why people associae piercings with being gay/bi?

greenday chick

people tell me its obvious im bi because of my piercings.....why is this?

Malaise

because they're ignorant & stupid & you really shouldn't think about anything they say for a second more, it's a waste of brain activity!

Emboss

because they're gay

Shiminay

Originally posted by Emboss
because they're gay

Possibly the funniest thing I've read all day - GG!

beardedchicken

that's actually an interesting question- a gay mate of mine told me that years and years ago when the gay scene was first starting up in the states, wearing an earring in a particular ear was a way for gay men to tell who it was safe to approach. to a certain extent that preconception still exists in some people's minds -i.e if you have your right ear pierced (or whichever one it was) you must be gay. nowadays, however, that's bollox, but there will always be some small minded people who think otherwise.

eth0_

Originally posted by beardedchicken
that's actually an interesting question- a gay mate of mine told me that years and years ago when the gay scene was first starting up in the states, wearing an earring in a particular ear was a way for gay men to tell who it was safe to approach.

Exactly. Body piercing was almost exclusively a gay thing until probably the past 10 years or so. But c'mon, most of the heavily tattooed/pierced guys I see around Ireland look more scary than gay!

Malaise

Just as a matter of interest; what piercing's do you have that made people make these comments?

greenday chick

eyebrow,labret, tongue pierced twice, nipples, bellybuton, a few in ears. and a tattoo

swiss

I'm not much into piercings myself, but I had a stud in one of my ears about a year ago (I'm pretty sure it was my right ear). I pretty much did it as a bet, and didn't really associate it with an indication of sexual preference, but almost immediately afterwards people who knew me saw it as some sort of 'flag' about my sexuality. In any case, the earring/sexuality link is something I had heard afterwards too, but I think it was associated with the left ear. Hell, I might just get my left ear pierced one of these days .

I remember I also had a conversation with a girl who told me that if she was going out with a fella and she just found out he had a piercing, she would view him in an entirely different light - although this didn't have anything specifically to do with sexuality, it does show how much a persons perception of someone with a piercing can change as a result of a small piece of metal in your body. I think it's to do with the non-conformist lifestyle that is apparantly promoted by piercings and tattoos, and some people do associate non conformism with other forms of percieved societal and mental irregularities.

Nowadays, if I spotted a guy with a piercing then I wouldn't normally associate it with homosexuality. However, if I had some reason to suspect he might be homosexual, I would keep it in mind as a possible contributing factor in my deliberation .

Originally posted by Emboss:

because they're gay

LOL, you might be onto something there. Maybe gay people would hear more about this 'myth' and hence would more readily associate a piercing with non-heterosexuality. Most people however, would also have heard this myth at some point. OMG I READ IT ON TEH INTORW3B IT MUST BE TEH TRUE!!!111!

:rolleyes:

screamager

At The moment bme are posting a kind of autobiography by Jim Ward (he opened the first ever piercing studio) and he gives a pretty good account of how the piercing revival is due to the gay and bondage scenes.

vanessa

I got my nose pierced in a place called Gotham, in the Castro in San Francisco. I mention the 'which side thing' to my heavily pierced and tattooed gay piercer and he laughed. A lot!

fortysix&2

Well it's all to do with the history of the 'western' piercing culture.
The first body piercing only studio in the US, and it was started by some gay (or definately curious) dudes. For some people body modifications are a process of self discovery, and I think that people who aren't the norm (i.e. homosexual etc.) can help themselves sort themselves out through it. And from various articles and things that I've read it seems to me the main interest in body piercing since 1960 has been started by the gay culture.

that was a bit of a ramble.

rannerap

i always get it too,i think its because its the "cool"thing to be bi now a days and its always always emos and the like

spurious

I heard the left ear ring = gay story years ago.
I was told it was something to do with sailors as they were dangerous swarthy types, not immune to the odd bit of bum fun. Right ear no go, left ear hello sailor.
No doubt nonsense but I thought it was a cute story.
Arrr.

Most gay people I know don't have piercings.

Gauge

People told me only lesbians got both nipples done. Got mine done and I didn't feel any uncontrollable urges to go diving into other girl's pants. Bit anti-climactic really.

Anyway, here's a quote from the BME questions section that made me laugh:

"No piercing is really considered "gay", with possibly the exception of a guiche done with a pink barbell that says "I love dicks inside me".

j0e

"No piercing is really considered "gay", with possibly the exception of a guiche done with a pink barbell that says "I love dicks inside me".

LMAO

Will

i dont know, and its sort of stupid of me and judgemental but if i see someone with just the right ear lobe pierced, i think/presume they are gay. Not that I care or worry.
I knew a stereotypically gay guy back in secondary and he wanted to get his right ear pierced to let people know of his sexual preference. I also know some people who have left lobe piercings who are gay. However, I know no one who has right ear pierced only and isnt gay....

But yeah what gauge pointed out no piercing is gay.
what a long explanation on my behalf, to bed i go

amazingemmet

What most people don't realise is the whole western scene has originated from the gay hardcore s+m scene. All the forerunners of modern techniques where invented by people heavily involved in the scene. So that maybe where it has its roots.

Another reason is being different sets you in another group/ social hierarchy the "not the same as us group" and in general people will see all different people as part of this group.

ot: whats with all the thread dragging up lately?

Will

dunno but im going with the flow so to speak

Crumble Froo

People told me only lesbians got both nipples done.

haha, im "comfortably unsure" about my sexuality, but intend getting my other nipple done while in nz, cant wait!

i remember a guy in my year came in one day with both ears done... turned out he couldnt remember which ear meant you were gay, so just did em both to be safe


...though belly piercings on guys, i just find hard to accept as not screaming 'gay'...

slash has one, btw.

Reku

Thought in Ireland one ear pierced if you were a lad simply used to mean that you were from the Traveller community (or so people said)?:rolleyes:

amazingemmet

narco wrote:

...though belly piercings on guys, i just find hard to accept as not screaming 'gay'...

Yeah that one always struck me as a gay one for some reason. not sure why though

Crumble Froo

i cant figure out why either. oddly, it doesnt even look especially gay on slash (who is the only dude ive ever seen wear one), but just the notion of it...

and yet, nipple piercings on dudes is hawt.

amazingemmet

I think its to do with the images of them in belly tops, now that is proper gay

Crumble Froo

could be...






...still probably fun to play with though...

>.>


<.<

ElliotM

amazingemmet wrote:

Yeah that one always struck me as a gay one for some reason. not sure why though

Aw no!! I'm just about to get one! Some girls seem to like it though

aoife2k

I'd defo find it hot on a guy......I reckon that you have to NOT imagine the jewellry as being pink, sprakly and dangling in the belly button 'hole'.

Give me a guy with a nice ring/stud in his belly and I'd be happy! Go for it ElliotM

Reku

aoife2k wrote:

I'd defo find it hot on a guy......I reckon that you have to NOT imagine the jewellry as being pink, sprakly and dangling in the belly button 'hole'.

Yeah but girls seem to have a tendancy to find gay guys & effeminate guys hot so not sure this really disproves the whole people thinking that guys with these piercings must be gay...

Crumble Froo

matt bellamy is not a manly man in ... well... any sense really.

but very very hot, so im thinking you may have a point.

slash's one is a big thick ring, though, and i have to say, i really didnt like it at all.

rannerap

i think they can be nice on guys but it really depends on the type of jewellery and if they can pull it off

Will

id be of the same opinion for guys getting belly button piercings... dont do it unless youve got a killer stomach.
still i think itd look pretty camp on a guy, i wouldnt mistake em for gay but it would definetly be floating around my brain. i think some guys with eye brow piercings look very camp too but its more to do with the face than anything else, makes it more femenine in some cases

Crumble Froo

hmmm.. i duno about that... i think the eyebrow piercings tend to add a little masculinity... i always tend to think of that in terms of girls with eyebrow piercings too, i must admit. well, not necessarily masculinity there, but tomboy tendencies at least...

rannerap

yeah ive actually never really seen any feminine girls with it,it does make girls more masculine with it

Crumble Froo

though, not necessarily in a bad way, mind.

rannerap

my friend had it and it looked lovely,i think it suits some people really well,not one id consider getting myself because it just wouldnt suit me

Crumble Froo

ive considered it, but i just dont think it's for me... i think you need a certain face for it... my face is too .. pudgy isnt hte right word... but it's not very defined. and you kinda need more defined features for an eyebrow piercing.

plus i wouldnt be able to wear my caps, and then what would i do on a bad hair day?!

Will

what would i do on a bad hair day?!

get your hair did! or so says Missy Elliot (no one will get my crap joke)

I have considered getting my eyebrow pierced but itd just get ripped out or reject, as they almost always do

rannerap

sadly i get your joke:p my friends one rejected and its still purple where it was after like a year

Fantasy_Suicide

greenday chick wrote:

eyebrow,labret, tongue pierced twice, nipples, bellybuton, a few in ears. and a tattoo

To be honest, I'd say it's more you're personality that makes people think you're bi. No way would anyone know any other way. And in my opinion I think this thread is a bit more attention seeking than anything. However. You do raise an interesting thread.

When I was working in Claire's, guys were always parro about which ear was the 'gay' ear... Where did that come from?

rannerap

thats been around years,i think its the left ear thats supposed to be the gay ear

hot2def

It's an eyebrow piercing. It'll be gay no matter where you put it.

liberalgal

I'm not quite sure why there is so much interest in gays and lesbians. The only difference between heterosexuals and gay people is the bedroom, so why is everyone interested in what someone else does in the bedroom?

Gauge

Actually, people weren't that interested, which is why they stopped responding to this thread more than 3 months ago.

Quattroste

I wasn't even reading this board 3 months ago so I missed this whole thread.

Back in 1989 I got my LEFT ear pierced because this was a mad rebellious thing to do. There wasn't much of the eye, ear, neck, nipples stuff going about at that time.

The rule then amongst the younger crowd was that the left ear was straight and the right ear was gay.

Nowadays I don't think it matters much, not since male "stars" started to get both ears pierced with diamond earrings.

Le Rack

greenday chick wrote: »

people tell me its obvious im bi because of my piercings.....why is this?

Go to the George of a wednesday night, becoming emo and what not has become a trend among the less "bull dykey" of the lessers, every second one of em in there has, tongue, nipple, snakebite, or lip of some form, nose and a number of ear ones. Then there's the clothes, skinny jeans round their asses, PLO scarves in odd colours, or those clack or white ones with the rainbow stars, and the hair cut short with a sweeping side fringe covering an eye or both.

Whatever about the meanings of "gay" piercings in the past, these emo lessers are bringin it all back out!

truthinwords

Le Rack wrote: »

"bull dykey" of the lessers,

Wow is all I can say to that.

Le Rack

truthinwords wrote: »

Wow is all I can say to that.

spurious

Lezzer with 'Z' not Lesser with 'S'.

50s flashback with the 'bull-dykey'.

truthinwords

Le Rack wrote: »

Do you think bull-dyke and lezzers are acceptable terms to describe lesbians?

GerryRyan

You know - I've never heard that one before

Will

yeah its a wee bit derogitory (sp?) alright, onwards to drunkeness!