Body Piercings Essay Example for Free

Body Piercings Essay In this ever fast and changing world, body piercings are evolving quickly. We see more people wearing body jewelry. The question is how did they make their decisions? Did they do the research and look at the risks associated with it? Do they know what the piercings symbolize? Or where they are from? Where they pressured into piercings? Do they know exactly what they want in their lives? The decision of body piercing depends on how one was brought up or if one was peer pressured in to it. Body piercing is a decision that one person makes on their own based on ones beliefs, and feelings as well as cultural differences. There are many facial body piercings that can be worn, and many that have been used throughout history. The nose piercing is the most popular of the piercings historically. Tongue piercings are now commonly seen everyday. â€Å"It is originally said to be a Ritual form by ancient Aztecs, Mayas of Central America and the Haida Tribes.† (1998)(Morrison, C) Ear Piercing was common among many cultures throughout history. Ear Piercing is the most common piercing performed in America, and the one society accepts the most. The first recorded body found with ear piercings was said to be over five thousand years old and it was found in Austria. During different periods of time, it was common for men to wear fashionable earrings, for instance William Shakespeare wore elaborate earrings for more attention. The labret piercing is also something that is performed on many people. This is the piercing that is below the lip and above the chin. The eyebrow piercing is also something that was used in India as well. One of the most popular piercing with teens is the navel piercing. The navel piercing became a big fad in 1953 when the bikini was invented. The Nipple piercings is something that has been around for many years. Both men and woman have participated in having their nipples pierced. Nipple piercings dates back to the times of, Roman Centurions who had their nipples pierced for the armor that they wore. Many cultures have used nipple piercings as well, in Paris many women had their nipples pierced because it is said to make them larger, and more sensitive. There are many kinds of body piercings particularly set for both women and men, some piercings can better ones love life. The genitals piercings are a part of the body that gets pierced and is a growing in trend. The most common male genital piercing would be the Prince Albert Piercing; this particular piercing was named after Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria of England. This piercing was created because Prince Albert’s pants were to snug in the groin area so they created a hook per say for the piercing to be connected to as to keep from having an unsightly bulge in the pants. This particular piercing can also increased sexual stimulation for both men and women. There are many several other male genital piercings, most are very similar. Fraendulum, foreskin, palange, and apadrauya, guiche, and hafada are all other male genital piercings. The piercing that women can get would be called the Clitoris hood, this piercing is said to increase sexual stimulation. There are many important things to think about when deciding to get ones body pierced. Where is one going to get it? Is it important to go to a licensed professional? What would the risk be if deciding on having a friend do it? There are many other factors to consider when one decides on getting ones body pierced. Dose one think that getting ones labret or nose pierced might interfere with ones career goals? Or as a parent would one want his/her children to grow up thinking it was alright? Some people also stop to think about what it is going to do to their body, and how it will affect them when they get older. Making the decision is important for one to make based on the facts, not from the opinions of others. There are many religious views when it comes to body piercing and each one is a little different. The views in the Bible about body piercings are very interesting to many people. The Bible Speaks of many different things throughout its scriptures. I found a few interesting scriptures in my research I felt were important to include. â€Å"Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the Lord.† (1998) (Miller, B) that particular scripture was found in 19:28 Leviticus. The Bible also speaks about self mutilation being against the fifth commandment. The fifth commandment is based on the Catholic views. Religion is something that many people should think about when deciding on getting their body pierced. Taking care of ones piercing is very important. Piercings are considered open wounds until they fully heal, and healing can take a lengthy amount of time depending on the particular piercing. Healing time differs for many of the piercings available; however there are many things that a person can do to prevent one from getting an infection. Practicing good hygiene is a must; this is something that everyone should practice every day. There are some things that one should not do after getting a new piercing. Avoid contact between anyone else’s open wounds or body fluids around the pierced area. Smoking can be a problem if one decided to get an oral piercing. Cleaning a piercing several times a day is always essential to keep it from getting infected. Infections can be very painful and could cause one to have to remove the piercing as well. There are many risks associated with body piercings; one could possibly have an allergic reaction to particular metals which most body jewelry is made from. When one gets initial body jewelry it is almost always going to be a metal jewelry. Infection is a huge risk that can cause one to have to remove the piercing in order to get the infection out. People can get a viral infection from the misuse of body piercing tools. Piercing guns are capable of spreading HIV, hepatitis A, B, and C. This is why it is extremely important to go to a licensed professional body piercing studio. The licensed professional knows the proper cleaning and piercing techniques to keep this situation from happening. Making sure that one keeps their body jewelry clean is very important even once the piercing has healed, because one could still get an infection. Sharing body jewelry could possibly lead to spreading both bacterial and viral infections, which could lead up to something as bad as Hepatitis. This is also something that one might want to think about before making an ultimate decision on getting their body pierced. There are many reasons in which a person should weigh the pros and cons before making a quick and rash decision. Body piercings are not forever, but they can leave scars both physically, and emotionally. Taking ones time is important when making the decisions that include so many big health risks. Piercings are perceived as both an art form and a mistake depending on the different people who one might talk to, and their knowledge of the subject. Peer pressure can be hard to work through, Try to make ones own choices. It is ones own life as an adult to make any life altering or body altering decisions.