To think that most women have pierced ears?

[Sweetiedarling7]

In my teenage years (70/80s) my father refused to let me have my ears pierced. He was a very judgemental unpleasant man and it was deemed “common”.

I never did end up getting mine done even after I left home because I went into nursing and the client group I worked with (people with extreme challenging behaviour) made wearing earrings inadvisable.

It seems to me that pretty much every woman has pierced ears now and many girls have them done at quite young ages.

Is there anybody left like me who doesn’t have pierced ears?

Had them done as a kid but haven't worn earrings in 30+ years. I expect they've healed up long since. I do have a nose piercing though.

Mine were done in 1967 when I was 14 and I had second piercings done a few years later. All my friends have pierced ears.

Yes, most women have pierced ears because ear piercing is a common cultural and social practice in many parts of the world, often done at a young age. It is widely accepted as a form of personal adornment, although some women choose not to have pierced ears for personal or cultural reasons.

I’d imagine that statistically you’re right that more women do than don’t. But I don’t think it’s particularly unusual not to.

I had mine done when i was 12. I remember begging my mum for years, I was the last of my friends and she made me wait. After I had them done, I hated them. I was too squeamish to change them, and I didn’t like how they looked. As an adult I can see that I only wanted them done because it was a sign of maturity and I felt babyish compared to my friends, I don’t think I’d ever thought about what it would look or feel like.

I think it must have been about two months before I took them out and left them out, and I’ve never wanted to get them done again as an adult. I don’t like to wear much jewellery anyway (which doesn’t fit with the rest of my style, I always wear makeup and like to be nicely dressed, and care a lot about how I look) and honestly, nobody notices. When it’s come up in conversation people are always surprised I don’t have them pierced.

Most women I know have their ears pierced. I had mine pierced when I was about 7. It was more usual on children then I think, and might be partly cultural (my parents are Indian.) But now, I look at my 7 year old DD and her perfect little ears and delicate skin and the idea of doing it feels so weird and somewhat akin to mutilation. If she wants to do it as a 16 year old, that is her decision, but I could never make that choice for her.

I had them pierced at 11 but didn’t like the feel of wearing them so let them close up. I’d been asking for years but my mum wouldn’t let me until I was old enough to clean and change them myself.

My 5 year old has been asking to have hers done recently and I’m unsure about it. Mostly because I know she will probably mess with them after they’re done. My 8 year old doesn’t want hers done.

I’ve never had my ears pierced and neither has my DD, who is now in her 20s. Neither of us has ever remotely wanted to. I’m honestly not sure how many of my friends and their daughters have pierced ears… I think it’s a minority.

I don't and not does my mum. Both 50+ so I fit with your theory.

It's funny, I'm not squeamish about many things but I just could never deal with the idea of putting holes in my body and hanging stuff off them. The trend for spreaders (is that what they're called? Where they have big rings that make the hole massive?) in recent years actually makes me nauseous.

I attempted to have them done aged 10 but my ears didn't react well to the piercings and I gave up and let the holes close up. They kept getting infected and sore.

I'm in my 40s and don't have pierced ears. I wanted them when I was about 9 or 10, and some of my friends were being allowed to do it, but my parents thought I was too young. Later I didn't want them after all. I remember having a teacher when I was about 12 who used to wear a variety of big chunky earrings every day (which I didn't really like) and her mentioning that she felt she had to wear them because she didn't like the look of the empty holes on days she didn't. Somehow that really resonated with me as I didn't like the empty holes either, but the idea of committing yourself to have to bother with earrings every single day didn't appeal, and still doesn't.

I had 7 piercings in my teen years and now have none as they all closed up.
Google says this which is interesting:

While exact, recent figures vary, estimates suggest close to half of all UK women have pierced ears, with one source citing just under 50% and data from around 2008 showing nearly 50% of young women (16-24) had piercings (including non-earlobe ones), with earlobes being the most common. Earlobe piercings are considered the classic and most popular type of piercing for women in the UK.

From my scientifically valid study of DD's friends (13/14) it's a mix. They either have none or 2/3 per ear (not allowed top of ear or the middle bit at school so they don't have that). DD has two- had her first at 10 and second at 13. I think it's much less of a rite of passage than it was when I was young (I literally begged constantly from about 7 and was finally allowed at 13).

I don't, but I did have them done when I was about 11 and then again at 14 but they were quite sore and I just let them close up. Never missed having them pierced. My daughter has hers done twice.

I’m 31 and it was incredibly unusual not to have pierced ears by the time you were, say, 14. My best friend didn’t as her mum was quite strict re body modifications (religious reasons!) and it was unusual enough to be commented on every so often. I think she had them done in the end, maybe in her uni years? Wild 🤪
I think I was about 11 or 12 when I got my first lobes and now have 7 in one ear and 6 in the other.

I had this issue with getting some more ear piercings as an adult, I shit you not 3 years to heal and I’m still not sure they 100% are ! I think as we age things take longer to heal

I’m exactly the same as you OP, for the same reasons and a similar age.

I had them done at 19 - 46 years ago now. But I only wear earrings very occasionally.

My mum doesn't have them. It's true I'd say the majority do. I think it looks quite nice just a plain ear. I have three or four on each.

If you've got piercings and you don't wear them the empty holes, though tiny, aren't especially attractive.

I hate those flesh tunnel stretched earlobes. I think that's gone out of fashion now but to me small attached earlobes are attractive, not big dangly elephant ears?!

I have mine done (and stretched, I did them myself in the cupboard at school with a earring 🫠). My 6 year old doesn't yet and I refuse until she is able to go to a real piercing studio. I disagree heavily with babies and toddlers being pierced as all piercings should be done with consent. Do you want them pierced? You're never too old to get a piercing!

I don’t (mid-40s). No real reason, just never fancied it. I haven’t noticed whether lots of my friends do or don’t! My dd10 has no interest but when she’s older if she wanted to I wouldn’t have a problem.

I don’t (mid-40s). No real reason, just never fancied it. I haven’t noticed whether lots of my friends do or don’t! My dd10 has no interest but when she’s older if she wanted to I wouldn’t have a problem.

I don’t have pierced ears and I’m in my 30s. I did get them pierced in my late 20s but actually hated wearing earrings so they healed up pretty quickly after that. I don’t ever wear clip on or any sort of earrings though. If I did, I’d just get them pierced as an adult.

I do, had them pierced in Claire's when I was in primary school! Haven't worn earrings for about a decade though so I've no idea if I even could now or if they've closed over.

I know a lot more younger women who don't have them pierced at all now, I think getting them done in childhood went out of fashion.

Me.