Body piercing is a topic of much modern controversy. What most parents and employers do not realize is that it is a practice that has been going on for thousands of years and is not just some recent, rebellious fad. Most individuals who are interested in being pierced do not realize this either. There are deep and ancient roots to many piercings. Most parts of the anatomy adorned now primarily for aesthetic purposes were originally …showed first 75 words of 2604 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2604 total…fads," are thousands of years old. Views on piercing have changed drastically over the centuries, and practices that were once required are now shunned. Many piercings were signs of being "owned" in one way or another, but today body piercing is a form of expressing self-choice. If the present trend continues, body piercing will eventually be an accepted part of most cultures, including the modern west, whether it is for traditional, spiritual or asthetic reasons.