What is the significance of ear stretching

However, like the Masai, the Huaorani tribes have also granted much importance to beauty enhancement. Both men and women began spacing their ears very early, beginning in their childhood years. The initial piercing procedure would be performed with a spine from the trunk of a tree. After that, the Huaorani would stretch their lobes using wood or stone plugs of increasing size. At a certain age, the peoples of the tribe would remove their plugs and leave their piercings with no decorations for a wholesomely natural look.

Today, tribes such as the Masai and Huaorani, affected by the intervention of the Western world, have begun to abandon some of their traditions. But whereas the indigenous peoples are giving up on their old valued customs, some of these customs have caught on in the modern world. For instance, ear stretching, the boldest of Masai and Huaorani traditions, is currently becoming a massive trend. Plugs of all shapes and sizes are being crafted by jewelers worldwide.

These materials allow for more variety and color to show up in piercings. The bold color is not welcome everywhere, of course.

Some employers frown upon employees with any kind of body modification. However, despite this, both men and women are expressing interest in ear stretching. And it is certainly becoming more and more socially accepted all over the world and amongst all age groups. When someone did not have stretched ears they were considered to be an outsider or someone who did not belong to the tribe. Fast forward to the modern day practice of ear stretching and you will see quite the opposite.

People seem to be trying to break out of the mold and express their individuality. Maybe they want to steer away from their current "Tribe" and join a new "Tribe" that better understands their beliefs and ideas. It seems that the individual is expressing who they are or want to become.

The person who was once accepted as part of the tribe is now shown to be the "weird one" or "outcast. Body modifications like stretched ears were rarely seen except in traditional tribes. In the Western culture they were mostly seen in groups like punks or goths. Nowadays it continues to be on the rise. Ear stretching is growing in popularity with both men and women and it does not seem to be confined to any one type of group.

It is truly an artistic accessory to add to the look or style of each individual. There is a point in stretching your ears that is known as the "point of no return. Below this "point of no return" seems to be what is more accepted these days.

This was not the case in the 80's or 90's. It seems that the higher the ear is stretched past the 10mm mark 00 gauge , the more one might receive judgmental looks or opinionated remarks. Comments like "That is disgusting.

He says it used to be associated with hippies, punks or the rock crowd but now it is "all walks of life and not just students". It can be discreet and people can hide it behind their hair in work. Ear stretching is in vogue, says Alix Fox, who writes the body modification section in the British alternative magazine Bizarre. Prof Victoria Pitts-Taylor, from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, says ear stretching has become popularised in the same way as other sub-cultural practices, such as tattooing and piercing.

The sociologist, who wrote In the Flesh: the Cultural Politics of Body Modification, says it started in the s and s with the rise of the body art movement and the "modern primitives", who appropriated practices from the "global supermarket" for various reasons such as showing solidarity with other cultures or to set themselves apart. Ear stretching has became more mainstream in the last decade and different people have become attracted to it because they see it on the catwalks and celebrities.

Hard-core modifiers have to up the ante to defy the commercialisation of the practice, Prof Pitts-Taylor suggests. The more you stretch the skin, the more commitment you are expressing to a counter cultural look. People who are obsessed with getting the largest stretch possible are known in the business as a "gauge queen" or "gauge king", according to Fox.

There are many ways to stretch ear lobes. You can gradually stretch the skin using different sized tapers cone-shaped pieces of jewellery. Peace all x. Jerry October 23, I guess I must be unusual because I stretched my ears and septum because candidly I found the idea to be very erotic! Actually stretching both my ears and septum turned out to be much more exciting than I ever imagined. Pure adrenaline. Hope my comments are not too far out of line.

Edna Means October 23, I started stretching my ears in order to represent my spiritual growth NOT only in that way but I also have locked my hair for the very same reason.

Norma L Aguiar October 23, I first started stretching my ears in high school at I am 32 now. My mother hated it, of course and when I joined the military I had to take them out. I find it so beautiful and regal on myself, I wouldnt change a thing.

I feel connected to my roots with them. Joseph Moreno July 21, Please note, comments must be approved before they are published. Shop by Size Expand menu Collapse menu. Shop by Material Expand menu Collapse menu. Support Expand menu Collapse menu. Other Tribes and modern stretching There are many other tribes that have stretched their ears across the world. What are your thoughts? Exactly what comment 21 said to honor my Mexican and Guatamalen Ancestors.