What ear is the gay ear

These days, what ear is the gay ear, seldom does a trend stick around for longer than a few weeks before a neologism replaces the one before it, permeating the halls of TikTok or Instagram and causing all of us to second-guess what was once considered mainstream — only to then swap a coveted wardrobe staple for the latest passing fad. Still, certain exceptions prevail. Even today, one of the most unshakeable cultural signifiers has been the "mono" piercing — more precisely, and befuddling, on which ear it's placed and what it says about your sexuality.

You know…. Despite changing times and modern progress, many people still associate body piercings particularly a single piercing in the earlobe as a symbol of someones sexuality. So, just in time for pride month, the team here at Amato decided to delve deeper into where this all started. This is a time where there were no legal or social protections for people who were apart of these communities. Many people lived in fear of losing their jobs, homes, families, and even their lives. It was common to be physically attacked if it were found out that you were anything but straight.

What ear is the gay ear

If you are wondering which side is the gay piercing left or right, then, to make a long story short, getting pierced in your right ear meant you were gay. There is a rich history of jewelry being used to show off wealth, nobility, or status. In the 20th century, it was used to show off sexual preference. A man would wear a single earring in his right ear to say he was a gay man. Join us in unpacking this old gay stereotype and ask the question: do we still need it? Since ancient times, people have been getting body piercings to show status or caste. Adornments like facial piercings and other jewelry were common. Through the centuries, the popularity of ear piercing has come in waves. Egyptian mummies have pierced ears. In the s in Europe, it was common to see a wealthy man dripping with jewelry and it was fashionable for them to wear a single pearl earring hanging from one ear. Ear piercings fell out of favor in the s in the USA. From the s to the s facial piercings were uncommon, gay ears or not.

That queer people use fashion and beauty as armor or a way to communicate is not a new concept. Maybe the right ear versus the left ear was less about sexuality than it was about attitude.

We accepted it as gospel and never questioned its validity. But as I grew up, it seemed like everyone I met, no matter their place of origin, knew and understood the earring code, as arbitrary as it seems. Historically speaking, the truth is more complex. Earrings on guys have signified many things over the years, such as social stature or religious affiliation. In his book The Naked Man: A Study of the Male Body , Desmond Morris explains that earrings have indicated wisdom and compassion in the stretched earlobes of the Buddha, while pirates wore them in the belief it would protect them from drowning. In the Elizabethan era, earrings were quite fashionable for men, he writes.

Sorry, the content of this store can't be seen by a younger audience. Come back when you're older. Have you ever heard the term "gay ear"? When people talked about the gay ear, they referred to a specific ear being pierced on a man. This trend didn't include women in the gay ear fad because, in most Western cultures since the s, it has generally been a cultural norm for females to have their ears pierced.

What ear is the gay ear

Today, 3, years later, the fashion has been revived. Discreet studs twinkle at the earlobes of stockbrokers and stock clerks alike; outlandish ornaments dangle below the ears of art directors and electricians. Essentially, a needle pierces the earlobe, and the post is inserted. All a man has to do is continue wearing the earring and clean it daily with hydrogen peroxide until the hole heals--typically in three or four weeks. But which ear to pierce? The received wisdom is that straight men favor the left ear, while gay men prefer the right. In fact, says Cross, the latest trend among her clients is to have both ears pierced. Some men might want to think twice about having their ears pierced.

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I good call. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Now, what happens when it becomes unacceptable to tell people? LGBTQ life was still underground in secret bars and clandestine meetings in local parks in the s when piercings started to come back into style. Ah, how times have changed. He now has a really cool earring in his left ear.. Weight Loss. Still, certain exceptions prevail. By the 90s, It had become so widely accepted as a secret code that there was an article about it in the New York Times. Manage consent. With the positive surge in gay rights, the ability to marry one another and hold hands in public; no one needed to hide behind antiquated codes or symbols anymore, we could be out and proud! Secrecy led to an increased need for discrete signaling.

Last Updated: September 20, Fact Checked. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

He now has a really cool earring in his left ear.. But when Harry Styles does it. So what side is the gay side the right side or the left? Maybe the right ear versus the left ear was less about sexuality than it was about attitude. A man in the U. So, what is to be made — in — of being told what to wear where? No account yet? The problem was that nobody could remember which was supposed to be which. My style then totally morphed with him. Weight Loss. Despite trends becoming more fluid — the gap between gender-neutral styles in fashion and beauty narrowing — Salem knows the journey endures. Celebrity Style. Now, what happens when it becomes unacceptable to tell people? This is a time where there were no legal or social protections for people who were apart of these communities.