Which earring is the gay one

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. No longer is it that big of a deal that a cisgender, occasionally heterosexual man wears jewelry - not even those flashy beaded bracelets.

History and Hypocrisy What : Is there such a thing as a “gay ear?” Of course not—but there is an intriguing history surrounding the practice of wearing a single earring, and one historian has blessed us with an explanation

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. 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.

No one really seems to know where the adage originated. Yet it helped earlier generations of queer people find each other in the crowd. At the same time, the left ear is straight. It started many years ago when people tried to find simple signs about others’ lives.

Find men's jewelry trends here!. You might recall hearing that if a man wore an earring on the right ear, that meant he was gay. Eyebrowsnoses, tongues, nipplesand belly buttons would soon become even louder ways to make a statement.

Casting director and industry stalwart James Scully remembers his first encounter with the phenomenon, in the late '70s. On current rotation, Scully posits, is the septum piercing : equal parts rejection and an invitation, rooted in pleasure and pain.

Clean, etc. Which ear is the gay ear? Any piercing during that time, Scully insists, would have been an act of defiance anyway - pre- or postpunk era. 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.

Read more for the truth behind the complicated history of the gay ear concept. This belief grew quickly and spread in many places. 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.

Still, certain exceptions prevail. T hese days, seldom does a 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.

It was once even more vogue, and still is, to have multiple piercings in one ear. China has since banned men's earrings outright. 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.

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.

But the whole "gay ear" thing has always been ironic, considering its ever-changing position throughout history. 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.

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. Which ear is the gay ear, left or right earring? Some believed that wearing an earring on the right ear meant a man was gay.

Or which side means what. Origins Of The ‘gay Ear’ Myth The idea that one ear shows someone’s sexual preference is an old myth. Pre-Y2K and beyondit's been socially understood that wearing one earring on the right ear means someone is gay; the left, straight.

The concept of men wearing jewelry is an old one, dating back thousands of years.