Once upon a time, piercing was a novelty for us: people with a pierced eyebrow or lip were afraid. Over time, the surprise went away, and the teenage rebels, who were the first to “pierce”, grew up and became among those who form public opinion. Does this mean that we began to perceive people with piercings differently?
A few decades ago, piercing was a rare and defiant exotic. A man with metal jewelry needed iron self-confidence and a willingness to constantly answer uncomfortable questions.
Today, piercing, following tattoos, is becoming quite commonplace. An office manager with “tunnels” in his ears or even a university lecturer with a pierced eyebrow is hardly a surprise these days. A survey conducted in England showed that every tenth person over the age of 16 has a piercing.1.
But does our addiction to piercing mean that we now consider it a normal phenomenon and are ready to take its owners respectfully and seriously? A number of researchers independently decided to study this issue.
In a 2012 study by psychologists at the University of Westminster, participants were asked to rate photographs of men and women with varying amounts of facial piercings or no facial piercings.2.
People with facial piercings were perceived as less attractive. The subjects rated their mental abilities as presumably lower. And the more facial piercings the people being judged had, the lower their scores were.
Suspicion of those who are not like us is an archaic feeling deep in us. But why exactly is piercing so alarming for a society that is focused on accepting and respecting everyone?
Piercing and employment: is there a connection?
The reluctance of employers to accept people with decorations on visible skin areas for certain positions also has a reason. So, in a survey conducted by scientists from the University of Otago (New Zealand) among patients in New Zealand hospitals, piercing turned out to be the thing that they would least like to see from their doctor.3.
Smoke without fire?
Prejudices are based on completely rational arguments. Many psychologists agree that punctures in visible areas of the body, like tattoos, can be seen as indicators of a more risky attitude to life. On average, people with piercings and/or tattoos are more likely to use alcohol and drugs, more likely to have problems with the law, less serious about their studies4.
To test the conventional wisdom about the connection between the presence of piercings and alcohol, psychologists from the University of Southern Brittany (France) offered students leaving bars to breathe into a breathalyzer. Their hypothesis was confirmed – the degree of alcohol intoxication in students with metal jewelry in the skin on visible parts of the body was significantly higher.
A study conducted by psychologists from the University of Quebec (Canada) in 2006 among adolescents showed that 80% of girls with punctures on their bodies had experience of risky behavior, this concept included many defiant acts – from absenteeism to school to drug use5.
And among young people with regular history of drug use, gambling addiction or problems with the law, piercing was 17 times more common than among their socially reliable peers.
Not so simple
On the other hand, it is impossible to say unequivocally that piercing is condemned and not accepted by others. Its presence is a statement that a person feels like a free, confident person who puts his ideas of how his or her body should look above the opinions of others.
A study conducted by scientists from Staton College (USA) among students in New Jersey showed that people with piercings are perceived by participants as more creative, imaginative and mysterious.6.
According to another study conducted by a group of psychologists at the University of Tennessee (USA), people with piercings showed significantly higher levels of openness to new experiences than subjects without it.7.
Based on the characteristics obtained, a portrait of a typical “creative” personality is drawn – bright, creative, but also asocial to a certain extent (depending on what kind of “new experience” a person opens up to).
Thus, stereotypes and prejudice against people with piercings have not disappeared anywhere even in developed and tolerant countries, they have simply become less noticeable. Punctures on the body still cause the majority of misunderstanding and unwillingness to perceive such people as adults and reliable members of society.
This begs the question: since the negative attitude towards people with piercings is intuitively understandable to most people (and is confirmed experimentally), is it possible to assume an unconscious craving for just such a reaction to themselves in those who get pierced?
1 «Body piercing in England: a survey of piercing at sites other than earlobe», British Medical Journal, June 2008.
2 «The Influence of Facial Piercings and Observer Personality on Perceptions of Physical Attractiveness and Intelligence», European Psychologist, 2012, vol. 17, № 3.
3 «Judging a book by its cover: descriptive survey of patients’ preferences for doctors’ appearance and mode of address», British Medical Journal, 2005, December 24.
4 «Tattoos, Piercings, and Alcohol Consumption, Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research», vol. 36, № 7, July 2012.
5 «Are tattooing and body piercing indicators of risk-taking behaviours among high school students?», Journal of Adolescence, vol. 29, № 3, June 2006.
6 «Perception of a photograph of a woman with visible piercings». Psychological Reports, 2008, vol. 103.
7 «Personality correlates of tattooing and body piercing in a college sample: The kids are alright». Personality and Individual Differences, Volume 45, Issue 4, September 2008.