So I was watching LivePD on Friday night, and they arrested a 20 something meth-head. He had a shaved head, tattoos, and a pair of stud earrings with a large blue gemstones, which I thought looked kind of effeminate.
At a Superbowl party Sunday night, a 65 year old guy had a single hoop earring, which I thought was a bit unusual because of his age and he never wore it to church.
I know one stock answer is that men should be able to wear whatever kind of earrings they want, but at some point you’d have to admit an 80 year old man wearing dangling pink hearts would be a bit unusual. I know real and fake diamonds studs, simple gold ball studs, and simple hoops are normal for men (and the old using a single earring it to signal your sexual preference is gone). But are colored gem studs and older men wearing earrings normal nowadays? What about an older man with say a lip ring? Any kind of dangling earrings?
I don’t think earrings on men are necessarily the style anymore, so the type of earring worn is probably moot. Men wearing earrings strikes me as a very 80s and 90s thing.
So for older guys, the style of earring they wear today is probably whatever they thought was cool in the 90s. For younger guys their ear jewelry (like the big blue studs you saw or ear gauges) is likely an extension of other piercings.
I’m one of those old guys. I have a single gold ball in my left ear (I got it when my youngest daughter wanted to get her ears pierced and was afraid, so we did it together and I’ve worn an earring ever since).
As to the OP, I think it’s really “men should be able to wear whatever kind of earrings they want”. I’ve seen men with all sorts. I used to have a few weirder ones I’d wear from time to time (my favorite was the happy face with a bit of blood on it from The Watchers comic) but these days I’m pretty boring with some gold and silver balls and a diamond stud earring for more formal occasions. I have this cool mini katana and wakizashi set a friend had made for me me (in the 80’s :p) as well as some really cool painted feather Amerian Indian ones made of bone or horn, but it’s a bit much to wear these so it’s just in a jewelry box these days.
And ain’t nothing wrong with that. I’m getting of the age myself where I’d rather wear something because I think it’s nice (or “cool” or my kids like it or my wife likes it) rather than what the world around me thinks. They say a person stops caring about new styles at some point and continues to wear what was in fashion at that point for the rest of their lives.
Pretty rare that I see anything besides a ball or stud. I think you get a little more pass with silver or steel in that a steel loop stands out less than a gold one. As mentioned, the whole “mainstream pierced ear” thing feels more 90s than modern. A guy wearing a dangling earring would make me think they were in an 80s hairband video.
Then you have the distended earlobe giant grommet thing but that’s a whole different kettle of fish.
I used to swap out different studs after my fiancé pierce my left lobe 32 yrs ago or so, but it has been the same gold hoop for the past 25-ish. Believe my son has a silver hoop, also on the L, which he got after 5th grade. Earrings on men are still more the exception than the norm in my age/socioeconomic group (late 50s, upper middle class professional.)
I don’t really notice earrings on men other than to think having both ears pierced strikes me (just my personal taste) as effeminate. And I personally REALLY dislike large gauges. Don’t care if anyone chooses to do whatever they want with their body. I just personally consider them extremely unattractive.
I have a single gold ball in my left ear (I got it when my youngest daughter wanted to get her ears pierced and was afraid, so we did it together and I’ve worn an earring ever since).