Genuine question, why is it legal to get a babies ears pierced?

[YellowEllis]

I can't fathom it. A girl I know has pictures on social media of her 5 month old getting her ears pierced and I was stunned and googled it and it's allowed? I can't understand it, I wasn't allowed mine pierced at 14 without my mother's consent, but her consent was additional to mine, to me even wanting it. A 5 month old can't ask, consent or would possibly want that. It's purely for the mothers vanity?

[CodexDevinchi]

‘Cos it’s dead cute init’

(Sarcastic)

My dds wear earrings. They choose all kinds of clips ons. They don’t want their ears pierced and it’s totally unnecessary.

We really shouldn’t be punchering holes in our babies ears! Horrible!

[Love0910]

In Brazil you can pierce it at the hospital on first day of life.
Almost all babies have it pierced in the first week. So people can "know it's a girl". It's a very sexist thing.

[oceanbreezy]

I don’t know of any south asian girl that doesn’t have their ears pierced. Whenever I would go back to my parents home country the first thing my aunt/grandma would say is where are your earrings! I’m glad I got them done young as I don’t remember it at all. Most south asians are grown up with being hit by their parents. I don’t think piercing ears as a baby is bad. Especially in our culture, you’ll never see a girl without their ears pierced so you might as well get it done young when you can’t remember the pain!

[MrsPworkingmummy]

I believe there should be a minimum age limit of 10, not withstanding the fact pierced ears look bloody horrible on young children.

[RubyFakeLips]

I think comparing this to abuse or GBH is disingenuous. Really not on the same scale and minimises the suffering caused by actual abuse. I doubt SS would see this as an issue in an otherwise good home.

Lots of what we do to children is unnecessary and can cause lasting damage, theres a scale and presence of malicious intent.

I pierced my DD's ears at around 2 (I have trained and worked as a piercer in the past- NOT at a Claire's type place). Mainly because I knew it was going to happen at some point and made sense for me to do it, let it heal and get the whole thing out the way. I can't remember that she cried but may well have done. We definitely had more memorable tantrums and trauma over broken biscuits.

[lukasiak]

Dd13 had hers pierced at 10 weeks old because it was culturally important to her late fathers family and I didn't have a strong opinion either way.
Current DH is is of boring irish and polynesian descent, thus dd3's ears remain holeless . Think we will probably have them done in the weeks leading up to her starting school (so 5, going on 6, in my country).

[Bloodybridget]

@lukasiak, why will you have it done, though? Why can't your little DD's ears remain unchanged?

[lukasiak]

[quote Bloodybridget]@lukasiak, why will you have it done, though? Why can't your little DD's ears remain unchanged?[/quote]
I mean, if she was adamate that she didn't want them done, I wouldn't hold her down and force pins through her ears, but I feel right before school starts is a nice time to make a special grown up treat day of it. Go out to high tea, get a mini mani/pedi, ears pierced, maybe a special 'grown up' toy like a monsters high doll. Why not?

[RedRumTheHorse]

@Love0910

In Brazil you can pierce it at the hospital on first day of life.
Almost all babies have it pierced in the first week. So people can "know it's a girl". It's a very sexist thing.

I'm glad you brought that up.

My mum explained to me in cultures where babies ears are pierced it is so everyone knows girls from boys as all babies look the same.

My DDs ears aren't pierced and lots of non-white people assume she is a boy even if she is wearing stereotypical girls clothing.

I have successfully pierced my own ears as a teen. I have also met and know loads of people who have successfully pierced their own ears and some of them have also have pierced their kids. So if a law is brought in it would be extremely easy to circumvent it.

[RedRumTheHorse]

@oceanbreezy

I don’t know of any south asian girl that doesn’t have their ears pierced. Whenever I would go back to my parents home country the first thing my aunt/grandma would say is where are your earrings! I’m glad I got them done young as I don’t remember it at all. Most south asians are grown up with being hit by their parents. I don’t think piercing ears as a baby is bad. Especially in our culture, you’ll never see a girl without their ears pierced so you might as well get it done young when you can’t remember the pain!

It's not painful if you do it with a needle. I put additional holes in myself as teen.

My research was asking friends who got their first holes when they could remember what method was most painful.

[MandosHatHair]

I hate seeing tiny babies with pierced ears, surely as they grow the holes will become uneven. It's laughable that people compare piercings to vaccines, there is no comparison. I couldn't give a shit about cultural reasons, child welfare comes first.

[BuggerOffAndGoodDayToYou]

I mean, if she was adamate that she didn't want them done, I wouldn't hold her down and force pins through her ears, but I feel right before school starts is a nice time to make a special grown up treat day of it. Go out to high tea, get a mini mani/pedi, ears pierced, maybe a special 'grown up' toy like a monsters high doll. Why not?

I don’t understand why you’d want to give a child of 5 or 6 a “grown up” treat. Why can’t we just let children be children? We are “grown up” for a very long time!

[HeLa1]

I got my ears pierced when I was days old. My mum did it. I don’t remember the pain and it’s very common in our culture.

Pierced ears are in no way comparable to FGM, foot binding or breast ironing. They cause pain for a few minutes that the child will forget. They also do not have the life lasting harmful consequences of FGM.

[purpledagger]

I got my DDs ears pierced when she was a baby, as it's common in my culture. I didn't know it was a 'thing' until coming on here.

[CodexDevinchi]

I don’t understand why you’d want to give a child of 5 or 6 a “grown up” treat. Why can’t we just let children be children? We are “grown up” for a very long time!

Such a strong drive to make children look like mini adults

[StampMc]

Because it’s not that big a deal, it’s culturally normal for people (even WASPs) to have pierced ears so not seen by the majority as mutilation or “hanging random bits of metal”. It’s not desperately painful and infection beyond a bit of redness that can be dealt with at home is rare. It has no serious lasting consequences and most of all, it’s piss easy to do yourself with equipment you are likely to have in the home already and as earrings are forever going to be available to fill the holes then “banning” it leads only to it being banned in registered salons. You can hardly arrest people for having a child with pierced ears unless it also becomes illegal to have your child’s ears pierced abroad. There would also be endless strife between parents who disagreed and grandmothers (ever seen the modern family where Lily gets “hair rings” when out with Gloria) and it’s really not worth legislating for if the result is going to be babies getting their ears pierced by parents at home and teens getting theirs pierced by their mates on the bathroom floor using a needle, and ice cube and a cork (been there).

[curlyrebel]

Those of you who agree with the OP are a. Assuming that ear piercing is painful b. Wrongly comparing ear piercing in babies and children to FGM and other long-lasting harmful practices and c. being culturally insensitive.

My ears were pierced when I was small and I do not have any lasting damage from it. I do not blame my mum for getting it done and I'm actually grateful that I didn't need to get them done later on.

I took my DD to get her ears pierced when she was a baby. I took her to a reputable jewellers who were very professional and did it so quickly she didn't even cry. I did the appropriate after care and she never had any infections.

Rather than suggesting it should be made illegal why not ensure that any place that offers it ensures safe practices are adhered to?

Every time I see posts like this on MN I am actually shocked at the level of outrage. There are lots of things that can be considered child abuse but ear piercing is not it.

[Cybercontroller]

@oceanbreezy

I don’t know of any south asian girl that doesn’t have their ears pierced. Whenever I would go back to my parents home country the first thing my aunt/grandma would say is where are your earrings! I’m glad I got them done young as I don’t remember it at all. Most south asians are grown up with being hit by their parents. I don’t think piercing ears as a baby is bad. Especially in our culture, you’ll never see a girl without their ears pierced so you might as well get it done young when you can’t remember the pain!

Just because they don't remember the pain doesn't mean it's okay.

[Ijustreallywantacat]

I can't get worked up about. It's a tiny hole, the pain is over very quickly, and if you do it when they are very young, the baby will not remember. I kind of wish I had had mine done much younger, I HATED it being done when I was 11ish as I am a huge wimp with pain. I wouldn't do personally, but I figure live and let live tbh.

Calling it 'abuse' is quite frankly insulting. Absolutely appalling. It is very, very far from abuse and usually done in the context of a very loving family.

[lukasiak]

@BuggerOffAndGoodDayToYou

I mean, if she was adamate that she didn't want them done, I wouldn't hold her down and force pins through her ears, but I feel right before school starts is a nice time to make a special grown up treat day of it. Go out to high tea, get a mini mani/pedi, ears pierced, maybe a special 'grown up' toy like a monsters high doll. Why not?

I don’t understand why you’d want to give a child of 5 or 6 a “grown up” treat. Why can’t we just let children be children? We are “grown up” for a very long time!

Because she would enjoy it, and starting school is a 'grown up' step?

[Veterinari]

@curlyrebel

a. Assuming that ear piercing is painful

Well it was for me and certainly seems to be fit many others. So not assuming but speaking from direct experience.

b. Wrongly comparing ear piercing in babies and children to FGM and other long-lasting harmful practices
where has anyone compared ear piercing to FGM?

Of course the two aren't comparable in terms of impact. I don't see that anyone has suggested otherwise.
What has been suggested is that inflicting injury in children in the name of culture is a slippery slope. Where do you draw the line if culture is a valid defence?

c. being culturally insensitive.

Again I don't see this on this thread - in fact it's clear that a number of posters from a variety of cultures have posted and shared their experiences. Personally I don't see culture as a valid defence for deliberately causing pain or injury to children - otherwise where do you draw that line? Which painful cultural practices are ok and which are not?

[KenDodd]

I agree op, it should be illegal.

I expect the reason it's not is because there would be uproar for parents who want to punch painful holes in their girl child's ears because they think it looks pretty (it doesn't, it looks abusive).

[BuggerOffAndGoodDayToYou]

starting school is a 'grown up' step?

But it isn’t. It’s a step in a CHILD’S life. When my two started school their idea of a treat was picking a cute lunchbox and getting a milkshake after school. I took DD for a mani/pedi when she was fourteen!

Fortunately neither her primary or secondary school allowed earrings to be worn at all so when she ASKED to have them done it was a sensible, thought out decision by her and not influenced by us.

[PotholeParadise]

Those of you who agree with the OP are a. Assuming that ear piercing is painful


Oh come on. Don't be absurd.