Ear piercing has existed continuously since ancient
times, including throughout the 20th century in the
Western world. However, in many cultures within the United
States, it became a relative rarity from the 1920s until the
1960s. At that time, it regained popularity among American
women, and was eventually adopted by men in the hippie and
gay communities, and later the punk subculture. Ear piercing,
of either or both ears, has always been practiced by men in
many non-Western cultures. By the 1980s, male ear piercing
had become somewhat common in the United States, although
men usually only pierced one of their ears. Today, single
and multiple piercing of either or both ears is extremely
common among Western women, and fairly common among men.
Less conventional forms of body piercing have also existed
continuously for as long as ear piercing, but generally not
in Western cultures. For example, women in India routinely
practice nostril piercing, and have done so for centuries. In the 1970s, body piercing gained popularity
in the gay BDSM subculture. In 1975, Jim Ward opened The Gauntlet,
America's first storefront body piercing operation, in Los
Angeles.
