Pierced ears - what decisions did you make and when?

[Rhonda Darling]

I was just reading the thread about what you do to feel femme when in guy mode, and I noticed quite a few mentions of pierced ears.

I'm 62, still working in a rather conservative work environment, yet I'd love to get my ears pierced before I get to retirement. What led each of you to your decision to do it, and what self imposed mental demons did you need to conquer first? (Looking for some encouragement here, girls.)

:-)

Best,
Rhonda

[NathalieX66]

I graduated high school in the mid 1980's. Guys getting ears pierced was beginning to be quite common. By the 1990's doing both ears seem the norm. Today, doing only one ear looks pretty silly. There is no gender demarcation when it comes to ear pierrcing these days.
Kids nowadays have gotten exotic with the elaborate piercings, especially with all the large "guaging" thing, especially the large plugs......not my thing.
I'm still boringly one hole in each ear. And I still have no tattoos, except for the time I jabbed my thumb with a pencil in kindergarten, the black mark is still there today.

[Beverley Sims]

I am still procrastinating.

The jury is still out here. :)

[Jenessa]

I wanted them pierced, so I just did it. That was about 10 years ago, no regrets and not one negative comment.

[ronny0]

Over 3 years ago, just did it because I wanted to be able to wear something other than clip on earrings.
Older I get, the more I am doing what I want to do when I can.....
As a side note, took some people up to a year to notice it. Others noticed first time they saw me.
No one has said anything bad about it, to my face......
Also stopped cutting my hair about 4 years back......

[MssHyde]

I was just reading the thread about what you do to feel femme when in guy mode, and I noticed quite a few mentions of pierced ears.

I'm 62, still working in a rather conservative work environment, yet I'd love to get my ears pierced before I get to retirement. What led each of you to your decision to do it, and what self imposed mental demons did you need to conquer first? (Looking for some encouragement here, girls.)


:-)




Best,
Rhonda
to get my ears double pierced it must have been pink fog. or the fact I like earrings, been double pierced a long time now

[aitun]

I wanted them pierced, so I just did it. That was about 1 year ago, no regrets and not one negative comment.

[Eryn]

I just had mine done in my mid 50s. I was worried about people noticing but I had a lull in my job where I wasn't seen by so many people so my daughter and I went down and both had ours pierced. It was easy and with only minimal pain. If you've plucked out a beard hair you've experienced far more pain than an ear piercing.

I was prepared to explain that did it to support my daughter, but of course the situation is actually the reverse of that. She loves her pierced ears and so do I. I've recently achieved that wonderful six-week tenure so I can change them and of course I've been changing them often. I found a nice card of 20 crystal studs at Claire's in a rainbow of colors for only $20 and it's great fun to match color to outfit, even in male mode. I also bought some dangly earrings on our last outlet mall trip and my wonderful spouse brought me some pretty shell earrings from a recent trip up the coast. It is so much fun to have options and to be able to wear earrings comfortably all the time.

Oh, and the only people who mentioned my earrings were my electrologist (who knows I'm TG) and my hairdresser (who doesn't). They both thought that they looked great!

[Kandy Barr]

I got mine pierced in the early 80s, no regrets and no comments even back then. I'm now 61 and no one has ever said one thing negative or otherwise. Its really not that big of a deal. The only thing you'll have to deal with is the starter studs you'll need to leave in until the holes are healed.

[Joanne f]

Hello Rhonda,
how are you , many (ok many,many) years ago it seemed to be the in thing to have one ear pierced so I was convinced to have mine done ( left ear was the usual thing ) after a short while it just did not seem right to have one ear done ( did not balance) so seeing that I had no bad comments about it I did the other one , then I got to know how nice it felt to have dangly earrings in so I started to wear them when I could and put in small hoops when I could not , well I don'r know how many wear hoops but they can be a pain to put in and do up so I came up with the idea that I would have two more holes so that I could keep them free to wear dangly earrings without having to mess with taking out and putting back the hoops , then I decided that the hoops did not look right and went to studs , quite liked the look of two studs in each ear so then had to make two more holes for my dangly ones , which I now have studs in :heehee: , no I am not making any more holes :D just take out the bottom one on each ear when I want that feeling you get from dangly ones , be aware though that once started you can get hooked on wearing dangly ones :heehee:.
Have a nice day.
JF

[Iam]

Being pierced well over 60 times (sometimes I just like putting needles through the places they should go, even when I don't insert jewelry) and having up to 10 permanent piercings at once, 4 facial, 5 on ears, and one somewhere else ;), I find it something of a rush, and just as quick as the pain hits, adrenaline takes it all away. Was pierced for the first time when I was 14, loved the feeling ever since, if its something you want to do, don't let minor pain or any social stigmatism draw you away from it, you'll probably get a decent amount of looks, but very very very rarely a negative one!

[Andrea Renea]

8 years ago decided to "Just do it".

My wife just laughed and thought it was funny.

I can now wear small hoops and studs in boy mode
and big hoops and dangly ear rings as Andrea.

Love it.

[Cheryl T]

I had wanted to do it for years and then my nephew who was about 15 wanted to get his done and asked me to take him. I decided that this was my time and did mine as well. At first it was just one ear, then I got the other done and said it was because I felt "imbalanced". Then later I had them both done again. Now I wear diamond studs in the uppers all the time and wear small gold hoops in the lowers when not working and whatever my mood and outfit dictates otherwise.
People asked why and I just said because I wanted to.

[Joanne f]

Iam,
just don't go swimming unless you have 60 water tight plasters handy :D

[Iam]

Haha unfortunately I don't get out swimming enough for that to be a problem! :p

[FeliciaCDSNJ]

I got mine pierced just out of high school. I just wanted to do it so I did. Now I have 7 piercings in my ears, 3 in one ear and 4 in the other.

[Maria 60]

I had my first ear done when I was twenty and then my nephew had both done so I used him as a excuse to do the other one. The funny part was when I did the second one I went to the mall, the girl there told me I had to wait for the girl to come back from her break, when the girl finally came ended up being the girl who lives 2 door down, she was surprised at my age I wanted to do the second one.

[Raychel]

I have thought that it would be fun to have nice earrings at times.
But I am not one for self imposed pain, Not so sure I could go thru with it.

[PretzelGirl]

I certainly didn't do it while in the Army. But 4-5 years ago, I had already started growing my hair out and I kept joking with my wife about getting my ears pierced. My youngest daughter was around to hear it too. My wife knew about me and my daughter didn't, yet anyway. It happened to be just before Christmas, so they pushed me over the edge on deciding by buying me a gift certificate to ear piercing at a tattoo parlor. I don't know that I have heard much of anything about my ears being pierced. I hear more about my hair and that isn't a lot either.

[Sabrina133]

I got my first piercings the day after i got out of the Army - single piercing in each ear. About year later, i got a second piercing in each ear.

[barbaraclothes]

That s # 1 on my bucket list right now...

[Princess Grandpa]

I pierced my left ear back in the mid 80's sitting by the swimming pool playing dominoes with some friends. The right ear I just had pierced six weeks ago. I let my wife pick me a pair and she chose a pair of pink peace signs. I haven't gotten as much as a single comment about both ears being pierced.

Hug
Rita

[Trisha65]

I first pierced my ears when I was 15. At that time it was just a single piercing in each ear with small gold studs. Around the age of 17, I added a second set of piercings so I could wear both studs and danglers at the same time. I have since added three more piercings on each side for more studs. One warning. Never get triple piercings into the cartilage per side at the same time. OUCH.

[Eryn]

I have thought that it would be fun to have nice earrings at times.
But I am not one for self imposed pain, Not so sure I could go thru with it.

Raychel, the pain is minimal if any. For me the click of the insertion tool was more prominent than the sensation of the stud going in.

I watched a little girl, perhaps 5 or 6, getting pierced today in Icing. They did both of her ears at the same time and she didn't show any sign that it hurt at all. She was smiling and laughing with her mom and friend. She smiled more when she looked at her pretty crystal studs in a mirror!

I wore clip-on and magnetic earrings before I had them pierced, and the discomfort from wearing them for an evening was much greater than that of getting pierced. It is so great to be able to wear any earrings I want and to not feel an ache after wearing them all day!

[Erica Marie]

Im had my left ear pierced since high school, over 25 yrs ago. I finally decided a little better than a month ago to have the other done. I mean why buy earings if you can only wear one, right?
Well a few days later my son questioned me, then two weeks later my ex-wife looked at me and questioned it. Now just today actually my mom brought up the subject. But oooo she kinda brought it up in a fashion of not why, but what was the REAL reason. Ive never been good at asnwering questions so I just shrugged my shoulders and didnt say much. Moms always have a way of figuring things out. I guess we will see where it goes.

[Druscilla Supernovae]

Hell to the no. That's why I like to wear a wig that covers my ears.

[ringedjohn]

I pierced my left ear the night I parted (not my choice) from a dearly loved girlfriend. The sleeper ring was one of a pair of hers that she had given me. I wanted to mark myself that night. 60+ years later I still have and treasure those little gold rings but they are now too fragile to wear. I wear a single gold stud 365/24/7.

I have a number of other piercings now but that initial ear piercing is the most important.

I have had very few comments on my pierced ears.

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi Rhonda, That's something on my bucket list.

[sami1952]

i told my wife i wanted to get my ears pierced and ask if it was alright with her,she said yea so down we go to the mall and she help pick out the ear rings and that was that.

[Cynthia Anne]

I had mine pierced thirty some years ago! For the past twenty some years they have been triple pierced! No regrets!!

[Tina B.]

By the time it got common for men to Pierce both ears, I was old enough it would have looked liked a ,mid life crisis time thing, and my kids have already laughed at someone else that had done it late in life.

[Bea A]

Got mine pieced shortly after I came out to my wife. The 1st comment made was "why did you get your ears pierced". My response has been... "I always wanted to and finally did it." Most guys says "OK".. most girls say "Nice" .

[Princess Grandpa]

As we were preparing to leave for Tgirl Saturday, I put on my dangling earrings for the first time. Heh it was actually two similar but different earrings, Julie had the exact same pair lol. I put in the earrings before we left the house and one of my residents says, "You look like a lady with those earrings" I think that might be the first thing anyone has said to me about earrings since my dad called me a f*g after I pierced the first one.

[Rebecca Watson]

About 4-5 weeks ago now, I thought to myself "I know, I'll get my ears pierced" and did. It's great wearing pretty earrings! Despite recommendations, I took the original studs out at 3 weeks and started wearing whatever I want. Nothing bad has happened so far.

- Becky

[robindee36]

Hopefully this is sufficiently on topic not to get moderated. If not, oopsie, sorry again.

I have been thinking piercing would be a nice milestone birthday gift. Problem is where does one go to get this done. Some of my research says there is a risk of infection from non-sterile equipment some places use, particularly the gun.

Help please.

Hugs, Robin

[Jana]

Haven't gotten to it yet. I hate needles... :P

[27th Jennifer]

I'm in my late thirties and have had my ears pierced since the 7th grade. First guy in my school to ever do them both. It didn't go over well at first, but I was also a skateboard punk, so people were making fun of me anyway. Now I am a professional, and the earrings have to stay at home during work hours. :(

I agree with an earlier poster, getting only one done looks kind of weird.

I'd say go for it. Thy make all sorts of earrings that can cover the holes. Check out a local piercing shop. (Not the ones at the mall)

Ana

[Sometimes Steffi]

Haven't gotten to it yet. I hate needles... :P

I'm not afraid of the needle. I'm afraid of what my wife will say and do/

[donnatracey]

Reading Rhonda's OP and all the comments is starting to get me a little "enthused" about getting mine pierced.....:o

I'm not getting any younger......:eek:

[4mymichelle]

The following is why I now have pierced ears and love it! I had used clip ons for a long time and for me these are reasons that I got brave enough to having them pierced: 1. Hurt my ears after wearing for extended periods. 2. Kept falling off if not tight enough to hurt (lol). 3. Lost a few because of reason #2. 4. Real limited in selection. I even converted some from pierced to clip on to have more variety. 5. Could not wear them all the time. So one day my wife says why don't you just have your ears pierced. This was the little extra push that I needed to do something I had thought about doing but was more worried about what other people would think. I have not had any negative responses from anyone (family, friends, co-workers, etc.). When they would ask, I just tell them it was something that I wanted to do, so I did it. In fact I have received several compliments. For those who are thinking about getting their ears pierced, personally I can say if you can to do it now. Don't put it off on your bucket list. I only wish I had done it a long time ago. Anyone want to buy some clip ons.. Lol

Michelle

[Stacey Summer]

Got my left ear pierced almost 15 years ago. I've since had that ear pierced a further 5 times and had my right ear pierced twice last year. My advice would be to do what makes you happy. No one else ever cares about pierced ears.

[linda allen]

i told my wife i wanted to get my ears pierced and ask if it was alright with her,she said yea so down we go to the mall and she help pick out the ear rings and that was that.

That's my story also. I got the small round gold balls as starter earrings. That was over a year ago and now I have three of four pairs of male earrings and a couple dozen female pairs.

I saw an old friend a couple weeks ago and he asked me when I got my ears pierced. I told him they weren't earrings, they were cell phone antennas. ;)

[DebbieL]

Getting my ears pierced was one of the first things I ever did. I was in my late 20s, and had one ear pierced at a time. Once both ears were stable, I could wear an earring in one ear or both. I usually wore studs, but had the dangling cross made popular by the MTV video (Police?).

My first wife knew why I was doing it, and feared that I would go public. I didn't do anything except Halloween and a TG support meeting from 1987 (when I quit smoking), until 1989 (when I started first transition process).

When I aborted transition and gained weight, I let my ears close. When I started bringing Debbie back, I got them pierced again, this time both at the same time. I usually wear CZ or ruby studs when I'm in "Rex Mode" (Working at client site, Church, Wife's family events), and something that dangles a bit when I'm in Debbie mode (all other times).

The great thing about wearing studs in both ears is that other transgendered people and those seeking transgendered people will be interested and supportive, while those who are not "tuned in", will simply assume that you are making a fashion statement. It's a bit like ankle bracelets. An ankle bracelet once indicated that the wearer was submissive in a Dominant/Submissive relationship. Later it just became a fashion statement, but many submissives still wear the ankle bracelet. Often, worn on the right to indicate "looking", and on the left (same side as engagement/wedding ring) to show "Taken".

Earrings on men used to have similar signal meaning. Depending on part of the country, right side indicated you liked women, left side indicated you liked men, both indicated you liked both or were transgendered. These days, many heterosexual masculine men wear studs in both ears, and it just means they like fashion.

Earrings aren't permanent - you can take them out, change styles to fit your mood and situation, and even take them out entirely (once the holes have healed). If you really want, you can even let them close, leaving a tiny dimple.

Earrings can be a great conversation starter. And you can pick different styles depending on how much attention you want them to have. If you are in a work situation, the ruby studs are almost invisible. If you are in a social situation large CZ studs or dangles can be a lot of fun, even if you aren't otherwise dressed.

[Linda St. John]

Had them pierced years ago and most of the time forget they're there unless you lie on them the wrong way . I leave the gold studs in 24/7 but do take out the dangly ones at bedtime ! Of course, you should do it Rhonda - no regrets...:battingeyelashes::drink:
Linda

[Dianne S]

I am procrastinating for two reasons:

1) I'm a baby when it comes to pain. :)

2) I mentioned it to my wife and she was a bit taken aback. She said to go ahead, but I can tell she's wondering how far I'll take this... will I move on to laser? Electrolysis? HRT?

So for both those reasons, I continue to dither...

[DanielleT]

When I turned to womanhood a few years ago, I just knew that I had to have my ears pierced so that I could start wearing the kind of jewelry that I wanted to. A little painful at first, a few problems early on, but very much worth the effort

[shortskirt87]

Ill never forget getting mine done. I was in 8th grade and at the mall with my mom. She wanted to get her second holes done so we went to a little kiosk and she was afraid to do it. She then told me I should do it and if I don't feel the pain she will follow lol. I got little silver ball studs. I wasn't the only person in school to have them and since I was a skateboard punk kid it wasn't a big deal to anyone.

[Cristy2]

I haven't had my ears done yet because of a few family members, but there are several clip on kits you can buy to turn regular ear rings onto clip on. They aren't that bad.

[Milli Montanari]

My wife wants to get a second set of ear piercings so I told her I wanted to get mine done. Her response was a bit enigmatic and I'm just waiting for a suitable occasion to bring it up again.

[Rogina B]

It's only some holes in your ears!! Earrings aren't gender specific! Just do it!

[Naomi Rayne]

I pierced my left ear in the 6th grade cause that's what was "cool" back then. Some couple years after I pierced the other one and gauged my ears cause that's what I wanted to do. Never looked back. Never regretted it. I'm 23 now.

Anyways if you wanna do it its pretty simple. Go to your local mall. Find a piercing place and get them done. Get something simple like a small round silver or titanium ball. Nobody will question it. And if they do just say you wanted them done. Plenty of guys have them. I know tons.