Why body pierce?

Piercing the human body has a long and varied history dating back to prehistoric times, and is still customary in some cultures throughout the world. Modern so-called 'civilised' man has discovered the benefits that piercing can bring, the reasons being many and varied. For many it is purely fashion, for others a sign of status in society and for some a means of heightening sexual pleasure. Whatever the reason, body piercing is racing around the world, heightening the demand for both piercing and piercing equipment.

Before any attempt can be made to discuss the origins of contemporary body piercing it is important to understand the global origins of piercing. It is from these roots that this art form has evolved and they reflect the attitudes many people hold towards the practise. Body piercing is ancient and, I feel rightly, according to Ted Polhemus "arguably the most widespread of all the permanent (semi-permanent) body arts" (Polhemus 1996). The names and origins of all the types of piercings now practised is a subject covered in more depth in other publications such as Eye of the Needle or Modern Primitives. However, it is worth noting some facts to provide background.

Piercing is known to have been practised by the Romans, who used nipple piercings as a sign of bravery and functionally as a means of attaching cloaks. The Karma Sutra refers to the apadravya, a genital piercing, whilst a similar piercing, the Apadravya ampallang (a horizontally orientated apadravya), is said to have originated in Borneo and in particular is associated with the Dyak tribe (Eye of the Needle). The Carafa Indians of South America wear a thin cane in the lower lip, this denotes one being in their prime of life (Clarke 1994 p109). In Africa similar decorations can be found worn by the women but they are stretched to huge sizes, a possible theory as to the extent the piercing is taken to is that it was used to discourage the slave trade. Modern body piercing then, consists of an amalgam of body art from ancient and present day non-industrialised societies coupled with modern hygiene and piercing techniques. This has given rise to new, and more technically difficult, piercings such as the diath and rook invented by Eric Dakota and even more extreme the piercing of the uvula. Many types of piercings possible are show in the illustrations section.

Piercing in the UK was, as noted above, originally limited to a variety of fringe groups, most notably the punks, 'travellers' and members of the sadomasochistic scene. These groups are by no means the only ones which practised body piercing, nor are the names assigned to them meant to be especially descriptive, they are meant purely to give a general indication of the fringe position which body piercing held.

The sudden and marked change in the nature of body piercing occurred about three to four years ago. This change was brought about by a number of factors but most notably the uptake of navel and eyebrow piercings by the fashion world, the piercing of the eyebrow of a member of the 'boy band' Take That and the increased amount of exposure given to the fetish scene on British television. These factors had three main effects. Firstly they made piercing fashionable to the general public, secondly they opened up the realm of extreme, as opposed to fashion, body piercing to people who had never realised it was possible and thirdly, people who had been piercing their own bodies for years were made aware of the extent to which the practise was widespread

Skin piercing is not merely a follow up to the punk fashion of the 70's. Its increasing popularity has been helped by fashion gurus such as Jean Paul Gaultier who connects pierced ear and pierced nose with high class jewellery and Naomi Cambell who displays her pierced navel. Furthermore, history is repeating itself; the Romans needed their nipples pierced - What else could they attach their cloaks to when going off to war. How else could Prince Albert be reassured of that 'smooth look' when wearing his fashionable tight trousers if he was unable to hook his penis to the back of his leg? Finally, the French Aristocrats were wild about it, both males and females saw it as a high class trend in the 18th century.