Different Loving: The World of Sexual Dominance and Submission (62 page)

Piercing may represent a private physical challenge. Interviewees compared the experience of being pierced to high-adrenaline sports in which the mind becomes completely focused on the body and one’s primal energies are awakened.

Some piercers specifically enjoy the aftereffects of the piercing and find the new sensitivity exciting.

The moment of piercing usually has a deep personal and spiritual significance. A number of interviewees likened the act to a magic ritual. When a spiritual dimension is part of the experience—as it was for the majority of people to whom we spoke—the piercing may also be a personal rite of passage that marks a transformation.

Although modern primitives make up a significant subgroup among piercers, many piercers do not consciously emulate pagan or primitivistic customs. Experienced piercers, however, do acknowledge that the process is a momentous occasion, spiritually, emotionally, and physically.

Ear fashions have varied through time and from culture to culture. Historically and prehistorically in the Americas and the Pacific, spools were inserted in ear perforations to enlarge the lobe, sometimes to massive proportions. Aboriginal aristocrats of Easter Island were known as “Big Ears” because of this practice.

While multiple ear piercings were exotic a couple of decades ago in America, women’s fashions have gradually yielded to foreign influences and multicultural heterogeneity. Men have opted for ear piercings as well. Single-ring ear piercing of men probably derives from a tradition among sailors to wear single-ear piercings after surviving a shipwreck.

Today a man’s pierced ear
may
be a symbol of gayness. The catchphrase “Right is gay, left’s okay” means that, generally, heterosexual men pierce the left lobe, gay men the right. Gay men, however, usually adhere to the left = dominant, right = submissive code, and many heterosexual D&Sers follow suit. Confusion over these codes prevails, so, when in doubt, ask.

Septum and nostril piercings were practiced by tribes in Africa, South America, Melanesia, Polynesia, and North America. Among Hindu women, piercing of alae (the outer wings of the nostrils) continues today and is both aesthetically pleasing and indicative of marital status; additional ornamentation, such as a gold chain connecting the nostril to the earlobe, flaunts the wearer’s wealth. Nostril piercings in America are largely a relic of the influence of Hindu culture upon hippies in the 1960s. These piercings are said to be more painful than septum piercings, which were commonly practiced in other non-Western cultures.

For the alae, many piercers elect to use a “nostril screw,” which is specially designed for nasal comfort. A far rarer piercing is occasionally performed on the bridge of the nose.

Fairly uncommon among aficionados, facial piercings seem to be most popular in punk and youth subcultures, where the adornment is less likely to be a gold ring than a safety pin.

Tongue piercings are somewhat rare and considered painful. Swelling occurs, there is high risk of infection, and healing can be slow. In tongue piercing, a small stud is emplaced near the tip.

Less invasive is a piercing on the lower lip through which a small ring is inserted. This piercing is called a
labret
. The lower lip has been a popular site for perforation and insertion: The women of the Sara tribe of Central Africa use saucer-shaped plugs to spread the lip after slitting. A variety of lip plugs have been used among groups in Africa, South America, as well as Inuit and Pacific Northwestern Indian tribes.

Perhaps the most popular sensual piercing, nipple piercing is performed on both genders. Some practitioners suspend light weights from the rings once the wounds have healed.

Pierced nipples may remain permanently erect and may become slightly enlarged. Some people enjoy the additional stimulation this affords, while others find it too intense. Women with pierced nipples may find that a brassiere causes chafing.

Most nipple piercings are decorated with small rings or customized jewelry, but some devotees deliberately enlarge the hole by gradually inserting heavier-gauge jewelry. Once the wound is healed, the jewelry may be manipulated as a part of erotic play among D&Sers.

Navel piercings apparently originated among the nobility of ancient Egypt. This style has been resurrected in Europe and the United States. A navel piercing draws the eye to the erogenous zones.

An astonishing variety of genital piercings is available. Not surprisingly, fewer are available to women than men, since women have fewer protrusions from which to select.

The men we interviewed stated that the potential for increasing their partners’ sexual pleasure was a primary motivation.

Prince Albert:
The best known of the piercings to the glans (the head of the penis) is the Prince Albert. Here a ring is emplaced through the urethra and glans. According to folklore, Queen Victoria’s consort, Prince Albert, wore the ring to retract his foreskin so he could maintain cleanliness and eliminate any offending odor, presumably to avoid insulting the delicate sensibilities of his Queen. We have found no reliable documentation to support this claim. The Prince Albert (known familiarly as a “P.A.”) was also called a “dressing ring” by the Victorians who allegedly used the ring to bind the penis to the leg under extremely tight trousers, thus preventing unsightly bulging. Again, we could not locate any period sources to confirm this charming fashion legend. Whatever its history, the P.A. enjoys considerable vogue today.

Ampallang:
The ampallang, which transects the glans horizontally above the urethra, is the most widely documented male genital piercing. In its original cultural context this piercing was a rite of passage and frankly sexual in intent. The Dayaks of Borneo and the Toradhja and Sadang of Celebes wore ampallangs to enhance female pleasure. Dayak women reportedly would not have intercourse with men who lacked them. South African rock paintings depict similar penis adornments.

The concept was known in the West as early as 1590, when a penis bar was reported in the
Boxer Codex
from the Philippines. It was probably first practiced in the West by 19th Century sailors. Modern ampallang jewelry resembles a barbell: a slender bar, usually gold, terminated on either end by a small globe. Contemporary advocates agree that the ampallang’s main virtue is the enhancement of their partners’ pleasure.

Dydoe:
The dydoe, also Eastern in origin, penetrates the glans on one side. Traditionally, both sides were pierced; some piercers have more than two holes pierced. The jewelry is usually similar to the barbell used for ampallangs. The dydoe enhances the female’s pleasure and is reputed to increase sensitivity in circumcised men, much like a foreskin.

Apadravya:
The apadravya was described in
The Kama Sutra
as a device either secured to the
lingam
(i.e., penis) and used to excite a woman’s
yoni
(i.e., vagina) during intercourse, rather like a rococo French tickler. It is also the name of a device inserted through a piercing to the penis for the same exciting purpose. [The modern apadravya runs from the underside to the front of the glans.]

Frenum:
In this piercing a ring encircles the penis shaft under the glans and penetrates the frenum (the loose flap of skin immediately below the glans). The encircling band is fitted snugly and may keep the glans engorged. If a large enough device is locked through a frenum piercing, intercourse is rendered impossible. This piercing is European in origin, and its alleged purpose was to ensure male chastity. Modern frenum piercings, however, are obtained primarily to enhance male arousal.

Foreskin:
In ancient Rome actors and musicians pierced two sides of their foreskins and inserted a
fibula
, a ring or clasp. Sources conflict as to whether this was chiefly believed to be a means of preserving one’s voice or was used as a safeguard against charges of adultery. Since castration was a Roman penalty for adultery, infibulation would seem the lesser evil. Infibulation to enforce chastity among slaves was also known in ancient Rome. And in ancient Greece athletes tied their foreskins shut, though the reason for this is unknown.

Modern uncircumcised males may opt for a single piercing of the foreskin or an infibulation. In the first, a ring is inserted on only one side of the foreskin.

Hafada:
The hafada is a piercing through the skin of the scrotum on one side. It has Arabian origins and was traditionally performed at puberty to mark a boy’s passage into manhood. Its symbolic purpose was to ensure that the testicles would never retract into the groin. French Foreign Legionnaires stationed in North Africa are credited with introducing the hafada to Europe.

Guiche:
The guiche is a piercing of the ridge of flesh between the testicles and the anus. This practice derives from a Samoan puberty rite. Its erotic possibilities have made it very popular among contemporary piercing enthusiasts.

Much rarer is a guiche-like piercing on women, between vagina and anus.

Labia:
In this piercing, a ring is inserted through the edge of one of the outer labia (considerably rarer, but known, are piercings to the inner labia). Some enthusiasts opt for multiple piercings of one outer lip or even of both.