[Jody]

I was not allowed to get my ears pierced until I was 14, and only after striking a deal with my parents. I was very jealous of my cousin who got hers pierced at 6. However, about the time I got my ears pierced, another cousin, who was a very young mother, got her infant daughter’s ears pierced. I remember feeling, along with most of the family, that this was not right. A lot of the family’s concern about this was expressed in terms of health issues- that her ears would get infected, or that the earrings would catch on something and rip out, but I think that was just the part of our uneasiness that we could describe. My mother, like many white women of her generation (at least where I grew up in the Midwest), does not have pierced ears (or believe in tattoos, etc.) She felt that because the piercing was fairly permanent, I had to be old enough to make the decision for myself, and that she as a parent shouldn’t be making the decision for me. I think that perhaps this shows that the white middle-class culture puts a lot of emphasis on making children into independent adults, rather than keeping them close to their families- but that might be taking this question too far. Personally, I know that when I have a daughter I will not be piercing her ears until she wants to do it, but I don’t know at what age I will feel that it is appropriate to grant her request.

User Detail :  

Name : Jody, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 30, City : Bloomington, State : IN, Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

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