Earrings date far back centuries past human history. In the western world, we tend to think of earrings as a woman’s accessory, but men also wear earrings.
Men have a lot of different reasons for wearing earrings, from personal choice to cultural practices. This article explains 9 reasons men wear earrings.
Why Do Men Wear Earrings?
1. Fashion Trend
Earrings are a popular fashion trend for men. They can add a touch of elegance and style to any outfit.
There are many different reasons why men wear earrings. Some men wear earrings as a way to show their personality and style.
Others wear earrings to make themselves look more stylish. They think earrings make them look cool.
Some guys only wear earrings for a short time and then take them out because they were over the fashion trend.
Whatever the reason, there is no wrong way to wear earrings. Make sure you choose the right pair of earrings for your particular outfit.
2. Culture And Tradition
Earrings have been a part of many cultures around the world throughout history. Archeologists have uncovered ancient sites with evidence of men who wore earrings.
For example, King Tutankhamun’s earlobes showed to have piercing perforations when his tomb was discovered. Earrings were found in his tomb.
Another example of historical evidence of earrings is in the Buddha. You might notice many Buddha statues have large ears.
The Buddha had long ear lobes symbolizing his renouncing of wealth. The big ears on Buddha statues show how the weight of his wealth stretched his ears.
Many men today are trying to reconnect to their ancestral cultures and traditions. Consequently, they wear traditional jewelry of their culture, including earrings.
3. Status Symbol
Men and women have worn earrings for centuries to show off their personal style and status.
Some men wear earrings to show off their wealth status. For example, large diamond studs are popular among young wealthy men.
Large gold and diamond earrings combined with other gold jewelry like necklace chains and rings symbolize wealth and luxury.
4. Express Sexuality Or Gender
Earrings are often seen as a symbol of femininity or sexuality. While there are many different reasons men may wear earrings, one is expressing sexuality or gender identity.
A past trend was gay men wore one earring in their right ear to indicate their sexuality, and straight men wore the earring in their left ear.
Today, the spectrum of sexuality and gender leaves earrings open to any man who wants to wear them.
Earrings are popular among the gender-fluid crowd, and transgender men and women wear them to express their style.
5. Spirituality
Earrings can hold spiritual power, too. For example, in Kundalini, earrings can help align the chakras with their acupuncture properties.
As a spiritual practice, Kundalini involves harnessing sound waves to align and heal. For example, the vibration of earrings made of certain material near the ear drum resonates a healing tone.
Movements that create sound waves from earrings lead to the release of negative energy and protection.
Some men might wear earrings as a form of spiritual practice. Kundalini is one example of a practice that uses vibrations produced from jewelry.
6. To Be A Rebel
Men wear earrings because they want to rebel and be different from the rest. They want to stand out and be noticed.
They might be making a statement against an authority figure. For example, a young man might get his ear pierced to rebel against his father’s authority.
Older generations hold a more conservative view of men wearing earrings and don’t appreciate the style. Instead, they see it as a rebellion.
Whether he is a rebel or just going through a rebellious stage, getting an earring is a way for men to display their independence and resist authority.
7. Health Benefits
Depending on where the piercing is located in the ear cartilage, earrings could provide health benefits through acupuncture.
Acupuncture in the ear lobe can help reduce pain, support weight loss, and help with depression.
Acupuncture is generally performed under the care of a trained practitioner with tiny pins that the patient can hardly feel inserted into the skin.
There is no definitive proof that this works, but a man might suffer from chronic pain and find relief with a conch piercing.
Men get their ears pierced because it’s a permanent acupuncture pin in their ear cartilage, providing them with a host of health benefits.
8. It’s Sexy
Most men these days get pierced simply because it is super sexy. Men and women find rebellious guys with unique style hot.
Earrings let a guy express his hotness through his accessories. His personality can shine through the bling of his earrings.
Earrings can enhance a guy’s appearance in many ways, such as by making his eyes look bigger or adding a splash of color.
9. He’s A Pirate!
Finally, the last reason men wear earrings is that he is a pirate. Pirates wore earrings for a couple of reasons.
First, they always had gold or precious metal on their body. Earrings allowed them to carry gold or silver on them at all times.
Pirates believed that if they fell overboard and died, their body would wash ashore. Whoever found their body could use the earrings as payment for burial.
Legend also says that pirates used earrings as earplugs to muffle the sound of firing canons. They could plug their ears in battle and replace their earring when done.
Lastly, pirates carved their home port into their jewelry in case they were killed at sea. Then, like a dog tag, their home could be identified, and their remains sent.
A man might be wearing earrings because he’s a pirate. The only way to find out for sure is to ask him.
To learn more, you can also read our posts on why men wear pinky rings, why men have short hair, and why men wear Speedos.
Conclusion
Men wear earrings for a variety of reasons. Some men might not have any reason other than they like wearing earrings.
We talked about 9 reasons why men wear earrings in this article. The best way to understand why a man is wearing earrings is to get to know him and ask him.