Stretched Ears Stretch The Boundaries

Styles and trends are constantly changing in every generation. Tattoos and piercings have seemed to evolve over time. A big trend you might see is stretched ears or facial piercings.

“I think they’re expressive and more stylish because there are a lot more designs that normal earrings don’t have,” sophomore Sasha Boehm said.

Stretched ears and body modifications have been around for quite some time now. Tribes in Africa, Eurasia, and America have use ear stretching for cultural and religious reasons. The trend of ear stretching dates back to royalty, including King Tut.

“It’s a different kind of style, and it’s a bit odd,” sophomore Vincenzo Davi said.

A lot of times people use the incorrect terminology while trying to describe or talk about this particular piercing.  “Gauges” is incorrect; the correct term is “stretched ears.” The word “gauge” refers to the size of the piercing.

Depending on what type of jewelry the person is wearing, he or she uses different names. Plugs are a type of jewelry you can insert in your ear so you can’t see through them. Tunnels are a type of jewelry that you can insert in your ear so that the hole is visible and you can see through them. Tapers are the tool used to stretch the ear.

“I think there is a size limit to stretching your ears and the number of piercings you have,” McKenzie Tanhouser said.

“If my daughter were to want that, I would have a few questions to ask her, but I don’t mind it because it’s so common that I don’t notice it,”science teacher Mark Cassolo says.

Some may ask if this piercing will ever shrink back to the normal size. It is known that, once you go past a certain size, it won’t close up. A lot of parents do not want their children stretching their ears in fear of not having them not go back to normal. This piercing will shrink after some months unless you go to extreme sizes.

“It might cost them more money in the end to get the ear lobe fixed once they stretch past a certain size. If they apply for a job that doesn’t allow that kind of stuff, they might regret the decision, but, if that’s what they want to do, then do it. I don’t really like it,” science teacher Damian King said.

It seems like most students do not mind body modifications.  It seems that some adults or parents may have an issue with the body modifications. Some people stereotype this look with habits or a certain type of attitude, even a type of music.