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???