What ear is the gay ear to pierce

Yet it helped earlier generations of queer people find each other in the crowd. At the same time, the left ear is straight. China has since banned men's earrings outright. Coleman and Theo Sandfort discuss the fact that straight Russian men would often mark their first sexual act with women by piercing their right ear as a way to ward off unwanted advances from gay men.

For men, this myth historically claimed a piercing in the right ear meant they were gay, while the left ear was for straight men. The concept of men wearing jewelry is an old one, dating back thousands of years.

Clean, etc. Still, certain exceptions prevail.

Gay Ear Piercing History : A notable example is the “gay ear

No one really seems to know where the adage originated. Pre-Y2K and beyondit's been socially understood that wearing one earring on the right ear means someone is gay; the left, straight. In fact, most royals were adorned in as many gems and as much gold as women — if not more, depending on the occasion — making the sight of guys wearing pearls today, for instance, more a reflection of where we've come from than where we're headed.

A article in The New York Times perpetuating the stereotype seemed to solidify the historical hearsay as the widely known style taboo many can't quit today. Which ear is the gay ear, left or right earring? Or which side means what.

Find men's jewelry trends here!. No longer is it that big of a deal that a cisgender, occasionally heterosexual man wears jewelry — not even those flashy beaded bracelets. Despite recent data and celebrities supporting otherwise, the demagogic proverb "Left is right and right is wrong" has been a whisper placed upon gay and straight men and their piercers for decades.

But the whole "gay ear" thing has always been ironic, considering its ever-changing position throughout history. Casting director and industry stalwart James Scully remembers his first encounter with the phenomenon, in the late '70s. Read more for the truth behind the complicated history of the gay ear concept.

You might recall hearing that if a man wore an earring on the right ear, that meant he was gay. Any piercing during that time, Scully insists, would have been an act of defiance anyway — pre- or postpunk era.

The "gay ear" myth is an outdated stereotype that a piercing in a specific ear indicates a person’s sexual orientation. Eyebrowsnoses, tongues, nipplesand belly buttons would soon become even louder ways to make a statement. It is, however, a uniquely American conundrum.

These days, seldom does a cool piercing 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.

Yet further findings, like the fact that "mono earring" queries are popular, suggest many are curious about different types of piercingsspecifically embellishing one ear only — proof that a single earring, and which lobe it lives oncan say everything or nothing at all.

And according to ancient Chinese belief, the left earring meaning also symbolized that a person's life had been endangered, and to prevent a recurrence, an earring was worn to prevent bad luck. Lyst, a company that tracks online shoppers' behavior, claims searches for men's earrings rose by percent from to see: Lil Nas X, Jared Leto, Harry Styles, Bad Bunny.

It's true, though, that " dropping a hairpin " — the precursor to signaling a way to drop a subtle hint to someone that you, too, were gay — was both harmful and helpful. Which ear is the gay ear? 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.

It was once even more vogue, and still is, to have multiple piercings in one ear.