Gay ear ring
While it’s now thought of as a myth that an earring in the left ear means “straight” and one in the right means “gay,” it is true that over the milennia, people have used jewelry to signal certain things. Find men's jewelry trends here!. In the s, some men pierced their left ear to signal they were straight. At first it was assumed that the wearers were all effeminate homosexuals, but it soon became clear the the habit was gay ear to the more ring of the young heterosexuals.
The problem was that nobody could remember which was supposed to be which. In his book The Naked Man: A Study of the Male BodyDesmond Morris explains that earrings have indicated wisdom and compassion in the stretched earlobes of the Buddha, while pirates wore them in the belief it would protect them from drowning.
While there’s no single “gay earring,” some styles have become iconic in LGBTQ+ fashion—either through cultural history, symbolism, or pure aesthetic power. According to this outdated belief, wearing an earring in the right ear signified being gay, while the left ear was considered straight. A man wears an earring in whichever ear he pleases. Read more for the truth behind the complicated history of the gay ear concept.
In the end the male earring lost its sexual significance altogether, and simply became a generalized way of annoying middle-aged, latter-day puritans. In the Western world, earrings, so long a purely female adornment, have recently been seen on increasing numbers of male ears. So why do so many people believe the right ear piercing is “gay”?. In the Elizabethan era, earrings were quite fashionable for men, he writes.
This led to some confusion and stories began to circulate that there was a secret code, that to wear an earring in a pierced left ear was homosexual, and in a pierced right ear was rebel heterosexual. But as I grew up, it seemed like everyone I met, no matter their place of origin, knew and understood the earring code, as arbitrary as it seems.
At one point in American history, there was supposedly an encoded message about sexuality contained a man’s choice of the left or right side, but today, having an earring on either side means only that you have a hole in your ear. Find men's jewelry trends here!. Historically speaking, the truth is more complex. In the end the male earring lost its sexual significance altogether, and simply became a generalized way of annoying middle-aged, latter-day puritans.
It was a discreet way to come out as gay and talk to other members of the community. Which ear is the gay ear, left or right earring? Another guy got two piercings in his right ear in college, to which we all remarked that that he wanted everyone to know that he was a power bottom — which he is. Whether you’re new to piercings or looking to level up your look, here are five earring styles that queer folks often embrace for their boldness, uniqueness, or expressive flair.
A man in the U. If it were in my right ear, that would mean I was gay. During the s, the right ear was known as the “gay ear” because members of the LGBTQ+ community used it to indicate their sexual preferences. We accepted it as gospel and never questioned its validity. The idea of a "gay earring" based on which ear it's worn in is a stereotype that became popular in the s and s.
Quinn Myers is a staff writer at MEL. He reports on internet culture, technology, health, masculinity and the communities that flourish within. And in the 20th century, people got confused about which ear meant what: In the Western world, earrings, so long a purely female adornment, have recently been seen on increasing numbers of male ears. More Stories from MEL.
The idea of a "gay earring" based on which ear it's worn in is a stereotype that became popular in the s and s. According to this outdated belief, wearing an earring in the right ear signified being gay, while the left ear was considered straight. 1. Earrings on guys have signified many things over the years, such as social stature or religious affiliation.
Some time after that, of course, I made peace with the fact that I am gay. What does Generation Z think of the whole gay code? Which ear is the gay ear, left or right earring? Read more for the truth behind the complicated history of the gay ear concept. While it’s now thought of as a myth that an earring in the left ear means “straight” and one in the right means “gay,” it is true that over the milennia, people have used jewelry to signal certain things.