From your head to your nether region, there are plenty of piercings with interesting legacies. Some of the body piercings you might be familiar with are even named after actual people! Check it out:
1 EARL...aka Bridge Piercing
Dan Kopka, the piercer who first performed this piercing, was the one who decided what it would be called. He named it after the first person to have it done, Erl Van Aken. He was known to be a pioneer of the body modification world in the 80’s and 90’s. The first bridge piercing performed was done at America’s first piercing-only studio, aptly named the Gauntlet.
2 MONROE/MADONNA…aka Upper Lip Piercings
When it comes down to whether you have a monroe piercing or a madonna piercing, it will all be based on the location/placement of the labret that is pierced through your upper lip. That’s really the only difference between the two! The monroe is located on the left, since Marilyn Monroe (whom the piercing is named after) had her iconic mole on that same size. If it’s pierced on the right, it will be called the madonna, since the infamous pop-star Madonna has her mole on the right side.
Did you know that there is another variation of this piercing called the Crawford piercing?
3 ASHLEY...aka Inverted Vertical Labret Piercing
There is little information directly available concerning how the Ashley piercing got its name, but it is suspected that it came from either the piercer who invented it, or the first person to successfully wear it - supposedly a woman named Ashley. And although it is similar to both a vertical labret and a jestrum, the Ashley has not been around as long as either of these piercings, and is likely an inventive modification of traditional vertical labrets.
4 MEDUSA...aka Philtrum Piercing
We all know of the Greek mythological being of the same name that turns onlookers into stone, right? Well, the philtrum piercing, which is located in the “cupid’s bow” part of the middle of your upper lip, is also known as the Medusa Piercing.
5 DAHLIA...aka Lip Corner Piercings
This piercing is named after one of the most infamous and gruesome Hollywood murder victims, Elizabeth Short, otherwise known as the Black Dahlia. The woman was found badly mutilated and had been slashed from the corners of her mouth to her ears. This type of piercing, placed at the corner of the lip on each side, is largely worn by women but smaller number of men who have it choose to call it the Joker piercing inspired by supervillain joker in batman.
6 MADISON...aka Neck Piercing
This unique surface piercing was named after the adult film star turned tattoo artist, Madison Stone, whom also is the first person publicly associated with this type of piercing. True to its power-female namesake, the Madison Piercing gives a stylish edge to your modified look and compliments the glam you might already feature on your body, especially necklaces.
7 MARLEY...aka Tongue Frenulum Piercing
Although this isn't verified, it has been suggested in many circles that the name Marley is a reference to famous and celebrated rasta movement icon and reggae vocalist Bob Marley, and may represent freedom through the spoken word, as without the frenulum linguae, we would be unable to speak. Since this piercing rose to prominence in the 1990’s, that might have something to do with its rastafarian nickname.
8 JESTRUM...aka Vertical Philtrum Piercing
Pierced through the middle of the upper lip, the vertical philtrum piercing is similar to a vertical labret, but through the upper lip rather than the bottom lip. Its first official public appearance is said to have been on a woman named Jesika Bornsen, pierced by Derek Lowe of Saint Sabrina's, which led to its current nickname namesake.
9 CLEOPATRA...aka Anti-Eyebrow Piercing
You might be able to guess where the namesake for this colloquial term came from. This piercing was named after the infamous female Egyptian pharaoh, Cleopatra, due to its placement being similar to the way that Cleopatra is depicted with her dramatic eye makeup.
10 RAGNAR...aka Deep Snug Piercing
Considered one of the more rare types of ear piercings, this variation of the snug piercing, located in the cartilage of your ear, was named after the first person to get it done: a man named Thure Ragnar Stedt. Although piercings similar to the ragnar may have existed prior to its formal public naming and exposure, the first formal photography of a deep snug piercing labeled with the name “ragnar” was published around 2002.
11 AUSTIN BAR...aka Horizontal Nasal Tip Piercing
The Austin bar is named after the first known person to get the piercing, which was performed by Patrick Bartholomew. It’s a horizontal nasal tip piercing through the point of the nose, but it doesn’t go through the septum itself, nor is it exposed inside the nasal cavities (it would be the nasallang piercing if so). Being such a rare piercing, there isn’t much other information on it than this.
And of course, let’s not forget the array of genital piercings that make the list. For females over the age of 18, we have the Princess Diana Piercing, Christina/Venus Piercing, Layne Piercing, and Nefertiti Piercing.
Also, did you know that the Cleopatra Piercing (mentioned in our list above) is also a term used for another type of genital piercing for females? Guess you really need to make sure you and your piercer know 100% what kind you want! LOL
As for the guys? Don’t worry, you dude won’t be left out of this fabulous club. For males over the age of 18, the Prince Albert piercing is the intimate piercing with a claim to fame.
Wow! Who knew there were so many different types of piercings with such cool namesakes behind them? Pretty interesting, if I do say so myself!
