Body Piercing: Do you need to be masochistic to enjoy?
Do you need to be masochistic to enjoy body piercing? No, you don’t but sometimes it helps!
When you get pierced the brain releases endorphins to counteract the pain. According to Piercing enthusiasts, the pain receptors activate the body’s opiate receptors. They describe the feeling as a kind of release or relaxation.
Table of Contents
Primitive Body Piercing
Body piercing dates back at least 5,000 years as testified by Egyptian mummies found wearing earrings. Primitive African tribes, such as the women from the Mursi and Sara tribes, from the Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia areas of Africa also practiced lip and tongue piercings.
There are also traces of body piercing among the males from some Amazonian tribes. Some Indian tribes like the Tlingit in North America wore lip plates to symbolize sexual maturity. However, in mainstream society, piercings have been mainly confined to ear and nose piercing.
Piercings in traditional cultures
Nose piercing was mentioned in the Bible in the narrative of Eliezer and Rebecca. It is also associated with Asian culture and has been widespread as a symbol of beauty in India since the 10th century and was used to embellish as part of the bridal outfit.
Ear Piercing
Over the centuries hoops, studs, drop and chandelier have been the most common shapes and were worn for different reasons. Egyptians wore earrings to show off their status whereas in Ancient Greece they were worn by prostitutes.
The Church disapproved during the Middle Ages, but this all changed with the Renaissance when earrings had a revival.
The most diffuse form of body piercing, in the earlobe, is personified in the Johannes Vermeer painting “Girl with a pearl earring” 1665 which was originally called ‘Girl with a Turban’.
The popularity of earrings depended a lot on hairstyles but by the mid-seventeenth century earrings with gems or enamel were a familiar element in a lady’s jewelry box. Then, later Girandole earrings, named after a type of candelabra became very fashionable.
The Emergence of multiple piercings in the 1970s
Fast forward to the modern era when multiple piercings began to emerge in the 1970s. Nowadays there are so many possibilities that one needs a map to get around! There is conch, daith, orbital, helix, rook, tragus antitragus piercing!
Apparently industrial is the more painful as it involves two different parts of sensitive cartilage-ouch! According to our local piercer, if you are piercing cartilage, have it done with a sterilized needle as a piercing gun can cause damage.
Clean it with soap and water twice a day. Ear lobes can take 2-3 months to heal whereas cartilage piercings up to 5 months.
If you want to have more information about the correlation between ear piercing, acupuncture and energy flows check out this interesting article:https://thechalkboardmag.com/trendy-ear-piercings-acupuncture-points
Contemporary Body Piercing
Whilst in the past piercing was linked to tradition, nowadays it is a question of aesthetics, fetish play, and even sexual gratification. Gold, Titanium, or nickel-free surgical steel are normally used as they are hypoallergenic.
Ear Piercing Today
For fantastic value check out these stunning Swarovski -rhodium-plated stud earrings
The World-famous Swarovski square blue crystals will brighten up your look!
For something minimalist check out this stud earring in 14k white gold.
For dazzling 18k gold stud earrings with heart-shaped diamonds check these out at James Allen, a company normally known for their engagement rings that offer competitive prices, free FedEx shipping, and 30 days return.
If you like pearls check out these trio stud earrings from Missoma
Nose Piercing
According to Indian culture, the left nostril is supposed to be connected with the female genitalia, and piercing on this side is believed to reduce menstrual pain and heighten sexual experiences. Whether this is true or not I cannot say but after the hippy movement ‘discovered’ India in the 1970s and brought back to the West their fashion and culture, nostril piercing began to spread among the younger generations either for aesthetic reasons or as a sign of rebellion.
Piercing the nose, near the cheek, is the most common type of piercing, but if you are feeling adventurous, you can have your septum pierced, so you can wear a ring or a barbell.
You can’t go wrong with this stainless steel nose ring and stud set in stainless steel at a special online price :
Tri-nasal Piercing
If you want to go crazy you can even have a tri-nasal piercing that penetrates both nostrils and the septum.
What kind of jewels, can you insert?
Well, studs are probably the most common but you can insert nostril screws, nose rings, barbells, ball rings, and even L-shaped pins.
Lip Labrets
There are 12 different types of lip piercing with the labret being the most common. Labret studs have a flat back on one end and a threaded accessory on the other like a stone, ball, or spike.
They normally take 2 months to heal and one has to take extra care, due to the extra bacteria which is in and around our mouth.
Check out this 14k white gold Labret with Cubic Zirconia gem from Urban Body
Lip Piercing Breakdown
Tongue Bar-Bells
Again, this form of piercing has primitive origins and came back into fashion in the 1980s. Personally, it makes me faint just writing about it, but I see more and more young people with this type of piercing.
Sexual Excitement
The sexual excitement of kissing or having oral sex is, I guess, a mixture of introducing cold metal in a warm place not to mention the hard friction in a soft place. What are your experiences?
For a less painful piercing check out these surgical steel barbells
Eyebrow piercing
Introduced as a fashion statement by the punk subculture of the 1970’s it is one of the least painful types of piercing and is growing in popularity among both sexes thanks to pop stars such as Justin Bieber. It can be vertical or horizontal depending on taste.
Check out this set of hypoallergenic surgical steel barbells
Nipple Piercing
Normally hidden, piercing your nipples is quite a bold act and will not go unnoticed under a tight t-shirt. Nipples are sensitive so it is no surprise that it is one of the more painful types of piercing and can take over 9 months to heal completely. Kendall Jenner, the American model, and TV personality obviously had no qualms:
A Professional Piercer
Obviously, great care has to be given to using a sterile needle, avoiding any veins so make sure you use the most professional piercer around. The aftercare is important because of the proliferation of bacteria with frequent mouthwashes, no smoking or alcohol, and at least at the beginning, some use of ice is recommended to counter the inevitable swollen tongue.
How painful was your piercing? Drop us a line to let us know!
Check out my blog: Piercing For Men
