Adorn Me
To pierce or not to pierce, that is the question that has been shaking our house recently.
From the time Arianna was born, I always knew I'd one day bring her to get her ears pierced. Really it's just been a matter of waiting for the right time. Getting her ears pierced as an infant was never something I was interested in. Before her ears were pierced, I wanted her to understand that she couldn't touch them, knew if they fell out not to eat them, and understand the process. But mostly, I wanted her to be old enough to really want them.
Finally yesterday morning while helping me put on a pair of flower studs, she said "Mommy, I want to get my ears pierced today." I'm not going to lie, I was excited. But I told her that she would have to ask her father.
From the other room, I listened to their conversation:
Arianna: Daddy, can I get my ears pierced?
Marc: [shakes head]
Arianna: Please? I really want my ears pierced.
Marc: No.
Arianna: Yes. It's my decision.
Marc: It's not your decision. You're not old enough.
Arianna: [Screaming] No, you're wrong Daddy! I am old enough!
The rest is inaudible from my ease-dropping position. The next thing I know, Arianna kicks Marc and he puts her on time-out.
She was obviously disappointed and frustrated. And I quickly joined her in feeling that way after speaking to Marc myself. He's maddening, I tell you. Marc does not want to pierce Arianna's ears until she is able to care for them herself, understand that there are risks, and understands what she is doing to her body. So, in other words, when she's old enough to go out and get them herself.
It reminded me of the Full House episode where Danny wouldn't let Stephanie get her ears pierced, and no one understand why. Especially Stephanie. So, in order to fulfill her dream, she let Kimmy Gibbler pierce them. Yup, she was desperate all right. Needless to say, they got infected and it was only found out after she wore her hair in Cinnabons which covered her ears and finally came clean with Danny. I had a similar experience to Stephanie Tanner's when I was seventeen. I wanted to get my belly-button pierced, but my parents said no. So, my best friends and I boarded a train into the city and went downtown where we went to every piercing place we could find. Finally, after about a two hour search, we found a place who didn't ID us and agreed to pierce us. We paid our money ($30) and were led into the basement to the shadiest looking bearded man I have ever seen. He pierced us and we went home and none of us ever had a problem.
Unfortunately, my argument "for" earrings was pretty weak. Because really, what reason is there aside from the fact that they look great? So I decided to strengthen my argument with some research.
The History:
Ear piercing is an ancient practice that dates back at least five thousand years ago. The ancient Egyptians, Mayans, Inuits, and Bedouins are amongst just a few of the civilizations who engaged in earlobe adornment. The reasons for ear piercing were numerous. In some cultures it was a sign of wealth or an indication of rank, in other cultures it was religious, while others thought it would ward off evil spirits from entering their bodies.
The age at which these cultures pierced an individuals lobes varied by group. In India for example, newborns are pierced when they are given their names. In other societies, pierced ears are performed as a rite of passage, such as at the onset of puberty or before a marriage ceremony.
The Bible also approves of pierced ears, and that's impressive because let's face it, there's not many trends it does approve of. The Hebrews wore earrings as an adornment to show wealth, but slaves also sported earrings as a sign of their servitude.
The world over, ear piercing is also popular for men. Sailors, for example, would pierce their ears in belief that it would improve their eyesight or to show that they had sailed around the world. Other groups such as poets like William Shakespeare also had their earlobes pierced.
In the United States, pierced earrings reached a low-popularity point between the 1920s and 1960s when clip-on earrings became popular. (This explains all the clip ons in my Grandmother's jewelery box!) However, during the 1960s pierced earrings became very popular and was often done at home. A decade later, piercing guns were invented and pierced ears rose came back into fashion.
The Method:
The method of piercing is also very important. I think when most people think of getting ears pierced, they automatically think of the junk jewelry store at the mall, with the teenager and the piercing gun. It's probably the easiest and most inexpensive way, but it can also be dangerous if the piercing guns are reused, posing a risk of infection. Here's a video of a girl getting pierced at Claire's:
Getting one's ears pierced medically is similar to the above method, as it uses a piercing gun. However, the piercing guns are completely sterile and there is no risk at transferring germs between clients. Additionally, most medical piercing places offer the option of having a local anesthetic be applied so that no pain will be felt. Of course, this is also the most expensive method.
Another way is by a autoclaved, sterilized, single use needles; typically done at tattoo parlors. Here is a video of this method:
When to get pierced?
It seems that it's purely a personal choice on the part of the parents and/or the individual. Pediatricians recommend waiting until a child is over six months old. The piercing studio, Nomad, from which the single-use needle video is from, recommends looking for signs of readiness "which include: ability to communicate verbally, sit still, and write their own name."
Marc and I finally agreed on when we'll get Arianna's ears pierced: when she has continuously been asking for them for a few months. I think this is a good compromise - she knows her mind and expresses it freely. Everyday since we got back from vacation in February she's been asking to go back to DisneyWorld. But even more impressive as to her perseverance is the fact she's been asking daily for a kitten for well over a year.
I know that if she really wants those ears of hers pierced she won't let us forget it.
References:
http://www.squidoo.com/history-of-ear-piercings
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earring
http://www.nomadmuseum.com/piercingchildren.html
http://www.en.blomdahl.com/default.asp?id=2211
From the time Arianna was born, I always knew I'd one day bring her to get her ears pierced. Really it's just been a matter of waiting for the right time. Getting her ears pierced as an infant was never something I was interested in. Before her ears were pierced, I wanted her to understand that she couldn't touch them, knew if they fell out not to eat them, and understand the process. But mostly, I wanted her to be old enough to really want them.
Finally yesterday morning while helping me put on a pair of flower studs, she said "Mommy, I want to get my ears pierced today." I'm not going to lie, I was excited. But I told her that she would have to ask her father.
From the other room, I listened to their conversation:
Arianna: Daddy, can I get my ears pierced?
Marc: [shakes head]
Arianna: Please? I really want my ears pierced.
Marc: No.
Arianna: Yes. It's my decision.
Marc: It's not your decision. You're not old enough.
Arianna: [Screaming] No, you're wrong Daddy! I am old enough!
The rest is inaudible from my ease-dropping position. The next thing I know, Arianna kicks Marc and he puts her on time-out.
She was obviously disappointed and frustrated. And I quickly joined her in feeling that way after speaking to Marc myself. He's maddening, I tell you. Marc does not want to pierce Arianna's ears until she is able to care for them herself, understand that there are risks, and understands what she is doing to her body. So, in other words, when she's old enough to go out and get them herself.
It reminded me of the Full House episode where Danny wouldn't let Stephanie get her ears pierced, and no one understand why. Especially Stephanie. So, in order to fulfill her dream, she let Kimmy Gibbler pierce them. Yup, she was desperate all right. Needless to say, they got infected and it was only found out after she wore her hair in Cinnabons which covered her ears and finally came clean with Danny. I had a similar experience to Stephanie Tanner's when I was seventeen. I wanted to get my belly-button pierced, but my parents said no. So, my best friends and I boarded a train into the city and went downtown where we went to every piercing place we could find. Finally, after about a two hour search, we found a place who didn't ID us and agreed to pierce us. We paid our money ($30) and were led into the basement to the shadiest looking bearded man I have ever seen. He pierced us and we went home and none of us ever had a problem.
Unfortunately, my argument "for" earrings was pretty weak. Because really, what reason is there aside from the fact that they look great? So I decided to strengthen my argument with some research.
The History:
Ear piercing is an ancient practice that dates back at least five thousand years ago. The ancient Egyptians, Mayans, Inuits, and Bedouins are amongst just a few of the civilizations who engaged in earlobe adornment. The reasons for ear piercing were numerous. In some cultures it was a sign of wealth or an indication of rank, in other cultures it was religious, while others thought it would ward off evil spirits from entering their bodies.
The age at which these cultures pierced an individuals lobes varied by group. In India for example, newborns are pierced when they are given their names. In other societies, pierced ears are performed as a rite of passage, such as at the onset of puberty or before a marriage ceremony.
The Bible also approves of pierced ears, and that's impressive because let's face it, there's not many trends it does approve of. The Hebrews wore earrings as an adornment to show wealth, but slaves also sported earrings as a sign of their servitude.
The world over, ear piercing is also popular for men. Sailors, for example, would pierce their ears in belief that it would improve their eyesight or to show that they had sailed around the world. Other groups such as poets like William Shakespeare also had their earlobes pierced.
In the United States, pierced earrings reached a low-popularity point between the 1920s and 1960s when clip-on earrings became popular. (This explains all the clip ons in my Grandmother's jewelery box!) However, during the 1960s pierced earrings became very popular and was often done at home. A decade later, piercing guns were invented and pierced ears rose came back into fashion.
The Method:
The method of piercing is also very important. I think when most people think of getting ears pierced, they automatically think of the junk jewelry store at the mall, with the teenager and the piercing gun. It's probably the easiest and most inexpensive way, but it can also be dangerous if the piercing guns are reused, posing a risk of infection. Here's a video of a girl getting pierced at Claire's:
Getting one's ears pierced medically is similar to the above method, as it uses a piercing gun. However, the piercing guns are completely sterile and there is no risk at transferring germs between clients. Additionally, most medical piercing places offer the option of having a local anesthetic be applied so that no pain will be felt. Of course, this is also the most expensive method.
Another way is by a autoclaved, sterilized, single use needles; typically done at tattoo parlors. Here is a video of this method:
When to get pierced?
It seems that it's purely a personal choice on the part of the parents and/or the individual. Pediatricians recommend waiting until a child is over six months old. The piercing studio, Nomad, from which the single-use needle video is from, recommends looking for signs of readiness "which include: ability to communicate verbally, sit still, and write their own name."
Marc and I finally agreed on when we'll get Arianna's ears pierced: when she has continuously been asking for them for a few months. I think this is a good compromise - she knows her mind and expresses it freely. Everyday since we got back from vacation in February she's been asking to go back to DisneyWorld. But even more impressive as to her perseverance is the fact she's been asking daily for a kitten for well over a year.
I know that if she really wants those ears of hers pierced she won't let us forget it.
References:
http://www.squidoo.com/history-of-ear-piercings
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earring
http://www.nomadmuseum.com/piercingchildren.html
http://www.en.blomdahl.com/default.asp?id=2211
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