for some piercing fun facts about the industrial ear piercing, or piercings throughout time? We live to serve. Here are some interesting tidbits about alternative, and scandalous piercings throughout history!
- Romans were all about piercings, but it wasn’t to look pretty! Instead, ancient Romans got piercings to symbolize their dedication to the Roman Empire. They would do this by piercing their nipples and genitals. They believed the practice of piercing the penis and then tying a rope around the piercing to pull the penis aside would prevent deathly injuries during combat. Ouch! That’s one way to do it!
- During the times of Maya tribes, tongue piercings were very popular. The Maya believed that piercing their tongues would bring them closer to their many gods. They also used this piercing to scare off their enemies and appear more fearsome.
- The Dark Age brought a dark time for piercings, which were then banned. However, with the rise of the pomp Renaissance period, piercing was brought back into style. This practice then exploded for royals, sailors, Christians, and Europe’s wealthiest. During the Victorian age, genital piercings took off. In fact, did you know that Prince Albert pierced his penis in order to wear some skin-tight pants and now has his penis in the way? The piercing was promptly named after the prince. Hey, at least he left a legacy!
The Industrial Ear Piercing of today
Industrial ear piercings are the newest thing in ear piercing culture. While “industrial piercing” usually refers to two holes connected by a scaffolding, when performed in the ear, this type of practice refers to the space between the upper cartilage of the ear. This piercing is poked through two holes in the cartilage. After the skin has been pierced on both ends, a “bar” or wire is passed through and connects through the two holes via ball closure rings. These unique piercings have the opportunity to look masculine, cute, tough, punk, rock ‘n roll, feminine, and above all: way cool.
Do you have a more conservative job? You’re in luck. The ear-piercing has the opportunity to be pierced with a clear scaffold rod to make it less noticeable to onlookers. The industrial piercing is really something to try if you’re looking for an ear-piercing that’s out of the ordinary!
The most piercings… like, ever
Another fascinating piercing fact is about the woman who holds the world record for piercings! (Catch a glimpse of her to the right and check out that industrial ear-piercing pictures.) That’s right, piercing enthusiast Elaine Davidson takes the Guinness World Record for “Most Pierced Woman”. Elaine was a Brazilian born and now lives in Scotland. Elaine holds more than 9,000 piercings throughout her body, including chin piercings, nose rings, industrial ear piercings, and more. Oddly enough, she married a man with no piercings at all! Guess she figured she had enough for the both of them. (Though they later divorced… do we sense a connection?)
Things sure have changed since Egyptian times, especially industrial ear piercing prices! Today we pay cash, back then you paid in army service – Yikes! One thing is certain; industrial ear piercing has never been more popular with rock stars, celebs, and the rest of us! We know if the ancients knew about this awesome spot for piercings, they would have gotten them too.
I’m so scared to get the industrial piercing done in May. What should I expect to happen before I get it?
Just to add in a little more personal experience, I got a tragus piercing last weekend, and I freaking love it—no more painful than a regular cartilage piercing. The only bad part was that yucky “crunch” sound when the needle goes through, pretty nasty.
(Related: 7 Mistakes to Avoid While Doing Brow Waxing)
Make sure whoever your piercer is, takes a measurement before doing the piercing, and industrial has to be angled just right so that the jewelry sits in your ear correctly and comfortably.
Make sure they open a sealed package with a fresh needle, and you are going to want surgical steel jewelry.
Make sure that you clean it with warm sea saltwater. I mix up the solution and then dunk a q-tip in the water and wipe it across the piercing.
Do not touch and mess around with your fresh piercing. Those people at the mall kiosk (piercing pagoda/ Claires) always tell you to twist the jewelry around, but that is so not the right thing to do.