Which ear pierced is the gay ear

Eyebrowsnoses, tongues, nipplesand belly buttons would soon become even louder ways to make a statement. Even today, one of the most unshakeable cultural signifiers has been the "mono" piercing — more precisely, and befuddling, on which ear it's placed and what it says about your sexuality.

These days, seldom does a cool piercing trend stick around for longer than a few weeks before a neologism replaces the one before it, permeating the halls of TikTok or Instagram and causing all of us to second-guess what was once considered mainstream — only to then swap a coveted wardrobe staple for the latest passing fad.

Or which side means what. No one really seems to know where the adage originated.

It's true, though, that " dropping a hairpin " — the precursor to signaling a way to drop a subtle hint to someone that you, too, were gay — was both harmful and helpful. Coleman and Theo Sandfort discuss the fact that straight Russian men would often mark their first sexual act with women by piercing their right ear as a way to ward off unwanted advances from gay men.

Read more for the truth behind the complicated history of the gay ear concept. The "gay ear" myth is an outdated stereotype that a piercing in a specific ear indicates a person’s sexual orientation. A article in The New York Times perpetuating the stereotype seemed to solidify the historical hearsay as the widely known style taboo many can't quit today.

Which ear is the gay ear? It is, however, a uniquely American conundrum. In fact, most royals were adorned in as many gems and as much gold as women — if not more, depending on the occasion — making the sight of guys wearing pearls today, for instance, more a reflection of where we've come from than where we're headed.

You might recall hearing that if a man wore an earring on the right ear, that meant he was gay. At the same time, the left ear is straight. On current rotation, Scully posits, is the septum piercing : equal parts rejection and an invitation, rooted in pleasure and pain.

And according to ancient Chinese belief, the left earring meaning also symbolized that a person's life had been endangered, and to prevent a recurrence, an earring was worn to prevent bad luck. Find men's jewelry trends here!.

Casting director and industry stalwart James Scully remembers his first encounter with the phenomenon, in the late '70s. A lot of people don't know why they're dressed the way they are. The concept of men wearing jewelry is an old one, dating back thousands of years.

Which Ear Is the : The right ear of the human body is usually termed a gay ear in the US because this right ear is most preferably used by homosexuals in ear piercing that signifies a man as gay

Which ear is the gay ear, left or right earring? No longer is it that big of a deal that a cisgender, occasionally heterosexual man wears jewelry — not even those flashy beaded bracelets. Yet further findings, like the fact that "mono earring" queries are popular, suggest many are curious about different types of piercingsspecifically embellishing one ear only — proof that a single earring, and which lobe it lives oncan say everything or nothing at all.

For men, this myth historically claimed a piercing in the right ear meant they were gay, while the left ear was for straight men. Any piercing during that time, Scully insists, would have been an act of defiance anyway — pre- or postpunk era.

But the whole "gay ear" thing has always been ironic, considering its ever-changing position throughout history. Despite recent data and celebrities supporting otherwise, the demagogic proverb "Left is right and right is wrong" has been a whisper placed upon gay and straight men and their piercers for decades.

Which Ear Is the : Are you thinking of getting a piercing but are unsure of which side to get it on? Let's unpack this dated "gay ear" stereotype

China has since banned men's earrings outright. Pre-Y2K and beyondit's been socially understood that wearing one earring on the right ear means someone is gay; the left, straight. Still, certain exceptions prevail. Clean, etc.

Lyst, a company that tracks online shoppers' behavior, claims searches for men's earrings rose by percent from to see: Lil Nas X, Jared Leto, Harry Styles, Bad Bunny. It was once even more vogue, and still is, to have multiple piercings in one ear. Yet it helped earlier generations of queer people find each other in the crowd.