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The belly button ring and its origins
DESCRIPTION: Navel piercing, or commonly ‘belly button ring' or ‘belly-button hoops' is one of the most common and popular type of body piercings today. The concept of body piercing has roots in European and tribal cultures, both for ritual and aesthetic purposes.
Navel piercing, or commonly ‘belly button ring' or ‘belly-button hoops' is one of the most common and popular type of body piercings today. The skin surrounding the navel, not the actual navel, is pierced and jewelry is inserted. A true navel piercing requires the person being pierced to have an "outie" navel to some degree, and is extremely rare.
A wide variety of decorative jewelry is available for navel piercings, often featuring precious metals or stones. Most kinds of ring or bar jewelry can be inserted, although they are most often pierced with a captive bead ring, which is worn until the piercing has fully healed.
The concept of body piercing has roots in European and tribal cultures. Greek men who did not have their genitals pierced were not allowed to marry or have sex. In Victorian England, Prince Albert pierced his to facilitate the daily ritual of hiding his privates underneath the grossly tight trousers popular in the 19th century.
Sociological studies reveal that body piercing in primitive cultures is used as a symbol of joining the elite group. In the West, piercing symbolizes separating from the norm. In many religions, piercing is a common way of "marking" a spiritual experience, a "sacramental" expression.
Sociologists observed that for many young adults, getting a pierce amounts to a "rite of passage" into adulthood. Still others contend that piercings are primarily for decoration and as a form of self-expression the main motivation behind the serious body jewelry is sexual gratification--to self and others.
There is no direct historical evidence with navel piercing although there is a great deal of information regarding the decoration of the navel, both for ritual and aesthetic purposes.
Popular culture has played a large role in the prevalence of belly-button hoops. A 1994 Aerosmith music video featuring Alicia Silverstone with her navel pierced is often credited with introducing body piercing to mainstream society.
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