Pins & needles

Most know now that I once had my tongue pierced, most see people in the street with unusual holes poked in their skin somewhere on their body, & a lot have actualy experienced it. But do you know what it actually means, or at least meant?

Ear piercings were always more commonly worn by men & had the use of being a dorrway out for all the demons in a man's head (the reason for which "the bigger the whole the better"). But many other meaning have passed through time; such as sailors who wore an ear piercing were the ones who had sailed around the globe or had at least cross the equator; or it has also been believed that it would increase the acuity of eyesite through acupuncture.

The nose piercing was first discovered 4,000 years ago, but its main reference date from India & was said to help reduce pain at childbirth & lessen period pain. By custom it was always on the left side, the spot associated with the female organs in Indian medecine. It was also common to join it by a chain to the ear.

Nipple piercings were originaly a misunderstanding between Roman generals and their soldiers: the general's body armor was well known for its faithful imitation of a man's torso, & it was also well noted that their capes were attached to them by means of hooking it to two rings on that body armor that were placed on its 'nipples'. The soldiers belived that the generals indeed had the same rings on their real nipples, as the armors seemed to be perfect imitations of what was under.

Prince Albert piercings (on a man's third leg, down under) were, as one could guess, invented by a certain Prince Albert who first pierced his genitals in order to keep 'it' strait up in the then-current fashionable tight pants. Nevertheless some consider this to be highly unlikely and prefer tracing its origin back to the kamasutra in ancient Indian culture. Your choice, but either way it has always been known to be a practice of gay culture.

Navel piercings (on the belly button) was used amongst the Egyptian royal family members for ceremonial purposes. It has now become the most common body piercing after ear piercing but is still done using unsanitary means and often leads to infections.

Tongue piercing (my favorite) was used in the Mayan culture as a means to talk to the Gods & was only done on priests. But like most piercings today it has gained a more sexual connotation. Moreover it is considered to be the most risky, as it can, in certain cases, cut the break: the tendon on your tongue that hold the tongue back (if cut the tongue would just hang out of the mouth and no surgery can fix it).


Now if you ever want to pierce youself (not recomended) it can be useful to rub the skin that is to be pierced with a raw potato, as it will rend the skin numb and will take away most of the pain. But modern techniques allow for quick and painless piercing, just make sure you go to a certified piercer that uses proper anesthetics.