Why the modern man or woman stretches their ears
I have always been intrigued by the social behaviors of humans. I love people watching. Sometimes it gets me wondering why people choose to express themselves in certain ways. The question today is, "Why do people stretch their ears?" The following is meant to refer to society as a whole. (I know there are many varied reasons why an individual may want to stretch their ears.)
History has shown us that ear stretching was initially used to show that an individual belonged to a group or a tribe. It was accepted by the group and they were marked as being "one of us". When someone did not have stretched ears they were considered to be an outsider or someone who did not belong to the tribe.
The Modern Day Ear Stretcher
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."
20 - 30 years ago ear stretching your ears seemed to be very different from what it is today. 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.
The point of no return
There is a point in stretching your ears that is known as the "point of no return." In a lot of cases, when the ear is stretched above 10mm (00 gauge for ears), it is not able to properly heal and will never go back to what it was before. 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 for ears), the more one might receive judgmental looks or opinionated remarks. Comments like "That is disgusting.", "Can I stick my finger through your hole?", or "Didn't that hurt?" If you have stretched ears, these comments and questions are all too familiar. It's just the way our society is. Perhaps in another 10-20 years it will be a nonissue.
The New Tribe
No matter for what reasons people decide to stretch their ears, one thing is for sure. The art's popularity is growing. The New Modern Era Ear Stretching "Tribe" is growing. The tribe is expanding around the world and immensely diverse individuals are finding common ground through the art of ear stretching.
What's Your Story?
I am taking a survey to hear your story. Please comment below and tell me your story of why you stretch your ears.
85 comments
I think its addicting. Once I started Ive never stopped. Im up to 22mm at the moment. Ive been stretching my ears for 7 years. Ive been doing it slowly due to some mishaps. Definitely do your research kids! I plan to go bigger! I think theyre so beautiful. The bigger I go up the more confident I feel. I struggled with self harm and depression. It seems to be a factor but I dont think it had anything to do with mine. Ive always been into body mod. Id rather get pierced and sliced than tattooed honestly. I dunno who more people are doing it but I love it. Kids love it. People should be less uptight about it. Its just like tattoos. Theyll end up having to get over it.
My ear stretching journey began when I was in college. I’ve had pierced ears since I was seven years old, but it never occurred to me to stretch them until I bought a heavy pair of hoop earrings from a jewelry vendor on campus. From there, I decided that my stretched ears would be a small diameter because it was easier to hide this mild modification from my disapproving family and gradually stretched my ears until I got up to 4G. After I graduated, I had to go back to wearing my heavy hoop earrings due to family displeasure at my decision to stretch my ears and work requirements. After a few years, I resumed wearing my 4G hangars and then went up to 2G plugs, which is where I’m at today. I don’t know for sure how big I want my ears to stretch, but I definitely won’t be going bigger than 00 because I might find myself in a situation, work or otherwise, where I can’t wear big sized plugs and since I’m planning on getting more ear piercings, it might not be prudent for me to leave large holes in my ears where my plugs went.
TL; DR: I’d never explicitly set out on a journey to stretch my ears, it just sort of happened along the way, haha
I started gauging my ears after I had already adopted the alternative style. The original reason is that I would never wear earrings, so I would constantly be repiercing them. They would get infections every time. It wasn’t until later that I realized it would just be a normal problem for me. I decided to gauge them do that I wouldn’t have to keep repiercing them. I’m at 5/8’s and can’t leave them out for even a day without them shrinking. Honestly, 00 isn’t the point of no return for most people. It’s well after 00, unless you have a ridiculously low amount of skin your ears. Which most people don’t.
I started gauging my ears after I had already adopted the alternative style. The original reason is that I would never wear earrings, so I would constantly be repiercing them. They would get infections every time. It wasn’t until later that I realized it would just be a normal problem for me. I decided to gauge them do that I wouldn’t have to keep repiercing them. I’m at 5/8’s and can
I started when I was a freshman in high school and got my ears pierced for the first time. At that time in my life I was part of the “scene kid” group, if you know what I mean by that. And also I was never the type to like girly things all too much. So through out high school I stretched my ears. By the time I graduated I was at 1". Currently I am at 1 1/2". Some girls have a obsession with buying purses or shoes, mine is organic stone plugs. And it’s always a big conversation starter when I’m out in public or work. People get curious and ask questions sometimes. Keep on stretching my friends!