Gallery
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Body piercing, a form of body modification,
is the practice of puncturing or cutting
a part of the human body, creating an
opening in which jewellery may be worn.
The word piercing can refer to the act
or practice of body piercing, or to an
opening in the body created by this act
or practice. While the history of body
piercing is obscured by a lack of scholarly
reference and popular misinformation,
ample evidence exists to document that
it has been practiced in various forms
by both sexes since ancient times throughout
the world.
Ear
piercing and nose piercing have been
particularly widespread
and are well
represented in historical records and
among grave goods. The oldest mummified
remains ever discovered were sporting
earrings, attesting to the existence
of the practice more than 5,000 years
ago. Nose piercing is documented as
far back as 1500 B.C.E.
Piercings
of these
types have been documented globally,
while lip and tongue piercings were
historically found in African
and American tribal
cultures.
Nipple
and genital piercing have also been
practiced by various
cultures, with nipple piercing
dating back at least
to Ancient Rome while genital piercing
is described in Ancient India ca.
320 to 550 C.E.
The
history of navel piercing is less clear.
The practice of body
piercing has waxed and waned
in Western culture,
but it has experienced an increase
of popularity since World War
II, with sites
other than the ears gaining subcultural
popularity in the 70s and spreading
to mainstream in the 1990s.
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