Romero, H.D. (1997, January 29). "Believers in search of piercing insight." The Los Angeles Times, pp. E1, 6.

OVERVIEW

Pop culture expert Stuart Ewen asserts, " ‘If someone’s under 18, it’s normal behavior to get pierced.’ "

Piercings range from simple trendy piercing (eyebrows, nose, navel) to " ‘cutting edge’ " ancient and tribal piercings (enlarged or stretched piercings); from sexual piercings (nipples and genitals) to extreme piercings found in the " ‘underground pagan and gothic cults…’ "

The given reasons for piercings vary as greatly as do the types of piercings. In the past they were used to indicate toughness or sensuality, but today shop owner Kristian White says, " ‘It’s a rejection of the modern aesthetic. Your body is yours. It’s the one thing you have to express yourself with.’ " She adds, " ‘Organized religion has relinquished its grip on the minds and bodies of youth so that they may go back to pre-Christian rituals.’ "

According to the article’s author, "Piercing is a return to flesh as fashion—and a revitalized rite of passage." Professor Ewen from Hunter College in New York, billed as a " ‘culture watcher,’ " says, " ‘It is indeed a rejection of the neat, sleek, modern fashion aesthetic….there’s a search for meaning—a belief that other ways of life might have more authenticity than ours.’ "

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

1. Has body piercing has become trendy, or is it still a fringe activity? Explain.
2. Do you agree or disagree that body piercing is ‘the one thing you have to express yourself with’? Explain.
3. Is there something deeper going on, as some ‘culture watchers’ suggest?
4. What are the underlying reasons for body piercing?
5. Has the church changed? Has the church ‘relinquished’ youth to ‘go back to pre-Christian rituals’? Is the church offering kids anything that they can relate to in their culture?
6. What are the spiritual implications of what youth are doing to their bodies?

IMPLICATIONS

1. Parents and youth leaders alike are sometimes distressed by cultural fashion trends. Body piercing is no exception. Try to understand—from the adolescents’ perspective—the underlying reasons for this and other trends.
2. Discover new, productive ways to encourage adolescents to express themselves.
3. Youth workers should continually help young people assess society’s and their own value systems.

Carol E. Robertson cCYS