I
agree, why does a baby need earrings in the first place? I think it looks really tacky. Claires is one of the only places in my town centre that do it as some places have signs saying they won't pierce babies and young children.
As for where they pierce the people, it always seemed a bit unhygienic to me. Whenever I've been pierced in the past you're always taken to a separate room and all the equipment is sterilized in front of you.
(FootOfTim, Sat 29 May 2010, 17:48, 1 reply)

All babies? O_o
While I agree that yeah, those huge Elizabeth Duke-type hoops can be quite tacky on tiny ears, what about piercings for religious/cultural reasons? Where I come from, (South Asia), all gal-babes (and even certain types of boy-babes) have their ears needle-pierced at 31 days - half cultural, partly a convienience thing, as it hurts the flesh and cartilage much less when young..exceptions, there, surely?
(ifonly, Sat 29 May 2010, 18:11, closed)

I'm
not sure if they make exceptions for cultural reasons, I think its likely that they would. I'm guessing they're just against the whole piercing babies for vanity reasons.
(FootOfTim, Sat 29 May 2010, 19:44, closed)

No.
Mutilation of a child is mutilation of a child, no matter how you wrap it up in this PC crazy world. I think it should be the choice of the person who is being stabbed whether they want to be stabbed or not. You can't make any choices as a baby.

Saying something is OK because lots of people do it is about as stupid as it gets.
(robbersdog, Sun 30 May 2010, 9:43, closed)

I agree, the entire world should adopt and adhere to Western cultural values.

( The Mock TurtIe ™ --- Thinks you are a cunt, on, Sun 30 May 2010, 14:22, closed)

But I wasn't saying that..
Mutilation? Bit harsh, it's not like they're hammering huge holes or nails into them or anything... they are just small earrings, holes made with a fine needle, put in at a early age. If the child grows up and decides they don't want 'em? It's simple; they take them out, the hole closes over. Simple as.
Think of it this way; the child's most likely going to ask to have its ears pierced at twelve/fourteen/whenever anyway, what's wrong with getting it done earlier, when it's a lot less painful? How many teenage girls do you know that have never wanted their ears pierced? I'm told I slept right through mine the first time - had my second pair of piercings done recently, and screamed like a pig..
I honestly wasn't trying to be PC or say that everyone should follow it, I wasn't; just trying to point out that different cultures have different values, and sometimes there are exceptions to the whole vanity/selfishness reasons..
(ifonly, Mon 31 May 2010, 10:01, closed)

Ah, Religion.
I'm sure it has some random fucked up reason for changing a childs natural appearance before they can even hold up their own head. But if it must be done, at least it's done with a needle, it hurts a lot less and is so much safer.
(MissUnexpectedNuttering Mad to live, Mad to talk, and burn, burn, burn...., Sun 30 May 2010, 20:51, closed)

Oh no- it's not always necessarily religious; a lot of cases it's more a cultural/social/let's get it done early type thing.. Like drinking ages across the word- ish.
(It doesn't change the natural appearance that much, surely? They're only earrings, and it's much more of a normal boring thing over there than here, where they've only recently become mainstream and widely worn, so what's considered a natural form for a hild there might be quite different)
(ifonly, Mon 31 May 2010, 10:07, closed)