What binds the women I speak to is
the idea that piercing is a means of
capturing a feeling of youth. In that
respect the midlife piercing is the new
tattoo, but this is about more than
rebellion. For many a piercing is a sort
of superpower. Pain is gain.
“Piercings are a form of empower-
ment,” Tash says. “The process of
conquering fear to get the piercing,
nursing the piercing as it heals and
then wearing a piece that reflects your
style is a path to feeling in control.”
Tash, who patents her piercings, cites
two new locations — the Tash Helix (which refers to a
piercing that is placed in the middle of the upper ear
arch) and Tash Hidden Rook (which sits inside the anti-
helix) — among the hot new places to pierce. “I think
smart women appreciate them because they’re
intriguing and intelligently designed,” she says.
Piercings that adorn more than just earlobes have
definitely had something of an image overhaul in
recent years. Once an aesthetic owned by the Prodigy’s
Keith Flint (who could forget all that hardware?) and,
if you went to my high school, fans of the Leeds
garage band Nosebleed, piercings have been reborn as a
luxury fashion item. A rise in jewellers specialising in
earrings designed to pepper the whole ear instead of
just the lobe has encouraged this revolution. The emer-
gence of expensive brands — Mejuri’s most popular
stud retails for up to £320, while Maria Tash has a
diamond-encrusted navel barbell that is yours for an
eye-watering £8,250 — has also fanned the flames.
Ellaouise Runnacles, a piercer at Love Hate Social
Club, an authentic tattoo and piercing parlour on
Portobello Road in west London, has witnessed this
phenomenon first hand. “The target audience for pierc-
ings has expanded hugely and I’m loving it!” she says.
“People used to ask ‘Are you a punk?’ or ‘Are you a
goth?’ when they saw my piercings. Nowadays people
of all ages and backgrounds actually compliment me on
my jewellery instead of questioning it.”
The fact that it’s now socially acceptable to wear a
nose piercing to a board meeting or a barbell throughyour eyebrow and be able to hold down
a “proper” job has had a significant
impact on the sort of piercings women
are plumping for. “Society is more
accepting of body modification than it
has been in the past,” Runnacles
confirms. “You no longer get a piercing
then risk your career.”
Accordingly the piercing in its new,
luxed-up form is becoming a way for
women to mark milestones, with
divorces and landmark birthdays
among the top reasons to plump for a
hole in one (or two). “I’ve had women
come in to get pierced because they want to de-stress
or as a reward for a promotion at work,’’ Runnacles says.
Mother-and-daughter piercings are also emerging as
a key trend: the younger girls come in for a belly-button
piercing while their mothers use the occasion to add to
their “eardrobe”.
“We see many mother-and-daughter visits, couples
opting for matching piercings and a lot of best friends
coming together,” Tash says. “We recently had two
friends, one in the UK and one on the west coast of
America, who met up in New York to get pierced as a
reunion post-Covid. But there are also plenty of people
who come in alone.”
Piercing parties — social occasions at which the
chance to have a glass of champagne with a pal is
offered alongside a sharp needle and a diamond-
encrusted pin stud — are the next logical step. Tash has
VIP rooms in her stores that cater to this demand, while
brands such as Monica Vinader, which also caters to the
midlife piercing market, offer a similar service.
The challenge is deciding which piercing to plump
for. Mejuri and Maria Tash make this easy with menus
that offer step-by-step guides to curating the desired
look. Instagram, where “curated ears” are a new sort of
social currency, also offers plentiful inspiration.
The experts advise throwing caution to the wind. “My
best piece of advice to any women considering getting a
piercing would be to get on with it,” Runnacles says.
“Piercings aren’t permanent, so if you change your mind
down the line it doesn’t matter.” ■ @karendacrePiercings are
becoming a
way for women
to mark
milestones such
as divorces
and landmark
birthdays
No holes barred From left, Lisa Bonet, 54, Sienna Miller, 40, Drew Barrymore, 47, and Beyoncé, 40, have embraced the piercing trendGetty Images
The Sunday Times Style • 27