I suppose I should have worded that more carefully. What I mean is that of course we judge people based on how they present themselves to the outside world, but opinions on this are so strong, so easily stated. People might not trust men with beards on a very subconscious level, but the difference between that implicit opinion and being consciously aware–and proud!–of the association between a simple piercing with stupidity, immaturity, and insecurity was very surprising to me. To hear all of that from godless pot smoking, shakespeare quoting, recycling liberal dopers makes me realize how negatively the average normal person must respond.
I really had no prior opinion beyond “guess they think that makes them look ‘cool’ or something” and promptly forgetting about the whole subject.
There are lots of pierced people. So it is not rebellion. It is just joining a different group. Look at the members of that group. If that is you ,have at it.
To pay money for someone to stick a hole in me does not compute. I do not find it at all attractive.
Last fall I noticed that my 40-some-year-old neighbor, mother of two 20-some-year-old boys, has a teeny little nose piercing. My first thought on that was “wow, she must have had a fun summer vacation.”
Well, first of all, not all Dopers are godless, pot smoking liberals. Secondly, the anonymity of the internet encourages a certain honesty on some topics (and a certain dishonesty as well).
The one does not necessarily follow from the other. Look at the Civil War. Millions of people were in rebellion. Does that mean they weren’t really in rebellion?
I think of them as body mutilations, and therefore ugly. I class tattoos the same. But I certainly don’t think of them as rebellious - what is this, 1980?
If anything, I’m disappointed how unoriginal and conforming they are being by having them done. They’ve become just a fashion accessory (not even a fashion statement, but an accessory) and that’s just sad.
It’s more rebellious now to not have a piercing or tattoo.
That’s what I, and, presumably, other people who dislike piercings don’t understand; to me, it’s not attactive at all. I think they look incredibly ugly, and also the thought of sticking studs into the more functional areas of the body, (like the penis or tongue, as opposed to the earlobe or, admittedly, the eyebrow,) is pretty disgusting. I just don’t see why someone would want to ruin a perfectly good eyebrow, (or penis or whatever) with a metal ring. To me, at least, it’s not about rebellion, but more of wondering why the heck someone would want to do such a thing, and I’m sure there are things that others do that you feel the same way about.
However, as long as one condiders the consequences and is safe about it, I don’t have any kind of moral problem with it.
Actually I think just the opposite of rebellion, I think they’re conformists. It’s like the young person’s uniform of this day and age. It’s this generation’s ducktail and leather jacket. More permanent of course, but again, same as just about every other young person on the block.
Attraction is every bit as much curiosity and personality as it is “good looks.” I happen to think it piques a certain level of curiosity. Someone in another thread said something to the effect of “boy scout with a wild side”, and it’s precisely the image I tried to cultivate.
From a dating point of view, at least, it’s been quite successful.
I appreciate the level of honesty in this thread. I’m trying really hard to not get offended and remember that I asked for all of this. Thanks, everyone.
Just because an action wasn’t motivated by the desire to be rebellious doesn’t mean the action isn’t rebellious. Maybe pierced noses, lips, tongues, and eyebrows are common in places like Berkeley but they’re not so common here in Arkansas. It might be seen as conformist behavior amongst certain peer groups but it isn’t something that’s hit the mainstream. Therefore it does have a certain degree of rebelliousness.
Heck, I could argue that the hijab being worn here in the United States is an act of defiance as much as it is an assertion of Muslim identity but perhaps that’s for another thread.
They’re very common here as to be nearly unremarkable. I do think the stud just above the lip on either side looks kinda trashy but centre lower lip rings look great, eyebrow piercings look great and nose piercings can look nice. Depends on the jewellery used though too.
Wow, color me pretty damn surprised by the responses to this question as well, and it’s not because I associate piercing with liberalism or some such. I can understand not liking how some piercings look in certain areas, or thinking that some look ridiculous or whatever. But to dismiss the entirety of piercing by saying that they all look bad is incredibly foreign to me. How is it different at all from any other fashion accessory? Is it just because of its semi-permanence? Is it because people are viewing them as an “I’m so tough because I can withstand pain for beauty?” There are plenty of piercings on a pain threshold somewhere vaguely above “ouch I scraped my knuckle on the door” and below “I wore high heels to the opera tonight and my feet are killing me.”
So where’s the disconnect? Boyo Jim has admitted to not even liking the “standard” earrings. Do the other people who have said they don’t like them carry it that far?
Sorry, I guess this is coming off as vaguely hostile, and I know that lots of (if not all) preferences for anything don’t exactly have a logical reason behind them. That being said, I don’t know how anyone can buy into any kind of fashion beyond a social reason (eg you wear a collar to look professional, not because you like it) and dismiss all piercings.
Maybe the argument can be made that everything we wear is to fit in on some level, but if you accessorize AT ALL (necklaces, rings, ribbons in your hair, interesting ties, etc), and don’t do it with the desire to be thought of as less boring, I’m having trouble understanding why piercings are so strange.
I have no use for piercings, don’t find them attractive but consider them “better” than tattoos because the body can heal from a piercing when you’ve outgrown the “rebellious sheep” phase of your life.
But I could consider an eyebrow piercing compatible with glasses if you had piercings in both brows and welded little hooks on the frames to match up with the piercings. It would do a great job of preventing your glasses from slipping down your nose. If you wanted, you could totally get rid of the arms of your glasses, especially if you combined the brow piercings with whatever they call that thing where they pierce the skin at the bridge of your nose.
(If someone wants to try this and patent it, throw me a few bucks, ok?)
See, this is where I think BellRung is getting the “hostile” vibe from (if I’m wrong, I apologize). Here we’ve had many a person say that rebellion has absolutely zilch to do with it, yet this attitude persists.
I need someone to show me where to line up to get the manual that explains exactly how to discount what other people say. Apparently I was absent the day of class that they taught this.
Is “hostile” the same as considering something pathetic and kind of sad? I just can’t look at these sort of “body modifications” and not see that person at some point in the future when their body is no longer fashionable.
Wear whatever clothing you want. Cut your hair in any fashion. The clothes can go to Goodwill and the hair will grow out. But currently fashionable things done to one’s skin are the equivalent of a powder blue polyester leisure suit…that you can never take off.
Sorry, I meant that my post sounded a bit defensive and hostile, but now that I think about it, some people (not everyone) discounting piercings out of hand do come across as a bit confrontational about it.