Boys and men with ear rings??

[CharlotteWebb]

About 40 years ago when my brother was a teen he had is left ear pierced as it was 'fashionable' at the time. However, this phase shortly passed and by the time he was 20 the ear ring had gone forever.

I see younger and younger boys (from age 8 or 9 upwards) who wear an ear ring in the left ear.

AIBU to ask if this is still to do with fashion or am I missing a much deeper reason such as cultural?

My BIL still wears an ear ring (he's in his late 50's) and in his case it is definitely NOT cultural - he just thinks it looks cool!!!

I think he looks ridiculous AIBU? I try not to laugh when I see him, but that's more because he has huge ears and the ear ring draws attention to this!

Prior to modern times, sailors would wear earrings because if the ship sank or they fell overboard the gold in the ears would replace the custom of coins on the eyelids- which are your fare for Charon to row your soul across the river Styx and gain access to the underworld. If you didn’t have any fare, your soul would be trapped at the bottom of the sea for eternity.

In many modern navies although the above religious belief is long dead a remnant of the custom remains. When my DH was in the navy you could wear an earring if you’d crossed the equator on ship. If you’d survived a sinking ship, you could grow your hair longer.

I'm hesitant to post on this toxic thread but just thought I'd say that my 14 year old and his friends are thinking about getting an ear piercing - because it's coming back into fashion. That's it. The eighties and nineties are very big with youngesters that age (like the fifties and sixties was when I was a teenager) - they listen to 80s and 90s music, have 'modern mullet' haircuts etc - as lot to do with Stranger Things I think which they all love (does one of the boys have his ear pierced I think?)

So, fashion.

“I think he looks ridiculous AIBU? I try not to laugh when I see him, but that's more because he has huge ears and the ear ring draws attention to this!”

I wonder what you wear that he thinks looks ridiculous or doesn’t suit you?

I love a piercing on a hot man. Only when it’s through his knob though.

In the 1500-1700s pirates would be really blinged out and wear tons of jewellery. This was more because on your person was the best way to keep your loot from theives. You couldn’t open a bank account when wanted for piracy! You might have to flee for your life without even time to put your boots on. Having a ring or something you can trade on the spot for an escape passage was necessary. So what you did was wore a ton of jewelled and gold earrings, necklaces, rings, bracelets, brooches.

Maybe your leggings for example. Maybe he looks at you and thinks ‘she hasn’t got the thighs for those’ and laughs up his sleeve at your lack of awareness of how terrible you look?

Of course I’m not saying you do (look terrible) but don’t be sitting there imagining you’re an example of good taste to the point you feel entitled to comment on his big ears.

To be honest I think what’s really ‘rough’ ‘grim’ and ‘tragic’ is spending your life in a nasty little bubble where you can’t accept anyone being different from yourself and have to judge them by silly superficial things. Surely you could have more empathy considering you’re specifically upset about your husband judging your fashion choices?

People pierce their ears so they can wear earrings, probably because they think it looks nice. Unless you’re very very stupid (which I’ll admit is a possibility) I’m sure you could have worked that out on your own. What ‘cultural reason’ did you expect? Did you notice it’s all people from a certain culture with pierced ears? What culture is your bil from?

Beware the zombie thread!!!

FWIW DS1 (17) has his right ear pierced twice. It looks awesome.

Just seen this is from 4 years ago 😒 wouldn’t it be an idea for mumsnet to do something so threads are ‘locked’ after a certain period? When they come up on active you obviously don’t check the date of the op.

Pierced ears and mullets go well together.

Still interesting though. I find it amazing that the youth of today are emulating 80s/90s fashions with their own spin. Once I saw mullets looking cool (on 19 year olds, not middle aged me) it amazes me - how young people put their own spin on things from the past that we look down on. It's life affirming actually, especially post COVID, as these kids were pretty much locked up for 2 years.

It's very weird that you think there's any reason other than fashion or the fact that they like the way it looks. Why would there be? Do you ask the same question about other jewellery, clothes, shoes, accessories etc?

I come from an arty town where lots of men wear earrings - often 2 little hoops (one in each ear). I love it!! It's bohemian. Women have all sorts of piercings and do many things for fashion/beauty - let men do what they want!

Quite common for men to have one or two lobe piercings here. Often they’re stretched as well. Not really large gauge though. Haven’t seen that in a while.

My son got both ears pierced because it was £15 for one and £18 for two, so he felt two was better value 😂. I did suggest that he could have got two in one ear lobe but he doesn't care.

There was a guy on the checkout in Lidl the other day, he had those massive gauge ears hoops which I haven't seen in a very long time. It was really popular at one point. I hardly ever see brow piercings now,

I personally think YABU and I think it’s quite common for men to have their ears pierced, at least in my experience.

In my circles growing up there was nothing unusual about boys/men having pierced ears, maybe it’s more common amongst those who like alternative music and fashion?

Both my father and brother wear earrings, some of my uncles and cousins have their ears pierced, so does my husband and a few of his friends, my son wants his ear pierced which we’ve agreed to.

I always think they are traveller children if they have pierced ears.

Girls sometimes feel under immense pressure to have their ears pierced. I made mine wait until she was I think 12 or 13. She was the only one at primary school that didn’t have it done.

In contrast only one of the boys did and although personally I don’t have a problem with any consenting child making a decision- it was discussed by the in mums at the time (I wasn’t one of them) that it was because he was rough. I pointed out the sexism at its finest
earrings on girls = pretty, accessories, fashion etc and the maintaining and deciding which ones to wear ~ very socially accepting and seeing as norm. Boys = one hoop or stud normally - majority have no earrings ~ socially acceptable to some and not others.

To me it is everyday stereotypes personified. Bit like we normally cut boys hair short - no need to brush really or maintain. Girls at primary certainly have longer hair - more time needed to sort it and lots of hair clips and accessories.

I often wonder how much money and time is spent on these things for girls, earrings, make up, hair compared to men and why it is, how and when it would ever change.

to me you wear and do what you want as a consenting informed individual.

Very different to for examples birds where normally it is male blinging themselves themselves up - I accept we aren’t birds but I muse about these sorts of things over my coffee!

Gosh, aren't you defensive? Multiple posts insisting that " I am reasonable, I Am, I AM I AM
I AM and you're all boring and wrong" tends to make people doubt you are quite as firm in your opinions as you present.

/sits back and waits for the flood of "no you're wrong, yawn, there's nothing wrong with me, etc&etc"

Or you could be honest and just say you think they're yucky. Don't like em much myself (irrational and purely taste, both sexes) but I don't care if others do. Doubt that'll happen as you clearly want validation that it's somehow legitimate 🤔

YANBU - earrings on men look pathetic and earrings on boys looks cheap!

Oh dear - I had forgotten how up tight some people are yawn yawn
😂oh the irony 😂

I suppose it’s because they think it looks good. Some men can carry it off, a lot can’t imo. But adults should do whatever they want.

I don’t like pierced ears on younger kids, girls or boys. I don’t think they should be encouraged to think about what makes them look good and I’ve found if they’re not encouraged to they generally don’t give a shit until they’re at least at secondary, unless they have friends with parents that encourage it.

I'm old. Male. Still wearing an earring

People who judge others for what they do with their bodies are twats