Defeating the Purpose?

Perusing a "search" site for childhood nostalgia reasons..I stumbled across a topic that I find interesting in regards to this blog.  Earrings for non-pierced ears.  Now, I was just trying to discover if they still sold the cherished stick-on earrings that I wore in my past.  You know the ones I am talking about..  The square, triangle and basic every-day-shaped "gems" that you felt so grown-up wearing until you realized one of them fell off or/and you were now adorning your hair as well.  OUCH!  Well, much to my surprise, they do!

I used to wear them because I was "too little" to actually get my ears pierced -- according to my parents.  So I settled for the stick ons.  But, the moment I finally convinced them to let me get real ones, the once beloved imitations were quickly erased from my mind.  This got me thinking.  Why do people wear fake earrings???  Clip-ons, magnetic, screw-ons, ear cuffs, etc.  (This post I found -- although a few years old -- describes pros and cons of each..quite interesting...)

Does that not defeat the purpose?  If you want to wear earrings, why not get your ears pierced.  (Unless of course there is a medical reason, etc. preventing you from getting them done.)  It does not hurt -- well any more than wearing clip-ons, for instance.

So, why do people strive to wear earrings when they don't have the right equipment (aka holes through their lobes) to wear real ones?  Is it really that much of a staple in the culture that they feel it's necessary?  Or do they simply enjoy how it looks?  (Because I know from experience via clip-ons -- although it has been about ten years or so -- that it does not feel that great...)

Another interesting comment from the same blog post was that the writer -- a lady who wears earrings and has non-pierced ears -- constantly receives comments (from people she has "known for years")  about how she does not have her ears pierced!  *insert over-dramatic gasp here*

It is funny that cultures are so highly accepting of one type of piercing, that they find it so peculiar when a person does not follow the trend.  But, when they see another similar type (nose, eyebrow, lip, etc.), it is frowned upon.  What makes one form superior to another when all are ancient practices anyway???        

    

Trading Jewels

One topic that is all over everything lately is Silly Bandz.  Why are they so popular?  What do they represent? And most of all, why are they banned?

Forbes.com has an article -- Why Silly Bandz Are So, Like, Cool -- where they interviewed a second grader and a preschooler about them.

Basically, the reason the article stated they were banned is that they were distracting during classes -- because of the incessant trading and trading upsets -- and they could potentially be harmful.  They are esentially rubber bands that form to shapes of all sorts of things:  geckos, princesses, guitars, basically "animals and people and objects."  But the kids wear them all up their arms and teachers are concerned that it might mess with their circulation.

So why are they "so cool?"  Simply because you can trade them, and they are new.  Basically they are taking the place of what baseball cards and pokemon cards used to be.  There are rares which are stived for.  If you have a lot of them, that ups your silly-bandz-status.

Being easily portable is another bonus.  You don't need to "put them in your backpack" because you simply wear them.  They are also fairly cheap and most stores carry them.  (They actually cannot seem to have enough since they are so popular!)

So, jewelry has taken on a new role:  trading.  Not only are the kids wearing them as a fashion statement and to be "cool," but it also has become a common activity.  

Gift of Gold

Why do people wear jewelry?  Is it to display status or wealth?  Is it symbolic?  Or is it just for fun?  I came across an article -- The Psychology of Jewellery -- that emphasized the latter.  It said they viewed that most jewelry is worn for the "feel good factor."

Now, I never really thought about why people take time out of their day to adorn themselves.  I know I do, and if I do not have my "regulars" on, I feel incomplete; naked almost.  It has become a habit for me.  I constantly 'play' with my rings -- and have lost several this way -- so if there is nothing there to fidget with, it feels odd.

Another reason that I wear some of my jewels is that they were gifts.  One ring, that I do not leave the house without, is from my mother.  It isn't anything of great value, but it is hers.  That's enough of a reason for me.  Many people, I believe, share this reason.  It was a gift.  Gifts make you feel special, loved.  So wearing something that was given to you reinstates that feeling every time you put it on.  Whether it be a cheap imitation or an expensive gem.  It all has the same emotional value.

Same thing goes for wedding/engagement rings.  It is to display your emotion -- love, hopefully -- about your partner.  They gave me this ring to show their affection for me, I wear it to show the same affection back.  It almost becomes a compliment in that sense.

People all work the same, we all love compliments.  No matter if you admit to it or not, it is true.  It makes you feel good about yourself.  So if you receive jewelry as a gift, it is flattering.  And why not show that admiration off?  Who knows,  you might just get a compliment on it....