Modern history and social attitudes

Ear piercing has existed continuously since ancient times, including throughout the 20th century in the Western world. However, in the mainstream Western culture of North America, Europe, Australasia, etc., it became a relative rarity from the 1920s until the 1960s. At that time, it regained popularity among westernized women, and was eventually adopted by men in the hippie community, and later the punk subculture before it broke into the mainstream. Ear piercing, of either or both ears, has always been practiced by men in many non-Western cultures. By the 1980s, male ear piercing had become somewhat common in westernized cultures, although men usually only pierced one of their ears. Today, single and multiple piercing of either or both ears is extremely common among Western women and somewhat common among men.

Less conventional forms of body piercing have also existed continuously for as long as ear piercing, but generally not in Western cultures. For example, women in India routinely practice nostril piercing, and have done so for centuries.

In the 1970s, body piercing gained popularity in the gay BDSM subculture for various reasons. In 1975, Jim Ward opened The Gauntlet, America's first storefront body piercing operation, in Los Angeles.