Are tongue piercings naff?

[swinkle]

I had my tongue pierced when I was 18, and then again a second time a year or two later. I've worn two barbells ever since and am now 35. I've been wondering on and off lately whether or not I should give them up. I've loved them for so long, but lately am wondering if they're actually really naff? I'm watching a tv show from the nineties right now and one of the characters has one tongue piercing and I was shocked by how stupid I thought it looked!

Does anyone have any thoughts? I dress pretty normally otherwise, not 'alternative' in any way.

Whilst at the same time I don't really care what anyone does, If I saw this on a mid thirties lady I would think that it looked a little bit try hard. But ultimately I wouldn't think about it for more than a few seconds, so I wouldn't worry about it over much.

For me they are not a look I like but with saying that do/wear what you like!

It’s up to you, really. It’s not super visible or anything. I think as long as you’re not the kind of person that plays with it all the time and makes it really obvious it’s fine. I’ve had mine done for years, at one point I had it three times with three barbells in. I’m down to one now, but I’ll keep it as long as I can. It’s part of me now!

Mid 40’s here!

One of my friends has her tongue pierced and those sub dermal gem things in her upper chest. She’s nearly 40 and it looks fine to me (not my thing at all, but it doesn’t look awful on her because of her age is what I mean)

Well given that you saw one and thought it looked stupid, I think you have your answer there. If you think it looks stupid then definitely take them out

I thought they were out of fashion because of the damage they do to teeth. All those microcracks resulting from metal - ceramic contact mean that at some point the cracks lead to the dentine - rotten teeth!

Well I mean yes, of course it does but then again lots of things look naff, coats with fur trims on the hood, ballet flats with office wear, ugg boots. I think that the real question is do you really care if it's naff?

I’m personally not a fan of tongue piercings on anyone of any age. I’m a fan of a lot of piercings but seeing a tongue piercing when someone talks makes me feel a bit queasy. I would never comment on anyones piercing though.

Thanks for the replies

I'm a bit torn. I don't know if I still like them or not. Does anyone know roughly how quickly the holes might heal up if I stopped wearing them? I suppose my worry is that I'd trial going without then miss them but be unable to put them back in. I wouldn't want to get it pierced again.

I think they look nice but I have heard that they ate bad for your teeth too!

I've never considered the teeth issue, actually!

I wouldn’t judge it as naff or even think about it, but then I’m not into piercings/body mod stuff personally so I never really pay much attention to them. I’d think the teeth thing was worth considering though! Maybe ask your dentist for an opinion?

Off topic, but - hadn’t seen the dermal gems before that a pp mentioned. Just looking them up and in the images online they really look a bit like blemishes. Something about the slightly inflamed red area surrounding a lot of them...

According to my dentist, any kind of piercing around the mouth area is monumentally bad for teeth.,cracking, gum recession, slowly knocking your teeth out especially if you clack it around in your mouth. That alone made me remove my lip piercing.

For the teeth issue you could get a bioflex bar?

I don't think they look naff, but I have my lip pierced so am a bit biased. I think tattoos look more strange than piercings as people get older but if you're happy then it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, it doesn't affect them.

Not a fan of them personally ..... what I do think looks naff is one “thing” jarring with the rest of your image. Maybe it’s stereotyping but I’d think the tongue piercing looked “naff” when teamed with sharp City suit. Less naff (but still not my style) if you had other piercings, a less casual fashion-style etc.

But ultimately it’s personal opinion. Although you might have answered your own question if you thought it looked naff on someone else 😂

Thanks everyone, this is all useful. I think I'm leaning towards getting rid of them. The teeth thing is a big one, it's a factor I haven't considered before but now that I am it is quite the con. It's just been a part of me for so long, it feels a bit like I'm giving up my youth!

But ah, it's true, isn't it? I thought the character looked stupid, therefore... yep, I must think I look stupid too!

I'm almost 50 and I still have my tounge piercings in, 20 years I've had them!

I have just taken them out. My tongue feels weird. I'll probably bite it a lot when I eat my dinner in a bit.

Btw, I'm so sorry to the people loving their own tongue piercings; I feel like I'm saying that** you look naff! I'm quite sure that you don't

Maybe take one out and at least you’ll still have one in, and it’ll give you an idea of how long it takes to heal.

I think they’re fine when you’re under 25, but like many things, doesn’t always work above that.

It might stay open. A few months ago I put in my belly button ring that had been out since 2009. I have a load of ear piercings too that have stayed open for many years with no jewelry in, or which were relatively easy and painless to reopen. The only thing that closed up has been my nostril piercing, but I think I left that out for around 20 years. So, especially as you've had yours for so long, you may well be able to change your mind again if you wanted to!