HONESTLY: Does anyone think that "plugs" (tribal style wide-guage earings) make a person look better?

How do people sleep in those too? Doesn’t it get in the way?

No.

Gauges are fugly too. Anytime I see them, I want to do this.

I’ve always wanted to put lube on my finger and slowly insert my finger in and out of the big holes in their ear lobes. Oh yeah.

@Michael_Huntington sounds sexy.

Not at all. I hate to sound like a conservative christian, but it’s just not natural for the ear to look like that lol.

@Blackberry you evil conservative christofascist rethuglican teabagger theocrat. I bet you watch faux news don’t you? And you’re probably racist as well.

any body piercing, from ear rings to clitoris rings, is ugly to me.

@Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard If god wanted our ears to look like that, he would’ve made them that way. Blah blah 4:23

@Blackberry LLLLLLLLOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLL

No…just, no…Granted, I have seen some very, very small gauges that ended up looking cute on a few people I knew, but past that, I can’t get into them.

It’s a useful identification tool.

I would assume that those who have them pierced think it looks good. And really, 80% of our fashion fads look like crap (body-con outfits, chunky jewelry, slouchy boots, leggings, jeggings, etc), we just do them because if it goes on long enough, we’ll think they’re hot as hell.

I’m starting to feel a little bit better for not liking these things after hearing that many of you don’t like them. I thought I didn’t like them because I’m getting older. ya know, because 41 is freakin’ old. those kids these days!~

I don’t care for them. I feel bad for people that stretch their ears and then regret it later in life.

They sure look weird to me. But then I think neckties and pantyhose are bizarre, so I’m no judge.

Not that large no, but I think they can look good on certain people. It all depends on the general look, some people just look like they should have plugs, and I mean that in a good way. I like plugs. I have them. But they’re really small, and rainbow, so not only can you not tell, but they are the coolest things ever, and yes I look better with em. ;)

I don’t think so, but apparently many people do.

@Blackberry Hideous is hideous .. no matter the race, creed, or religion.

@op Gross. Just….. gross.

Omg I just noticed you linked to those Mexican pointy shoes. I can’t get over them. About a month ago my friend showed me a picture of them and I was like THOSE ARE NOT REAL, NOBODY WOULD WEAR THEM. Then I was walking down the street about a week later and saw A MEXICAN WEARING THEM. I shit my pants.

It’s like most fashion; a few can pull it off, most try to and fail miserably.

wow. I just looked at those shoes too. what? why??? I’m assuming none of those guys drive. right?

@digitalimpression You’re correct my good man.

You want them to go away, start telling people you can tell they’re a hipster because they have them.

I think they are a job requirement to work in any of the coffee shops in the San Francisco bay Area other than Starbucks. All of the baristas seem to have them.

In Kenya, where stretching your earlobes is a big, tribal thing, they put film cartridge cans in the hole and fill the can with tobacco. I have no idea what they are doing with the ear hole now that people no longer use film cameras. Once stretched, it isn’t likely to grow back to a normal ear lobe.

@Sunny2 Film is still alive and well! Just in a niche market :) Worry not Kenya.

They are ugly. I think people wear it to make a statement. I suppose if the statement is I am stupid because I think this funky, ugly ass earing shows people that I am a rebel; than they made their point.
I don’t get it. No one looks at the old man or old woman with the big floppy ears later in life and says I want surgery to make my ear lobes larger than my ear, but its ok to make holes that will make your ears look like a sad swing set.
@FutureMemory I don’t feel sorry for them but I do feel sorry for the parents who go out with their idiot adult children in public.
It always amazes me how people can barely commit to any one thing today but have no problem committing to some crazy fashion that will last a life time or at least cost tons of money to have corrected later.

I find all varieties of gauging to be unattractive.

@Pandora Don’t worry, I sincerely doubt there are really that many children that spend much time in public (or otherwise) with a parent that would think so little of them. Problem solved!

I’ve got em and I like em. I never really liked regular earrings. The hooks and pins and butteryfly-backs made it feel like a had an earful of hardware. With a plug there’s no hardware it’s all decorative. I like having a solid hunk of stone or carved horn in my ear.

You’ve got questions I’ve got answers!

@Keep_on_running “How do people sleep in those too? Doesn’t it get in the way?”

Same way you sleep in any earring. Though it’s not recommend with the big hanging ones.

@Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard “Gauges are fugly too.”

o rly?

@Michael_Huntington “I’ve always wanted to put lube on my finger and slowly insert my finger in and out of the big holes in their ear lobes. Oh yeah.”

Sorry, you don’t get to stick your finger in any part of me.

@Pandora “It always amazes me how people can barely commit to any one thing today but have no problem committing to some crazy fashion that will last a life time or at least cost tons of money to have corrected later.”

You should shouldn’t see my tattoos.

That’s all. If you don’t like it that’s your thing, but I do like it.

God, I look so much more sophisticated with a mustache. Curse my womanly defect. Maybe I should pierce my septum and get one of these.

A little surprised at some of the posts in this thread. It felt like I was reading something from the 1950’s regarding tattoos “Oh my god, how could anyone?!?... Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that jazz.

I don’t mind smaller ones at all (@fundevogel looks fabulous, by the way). I’m not into extremes of any type, so the giant ones don’t appeal. Sort of like I like some tattoos, but I’m not a fan of, say, having your face tattooed.

I think the thing about doing something too extreme is that someone who does “alternative” piercings may be limiting themselves as far as jobs go, because there are some jobs (many jobs) that will not hire someone that looks too extreme. The person with the piercings may have no problem getting a job in certain fields, but there are a lot of places that want someone looking a bit more conservative (not even that they want conservative, but just not too “out there”).

For example, I have a neighbor who works for IBM. Every time I see her on a work day she’s dressed in heels and skirt. She’s just a secretary, but I can see she still has to dress up, and I’m sure they pay her accordingly. A job like that, which, granted may not be a job for everyone, but it’s a door that’s open to someone who keeps their body jewelry hidden, and maybe not to someone who doesn’t.

My friend’s son has gauges in his ears. He goes to community college and works at a local supermarket. When he graduates and starts looking for a regular job, he may find he is limited to certain lines of work based upon his appearance. Maybe not, who knows.

Doesn’t matter what anyone thinks, other than those who choose to have it done.
If it’s good enough for them, then why would I care in the slightest?

Nope.

@fundevogel, don’t ever consider anything that comes out of my mouth as being universally applicable. I don’t like gauges on men mostly.

I don’t care for the look, but that’s just my personal taste. I certainly wouldn’t call the practice “mass hysteria” however. It’s just a matter of personal expression.

anyone see the new trend, backlash, against these large guages is for people to run up and hook in padlocks? http://thechive.com/2010/06/17/the-perfect-cure-for-idiot-hipsters-2-photos/ tempting.

I don’t have a personal thing against people with “plugs”, but I saw some kid with plugs the other day, and he was talking to his friend. He shook his head no and his earlobes were flapping around; it was so gross, I thought I was going to be sick.

Anyways, that what he told me, so if anyone has a bad thing to say, please don’t comment. I’m not trying to upset anyone that might have plugs.

@fundevogel Different strokes for different folks. But honestly I don’t get it. The same way I don’t get plastic surgery (unless it is to fix a genetic problem like a cleft lip or an accident or scars).
I don’t even commit to the paintings or pictures on my walls for that long. I find my taste change as I age and so what might’ve been attractive to me at some point in my life, isn’t any more or if it is, it simply doesn’t doesn’t look the same on me any longer.
Ex. I use to like short skirts when I was younger. I see it on my daughter and I think it looks very attractive on her. I still like short skirts but I don’t have the muscular thighs I once had and now I have a few viens that are not so attractive. And honestly even then, I simply don’t have the youth factor to carry it off and I would look like some sad washed up ho or a crazy person. My taste has become conservative. When I was young I liked crazy looks, but now I like clean neat lines and a fresh look. But even back then I, even liked tats. The wash off kind.

I think it is time for the ‘You know you’re a hipster when…...’ jokes to start.

I have to chime in with @FutureMemory, even I sound to me like an old fogey. All this talk about long term consequences of body mods, how many of you have ever gotten a sun tan, or god forbid, a sun burn, by laying out by the pool. Stupid, stupid, but fashionable.

I guess I just haven’t gotten used to them is all. But I will.

I don’t expect everyone to like what I’ve done to my body. But I do get the impression that a lot of people have a negative reaction without being aware of just how diverse mods can be. Part of the reason I posted a picture was to show that the idea in you head of what modded people look like might be too narrow. I’ve never been a punk or a goth. I’m a nerd through a through. I didn’t start stretching until I was comfortably in my 20’s. The point is, not every person that’s stretched their ears is patronizing Hot Topic and cultivating a teenage rebellion. And we certainly don’t all have the same style.

I’m pretty much of the opinion that if someone like me, a massive nerd with a needle phobia, can have my own collection it’s probably not nearly so hardcore or fringe as some think. I’m pretty sure the fact that I have mods is making them less cool.

@Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard uh-huh, little backpedal there ;)

@augustlan Goodness! Such flattery.

@fundevogel you know my weakness is beautiful women, so you knew it would happen.

I don’t. It doesn’t detract from liking or respecting the person with them though just because I don’t find their ears physically attractive.

@Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard Shame on me. But you’ve had it coming with all your sexy talk about Roosevelt. You can’t tease a girl like that.

@fundevogel, if your Roosevelt fetish is any bit as extensive as mine, I feel like we may be made for each other.

I can tolerate the tiny gauges, which barely look like gauges, but once somebody gets into the permanent-deformation-sizes, the ones beyond a half-inch, (though my personal tolerance only goes up to a quarter-inch) it’s fucking disgusting.

@Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard I expect were such a thing to be I would finally be able to make euphemistic references to the Panama Canal. I’ve really just got a basic history boner. The lib in me is seriously conflicted about how the rest of me thinks Ol Hickory was a total badass.

@fundevogel Sorry, you don’t get to stick your finger in any part of me.
Everyone says that :(

It is so far beyond my understanding, that I assume it’s just a pop culture mass hysteria type of thing.

On that part, we gotta remember that the spectrum of body modification has been around for a heck of a long time. Things like this, scarification, mass piecings/tattoos…there’s entire subcultures and professionalism devoted to body mod arts, and it all has its history. Not a big expert on body mod, but considering its foundations and the interests that support them, I hardly doubt it’s some mass hysteria thing that will die out in two weeks.

In all seriousness, I find all body modifications fascinating, including gauges. I love your gauges, @fundevogel, as well as your mustache.

@Michael_Huntington Thank you, I need to get a proper false one. I have an old fu manche but I cut a lock off to give to a boy years ago so it doesn’t really sit right any more. And the style didn’t really suit me anyways. I figure with my facial structure I need to stick with a handlebar or pornstache.

@fundevogel I would be completely okay with that as I am actually about to begin writing about the Canal a bit for my thesis. And I have a history boner as well. That’s why I majored in it. ;-) Also, I feel the same way about Jackson. I’m part Cherokee but I still can’t deny his badassery. What’s done is done.

No, no, and no…. My personal opinion…. I think it looks great on tribal people and I can appreciate it on the cultures but when I see a young man sporting then it turns me off…..

It’ a trend, just like when people were getting the barbed wire tribal tattoo thing wrapped around their arm back in the 90’s…....... ughh

@Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard You have no idea how cool that is to me. I’ve got a short script I’m working on about Aaron Burr’s ambitious attempt to raise an army and lead a secession while serving as vice president. It was very grass roots.

@fundevogel can I read it when you’re done?

@Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard Sure, though I’m not sure when, I’ve mostly been working on another story because I realized the Burr story was going to be a really epic project as far as animation goes. I still kinda want to start it with a flashback to the Americans retreating after the Battle of Quebec. It should be noted it’s a broad strokes retelling and I take liberties when it seems funny.

@fundevogel this is going to be animated????!?!?! 0_0 I’m in awe.

@Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard and @fundevogel Get a room.

I second the above motion.

No u.

Meh, I don’t mind them. How they look all depends on the person wearing them. I’ve got multiple tats and piercings, but I don’t think they make me look bad. If it’s not your thing, it’s not your thing.

Off topic as all get out. Whatchoo gonna do?

@fundevogel Not much to do. This is General; I expect that, so long as you keep it clean, there’ll be nothing doing.

This is actually Social.

This….is….SOCIALLLLLLLLLLLL

@Michael_Huntington Lmao.

i see wut j00 did thar

I have to admit for a little bit I thought I was going to see some post about canals getting wet, thrusting boats into canals and staying safe so no one contracted “malaria”.

@amujinx It can be hard difficult to follow a post like ^that so I held off.

@fundevogel That’s why I held off on that post until it seemed like the whole thread was dying down.

@Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard Sorry, I meant Social. Most other websites have the “general” section be the one with lighter moderation, and I mix them up sometimes.

No, no I do not

I must be getting inured to them. I saw a picture of a guy with maybe three inch disks in his ears and I didn’t even notice them at first. Granted, he did have steak knives sticking through his nostrils…

Those big holes in their ear lobes and pins and hardware sticking out all over or in intimate parts of their body disgust me, I can’t look at that.

The only reason people put up with the pain and disfigurement is that their friends tell them that it’s “cool”. I suggest that they get new friends. By the way the same goes for those huge tattoos and tramp stamps!

Thanks for letting me unload. Great question

@Ron_C Ummm, beg to differ, but nobody told me my tattoos would look cool, and no one can even see them unless I choose to show them or I’m wearing a bathing suit. And my daughters’ names in huge gothic lettering down my ribcage do actually look pretty badass. There was a purpose behind that pain.

@WillWorkForChocolate sorry I just can’t understand going through that pain to have a picture drawn permanently on my skin. I like the henna designs for hands and arms but they are not permanent. I always wonder what they’ll look like in 40 years. Shrunken and wrinkled.

It doesn’t matter what they look like in 40 years. What matters is that they’re permanent reminders of something fun or important in my life. When my beautiful panther (tattoo #1) becomes a shriveled housecat, I’ll still remember where I got it, who did it, and why I wanted it.

And my oldest daughter really enjoyed getting to watch her own name be permanently etched into my skin. Especially after she asked if it was hurting and the artist told her that ribcage tattoos are terribly painful and I must really love her an awful lot to go through it.

@WillWorkForChocolate Well to each his/her own. If it is something that you want, I have no business telling you otherwise. I have two daughters, one has her belly button pierced; I can’t look at it. My other daughter has only her original holes and no signs tattooed on her.

Have you seen this tattoo?

LOL!