One of the main reasons for choosing piercings as my subculture is MAYA (Most Advanced Yet Acceptable). At the start of the project, I had extremely limited knowledge about piercings, and the subculture appeared mostly new and foreign. However, I drew a certain level of familiarity with the subculture from my own standard earlobe piercing, which I had had since I was 4 years old, or the popular nose piercing I had witnessed being featured by all the aunties in my family. Moreover, piercings are generally considered commonplace for people of my age (22) and gender (Female). Therefore, the subculture struck a good balance of familiarity and inviting novelty.
Growing up, I had witnessed many of my friends and cousins, primarily female, getting a variety of piercings other than the standard lobe and nose ones that I was familiar with. The standard earlobe piercing is so common, especially in women in the Pakistani culture that I grew up in, that it personally never qualified as granting me entry into the subculture of piercings altogether. From a distance, I sometimes adored the uncommon and extraordinary piercings, mostly ear, belly button, and nose ones that my friends got. However, a pre-existing belief or schema that I had unconsciously developed about piercings was that you first had to become a certain kind of person with a certain mindset and aesthetic proclivity to be able to get piercings other than the standard lobe ones that I had. However, that perception was majorly challenged and nullified during the course of this project. Through interviews and participation, I learned that entry into the subculture is almost frictionless and spontaneous. The decision to get your first few piercings (not considering the standard lobe piercing due to its sheer commonality) is largely influenced by watching other people and friends get them with you, creating a sense of shared pain and identity. The act of getting a piercing, therefore, is an inherently social one that often evolves into a group activity. Hence, it is common for people to get excited and encouraged by watching other people get piercings, and bonding over this shared experience inculcates warmth, trust, and companionship within the subculture. Moreover, a personality shift can both follow as well as precede a new piercing, thereby truly acting as an extension of one’s sense of self.
At the start of this project, I only had one piercing: the standard earlobe piercing that most women and men usually have. I got this piercing at age 4 from a shop in Liberty Market, Lahore. From what I can remember, it was primarily a jewelry and lace shop that also provided piercing services. I got this piercing from a gun, and though the process was extremely quick, I remember it hurting a lot at that time, especially sometime after I had gotten it. Gun piercings are often not recommended, as I learned during the course of this project as well (more on this later), and unsurprisingly I developed multiple infections intermittently in my first piercings. At one point, I became allergic to almost any metal studs I used to put in my piercings, making it impossible to put anything in them. The holes nearly closed up, and my mother resorted to a home remedy by putting very thin bamboo sticks covered in a mixture of mustard oil and turmeric for months in my piercings to keep them open and uninfected. I never before researched whether this technique was a myth or actually effective in helping to heal ear infections. However, during this project, I learned from one of the piercing artists I visited (Ali Bhai - more on him later) that using bamboo sticks is not uncommon to keep infected ears from closing up. A couple of internet searches (see reference) further validated the mustard oil and turmeric home remedy that my mother initially used. However, it is best to avoid infections in the first place by choosing the right metal for your first piercings and engaging in good aftercare, as discussed in later sections.
I started off the project by doing some preliminary, secondary research on the internet, primarily through YouTube videos. I realized that the breadth of the subculture is obviously pretty wide, as body piercings can cover nearly all parts of your body. In this project, however, due to time constraints and limited access to participants, I focus mostly on ear and nose piercings and also because they are the most common forms of entry into the subculture. Following the preliminary internet research, I decided to step into the field by first visiting a popular piercing parlor in the Mall of Lahore, which I categorize as High-Medium cultural capital in my analysis. I performed a miniature experience audit of the piercing/jewelry shop and interviewed the piercing artist. I also began my official participation in the subculture by getting a clip-on helix piercing upon my first piercing parlor visit. Following this visit, I researched other popular piercing parlors in Lahore and came across an overwhelming amount of people on Girl Power at LUMS (a closed Facebook Group for girls studying at LUMS) mention Ali Bhai, who is a Piercing Artist based in Liberty Market, Lahore. I also informally conversed with some of my colleagues at university about their first-hand experience with Ali Bhai and learned that he often sets up a stall outside of LUMS to occasionally provide piercing services for students at LUMS. Therefore, on my next field trip, I visited Ali Bhai’s shop in Liberty Market and observed the people getting piercings at his shop. I also interviewed Ali Bhai and took note of the positive and negative clues in his workspace. Upon my visit to Ali Bhai’s shop and witnessing other girls my age getting all sorts of extraordinary piercings, including nose and eyebrow piercings, I was also motivated to fully immerse myself in the subculture by getting my first piercing in 18 years. Following this, I record my personal experience and participation in the subculture. Lastly, I interviewed some people who have been part of the piercings subculture for quite some time and recorded and analyzed their responses through the lens of common perceptions, cultural capital, and the role of piercings in the extension of their sense of self. While the main interview findings can be found under the Interviews Section, I have linked relevant insights from them wherever applicable throughout the project.
Piercings and tattoos are often referred to as “Permanent body art,” which has long been an expression of community identity and aesthetics. However, the history of piercings is difficult to trace back to its exact origins. One of the oldest mummies that were discovered, over 5000 years old, is said to have had holes in its ears.
Ötzi, a 5,300-year-old mummy having pierced ears. Image Source: https://allthatsinteresting.com/history-of-piercing
In 1991, two tourists discovered the body of Ötzi, the oldest mummy ever found, at the Austria-Italy border. The body had pierced ears with holes that measured 7-11mm in diameter. Ötzi is estimated to have lived around 3,300 BC, indicating that ear piercing has been a significant and consistent aspect of human culture for almost as long as humans have existed.
The ancient Aztecs and Mayans engaged in temporary tongue piercing as a form of ritualized bloodletting. Similarly, in Mali and Ethiopia, some individuals practice lip piercing as part of their religious beliefs. Similarly, Thaipusam is a festival celebrated by Tamil Hindus, mainly in India, Malaysia, and Singapore. The festival involves various rituals and practices, including piercing the body with sharp objects as a form of penance or devotion.
A Thaipusam festival in Malaysia. Image Source: https://www.worldnomads.com/explore/southeast-asia/malaysia/february-thaipusam-malaysia
Throughout Western history, ears have been the most popular choice for piercing, although popularity has varied over time. In the Middle Ages, ear piercing fell out of fashion due to the prevalence of headwear that covered the ears. However, during the Renaissance, both men and women embraced ear piercing as a major trend. Sailors were known to wear earrings to commemorate long voyages and because of a belief that they improved eyesight. In the early 20th century, ear piercing for women was considered taboo due to the belief that it indicated a lack of moral character. As a result, many vintage earrings from that period were minimalist clip-ons or screwbacks. However, this idea became outdated by the 1960s, and other forms of body piercing remained largely underground for several more decades.
In 1975, Jim Ward, known as the father of the modern piercing movement, founded Gauntlet, which was the first piercing studio of its kind. Ward and his mentor, Doug Malloy, created fanciful backstories for various body piercings, such as the Prince Albert piercing, which is a male genital piercing that supposedly got its name from a rumored association with Prince Albert. Although none of these stories were confirmed, they still helped to popularize body piercing, which had previously been a taboo practice. By the 1990s, Gauntlet had expanded nationally and internationally. Although it closed in 1998, its influence continues to be felt two decades later. The piercing industry that it helped to start is now thriving, and many of the piercings that it popularized are no longer considered scandalous.