Rings, necklaces and bracelets have been accepted for centuries, but body jewelry is often viewed as unconventional. To some extent, this is a function of the culture where the observation is made. In any given corporate office on Wall Street, eyebrow rings and tongue piercings will be virtually nonexistent. There won’t be many nose rings displayed at the lawyer’s office, nor will labrets be worn by the lead character in any of next year’s major Hollywood films. In other venues, body jewelry may be the norm rather than the exception.
Body jewelry is a beautiful, artistic form of self-expression, but all forms of expression require some forethought and consideration for the feelings of others. It would be in poor taste to go to a funeral and express happiness at a person’s demise. Using coarse language at public places like grocery stores or shopping malls is not appropriate. Wearing sweat pants and a T-shirt to a job interview would not be likely to produce positive results.
Choosing when to wear body art also requires some consideration. Wearing a nose ring or labret to a somber event such as a funeral may be seen as disrespectful. The deceased person may not have minded, but funerals are part of the grieving process for friends and family members, and consideration should be given for their feelings in the matter.
Body jewelry may be inappropriate for events such as court appearances, public meetings, or interviews for employment or bank loans. A good rule of thumb is that if the person in charge of the meeting or event isn’t likely to be wearing body jewelry, then attendees probably shouldn’t wear it either.
Even body jewelry that is normally concealed should be set aside in some instances. Nipple rings and Prince Albert wands, for example, are worn beneath clothing and will not cause problems under normal conditions. Wearing these adornments through an airport security checkpoint, however, is a completely different matter. TSA agents aren’t likely to be very understanding about such things.
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