Gay earring

Your ear candy carries a surprising amount of controversy.

But you also shouldn't feel like you can only have your right ear pierced -- there's nothing wrong with piercing the left ear if you think that looks better!

Likewise, if you aren't gay, there's nothing wrong with piercing either your right or left ear. First, choose a reputable piercer. It may have stemmed from subtle, coded communication within gay communities, but once it became widely known, it lost much of its original meaning.

It was once even more vogue, and still is, to have multiple piercings in one ear. From ancient Egyptians and Romans to tribal communities in Africa and Asia, earrings were used to signify status, spirituality, and personal identity. Back then, open discussions about sexual orientation weren’t as accepted, which is why various subtle cues were created for discreet communication, including the Hanky Code (wearing colored handkerchiefs in the back pocket), keys on a belt loop, colored bandanas/armbands, and gay ear piercings.

Today's POV: What the Internet Thinks of Which Ear Is the Gay Ear

Despite its unclear origins and the lack of universal agreement, the "gay ear" concept still echoes as an informal part of gay culture–at least historically.

Your identity is yours to define in your own time, on your own terms.

You can also find support and resources in LGBTQ+ communities, both online and offline, where people understand that identity and expression are deeply personal and beautifully diverse.

Which ear is the gay earring?

The punk and goth movements embraced piercings as a form of rebellion. Yet it helped earlier generations of queer people find each other in the crowd.

A 1991 article in The New York Times perpetuating the stereotype seemed to solidify the historical hearsay as the widely known style taboo many can't quit today. But wearing an earring on the right ear is still a popular choice.

For most people, what matters isn’t which ear it’s in, but how it complements their look and reflects their personality.

This shift mirrors broader cultural changes. "In college, Phil Oakey (The Human League) had both of his ears pierced, which really threw people for a loop because he was straight despite giving off the gayest vibe in the world."

Eyebrows, noses, tongues, nipples, and belly buttons would soon become even louder ways to make a statement.

A study conducted by the advertising insights agency Bigeye revealed that 51 percent of Gen Z agree that traditional gender roles and binary gender labels are outdated, with 56 percent of millennials believing the same. However, some people prefer to seek out more glamorous-sounding metals.

Once you've eliminated potentially dangerous materials like nickel, choosing the right earring material really comes down to personal preference.

Right Earring

• Left earring: signified that a man was straight
• Right earring: signified that a man was gay

The concept of using a right earring to signify homosexuality is said to emerge before the Y2K era. What I think is missing with this generation is that no one has enough context.

Men of all orientations regularly wear studs, hoops, or even elaborate jewelry pieces as part of their style.