BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Body Art Ear Piercing and Children

I would have had it done anyway as a teen. This way, my mom saved me the pain and drama of doing it when I was older.

For some, like us, there is a cultural issue at stake. Which has little to do with "peer pressure." Ear piercing is as much a cultural issue for those of hispanic descent in the Southern U.S. as circumcision is for others.

So... we've opted to have our pediatrician do the ear piercing (to insure a clean environment and proper health procedures) and are using hypoallergenic earings (balls) with lock on backs that are specifically made for small children.

Thanks to those who posted feedback on how their children/family dealt with this issue.

Lynn,

Sorry it's been a bit since I was here, but I've been on a bit of a road trip for this last week.

I was curious to see what you said after I asked why you wanted to do your daughter's ears. I do know the cultural custom that you are talking about, as many of the women I worked with in Santa Cruz right after college were of Chicano descent, and they all got pierced ears as very young toddlers and did the same for their daughters.

If I was in your situation, I would get my daughter's ears pierced most likely. In my own house, we got ours done when we asked for it. I think your decision to have your pediatrician do the piercing makes sound sense.

Quite frankly, the practice of straightening children's teeth is one of the most common and non-consensual things done to kids these days. Given the the thousands of dollars and years that something like that takes, piercing a little girl's ears is really a minor modification.

I remember seeing people after they got their ears pierced with a piece of broomstraw in the holes until they healed. Everyone I knew had their ears pierced at home by their grandmother or some older relative. Ice was the only pain killer that was used at the time. It was only in recent years that anyone has used professionals around here.

True. I am Puerto Rican and my parents are both from New York. So, it's an east coast thing too. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Or maybe it's just a Latin thing. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Braces are a tad different. In a lot of cases, it's not just cosmetic; I had orthodontics done as a kid because if I hadn't, it would've not only affected the way I chewed and such, but might also have eventually affected the structure of my face and such. And my problems were minor.

Later on, I almost had to have orthodontics as well as surgery for an underbite, because again, things could've gotten messed up in a non-good way.

Even now I should probably have braces, or at least a few teeth pulled--my mouth is too small for my teeth, so my canines on the bottom are turned completely sideways, and one of my wisdom teeth on top tilts to the side. I've been told by my dentist that if I don't have these teeth removed, eventually they'll pretty much rot out of my head because with the way they're positioned, there's no way I can clean in between them effectively.

So it really is apples and oranges.

Horsecrazy, I would support your statement that this is a "Latin thing." Though my husband's mother would have a heart-attack if I used an acronmy other than "hispanic." 8o)

I had my ears pierced when i was a very small child, (i believe i was about 3 or maybe 4, young enough to remember being curious about the piercing gun old enough to know i wanted an ice cream cone after cuz it stung and of course ice cream was going to cure me lol) and I also had a pair of earrings that were a gift from my grandfather that never left my ears (little gold hoops, so delicate its a wonder i never crushed them). I think if you want your little girl to have earrings, then go for it <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> It might be a good idea though to look into special kids pairs (like another forum user mentioned for safety reasons) and for those who argue that its a non consentual body mod, well you have a point but its not like mommy is getting her child tattoed... if the child decides she doesnt want earrings, or for that matter if mom finds it to be a hassle or whatnot then its as simpple as taking the earrings out (thats just my opinion though)

Lynn,

What I've seen suggests that in Latino, Chicano and Spanish-descended cultures is that piercing a little girl's ears is a traditional way of emphasizing the feminine.

It's a culture where you really find that boys and men don't do pierced ears ever. And tattooing is a very "macho" thing in these cultures as well, with guys doing stuff on hands and necks even if they aren't in gangs, to emphasize how "macho" they are. And you'll also see religious/Christian tattooing done by guys in this cultural family.

It's just how stuff happens to have evolved with the collisions of the traditional values and modern customs.

Hello Lynn,

I do not like the word "Hispanic." As far as I know, it was created by Richard Nixon for the census. I don't like the breakdown - his panic. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I'm also not Chicana, since I am only 1/4 Mexican and that part is pure Huichol Indian. Interesting story, my great grandfather and great uncle were Indians conscripted into the Mexican army and later killed by Pancho Villa. My grandfather found their bodies on the blown up train and left Mexico forever, settling in Spanish Harlem and the community of Puerto Ricans there.

Anyway, I think Latina is a good descrip., since so many culture encompass that, like El Salvador, Guatemalan, Brazil, Spain, etc., more than Chicana or Hispanic (no female derivative there) do.