What do gauged ears symbolize?
Traditionally around 15 years of age and before marriage, a girl’s lip and ears are pierced. The stretched ears and lip show that the girl has grown into a woman and is now able to have children. It is a custom that allows the tribe to distinguish their women from those of other tribes.
Why did the Mayans gauge their ears?
The Mayan and Aztec tribes of Central America revered ears, believing them to be conduits of spiritual energy. While stretching goes back as far as human remains do, the style of plugs and flesh tunnels as we know them today can be traced straight back to them.
What are gauges earrings called?
This is important in ear stretching, more commonly known as just stretching, which is what you call the process of making a larger gauge in the hole of a piercing. 3. The actual jewelry is called plugs.
What do big earlobes mean?
Small ears indicate respect, good behaviour as well as affection. On the other hand, if the earlobes are thick, the person most probably has an emotional personality. Meanwhile, if the earlobe is round in shape, it may indicate that the person values relationships.
Why did the Aztecs stretch their ears?
Ear piercings occurred among both males and females. Children first had their ears pierced at an early age. Ears would then be stretched systematically until they could hold the ear spools that were highly desired and given only to persons of a certain age as a show of maturation.
Why did Aztecs gauge their ears?
Ears. Ear piercings occurred among both males and females. Ears would then be stretched systematically until they could hold the ear spools that were highly desired and given only to persons of a certain age as a show of maturation.
Where did gauging ears originate?
The first recorded use of ear-stretching comes from Ancient Egypt, and can be seen in the sarcophagus of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun. In addition, anthropologists believe that the use of ear gauges originated in sub-Saharan Africa.
Why do people get big gauges?
The more you stretch the skin, the more commitment you are expressing to a counter cultural look.” People who are obsessed with getting the largest stretch possible are known in the business as a “gauge queen” or “gauge king”, according to Fox.
What is the history of ear gauging?
History of Ear Gauging. Ear gauging, also known as ear stretching, is the practice of piercing of the ear lobes for beautification purposes using different types of jewelry. These piercings have been around since centuries are as old as humans itself. There are many tribes which have practiced the custom of ear gauging for some reason or the other.
What is the history of earrings?
The history of earrings is an interesting one because they have been worn by both genders for millennia. The discovery of a 5,000-year old body in the Italian Alps has shown us that men wore earrings as early as the Bronze Age.
What are ear gauges made of?
Today however, lesser and lesser males follow this custom, while many women can be seen wearing ear gauges made from wood, thorn, animal bones, etc. Women have very long ear gauges and the older the women, the longer the fistula of the ear lobe.
Are women supposed to wear ear gauges?
However today only married women are supposed to wear the ear gauges. The Mayans wore ear gauges made of jade which was worn by higher class people. While the other members of the tribe wore ear gauges made up of wood, stone, bone, shell and metals of many different sizes.