Christian Men with Earrings

[faroukfarouk]

Along with confidence my wearing earrings helps with my self esteem. By this I mean that I always grew up thinking I was inferior. This is from the way I was raised. I would see people do things or wear things that I wanted but felt like I couldn't get away with it and always worried about what people would think of me.
As I got older that self esteem issue gradually faded (as my father has been gone for 30 years and he was a big part of my self esteem issue)
Now I'm of the age I don't care what people think. I want to wear earrings so I do. I think they look good on me. To heck with what other people think of it. Everyone has an opinion and if it's not the same as mine then so what?
I would also like to get a tattoo. I will once I save enough $$.
But my point is that the not caring what people think and realizing that others opinions don't really matter has a very strong affect on my self confidence and self esteem.

You'll never make a politician : they so often seem so worried about what people might think, in case someone is offended.

(Mind you, you would probably make a more effective politician than lot of politicians, with their hang-ups about what people think.)

 

[jtbrock]

You'll never make a politician : they so often seem so worried about what people might think, in case someone is offended.

(Mind you, you would probably make a more effective politician than lot of politicians, with their hang-ups about what people think.)

You're right. I wouldn't make a good politician. I can't stand politics anyway, it's all about who can lie the most convincingly because you're trying to please everyone and it's impossible to please everyone every time.

it's the same thing I went through when I wanted to wear earrings. I wanted to for years and was jealous when I would see other guys sporting them. I turned 50 a couple of years ago and felt like doing something bold. I had worn an earring in my 20's so figured, what the heck, why not?

I would go on forums similar to this and asked what people thought of a 50 year old dude with earrings. some people thought it was cool thing and a good idea, other people thought it was stupid and said I shouldn't do it. Still others didn't care.

it drove me nuts with all the differing opinions. when I realized I had to do what I wanted, and that I could do what I wanted, (and was old enough to make my own decisions), and not do what other people thought I should do, I was a lot happier and was more at peace.

the decision to wear earrings was an easy one after that. I started to wear them and didn't care what people thought and still don't, and I think that gives me self confidence.

 

[faroukfarouk]

You're right. I wouldn't make a good politician. I can't stand politics anyway, it's all about who can lie the most convincingly because you're trying to please everyone and it's impossible to please everyone every time.

it's the same thing I went through when I wanted to wear earrings. I wanted to for years and was jealous when I would see other guys sporting them. I turned 50 a couple of years ago and felt like doing something bold. I had worn an earring in my 20's so figured, what the heck, why not?

I would go on forums similar to this and asked what people thought of a 50 year old dude with earrings. some people thought it was cool thing and a good idea, other people thought it was stupid and said I shouldn't do it. Still others didn't care.

it drove me nuts with all the differing opinions. when I realized I had to do what I wanted, and that I could do what I wanted, (and was old enough to make my own decisions), and not do what other people thought I should do, I was a lot happier and was more at peace.

the decision to wear earrings was an easy one after that. I started to wear them and didn't care what people thought and still don't, and I think that gives me self confidence.

It's probably pretty worthwhile for both genders to pierce their ears so that they can wear earrings when they want to.

 

[jtbrock]

Hopefully sometime in the near future it will be just as normal for a young man to get his ears pierced and wear earrings as it is for a young girl. it is pretty common and acceptable today in most places, but it is still frowned upon in some circles that boys wear earrings.
There are some school boards especially in the US that don't allow boys to wear earrings to school, but do allow girls to do so.

 

[faroukfarouk]

Hopefully sometime in the near future it will be just as normal for a young man to get his ears pierced and wear earrings as it is for a young girl. it is pretty common and acceptable today in most places, but it is still frowned upon in some circles that boys wear earrings.
There are some school boards especially in the US that don't allow boys to wear earrings to school, but do allow girls to do so.

I think from a pragmatic point of view it's sensible for the parents of young people of both genders to be reminded regularly that it's best for ear piercing to occur in school vacations rather than during term time, so that the ears have time to heal. It's probably not a good idea for the school board to get into the gender aspect of ear piercing.

 

[jtbrock]

I agree, I haven't heard of this gender bias happening here in Canada in regards to letting boys wear earrings to school. At least if it happened, it wasn't in the news. I've only heard about it happening in the US.

At my son's school last year (grade 8) one of the teachers (male) had a earring in his cartilage, so the school board apparently didn't frown on males with earrings. (We're from Canada)

On another forum there was a thread about males and earrings and one guy (school teacher) wanted to get both his ears pierced but the school board wouldn't allow it (he was from the US). Even though a member of the school board committee (male) had earrings in both ears! but he wasn't on the front lines teaching the kids, so I guess that was OK (??)

i find it very strange nowadays that anyone has an issue with earrings on males in workplaces or schools, unless the workplace forbids earrings/jewelry in general for safety reasons (for both males and females). There are some schools that prohibit earrings being worn during sports, but again this is for safety reasons. other than that I don't see why it would be an issue...

 

[faroukfarouk]

I agree, I haven't heard of this gender bias happening here in Canada in regards to letting boys wear earrings to school. At least if it happened, it wasn't in the news. I've only heard about it happening in the US.

At my son's school last year (grade 8) one of the teachers (male) had a earring in his cartilage, so the school board apparently didn't frown on males with earrings. (We're from Canada)

On another forum there was a thread about males and earrings and one guy (school teacher) wanted to get both his ears pierced but the school board wouldn't allow it (he was from the US). Even though a member of the school board committee (male) had earrings in both ears! but he wasn't on the front lines teaching the kids, so I guess that was OK (??)

i find it very strange nowadays that anyone has an issue with earrings on males in workplaces or schools, unless the workplace forbids earrings/jewelry in general for safety reasons (for both males and females). There are some schools that prohibit earrings being worn during sports, but again this is for safety reasons. other than that I don't see why it would be an issue...

You mention your son; presumably there wouldn't be any problem with him wearing them then?

 

[jtbrock]

No, there wouldn't be a problem at his (high) school. He still hasn't expressed an interest in getting his ears pierced though.

 

[faroukfarouk]

No, there wouldn't be a problem at his (high) school. He still hasn't expressed an interest in getting his ears pierced though.

I think a lot of high school boys would have them, anyway. Presumably you or your wife wouldn't have any hesitation about him doing it, either, then.

 

[jtbrock]

I think a lot of high school boys would have them, anyway. Presumably you or your wife wouldn't have any hesitation about him doing it, either, then.

I wouldn't have an issue, but my wife might...

 

[faroukfarouk]

I wouldn't have an issue, but my wife might...

Would she really...?

 

[jtbrock]

Would she really...?

she wouldn't be able to disallow it, but she wouldn't be very happy about it.

 

[faroukfarouk]

she wouldn't be able to disallow it, but she wouldn't be very happy about it.

Oh okay. Maybe she's still unhappy about yours, then, also...

 

[jtbrock]

Unhappy might be a bit strong, but she's not wild about the idea of my wearing earrings.
I've been wearing them for about 15 months now so she's pretty resigned to the idea. As is everyone else apparently.

 

[faroukfarouk]

Unhappy might be a bit strong, but she's not wild about the idea of my wearing earrings.
I've been wearing them for about 15 months now so she's pretty resigned to the idea. As is everyone else apparently.

Your wife is probably very used to them by now, in practical terms, even though they might not be her ideal. (Maybe bare earlobes on your son are for her somehow still an ideal, which she doesn't want to see disappear...)

 

[faroukfarouk]

I think it is expected of us to wear them in business situations or any high profile event.

Yes, they are really more or less the equivalent of a necktie for a man, at a business or formal event.

I guess arranging for an adolescent girl's ears to be pierced is really like buying a tie-rack for a young man.

 

[faroukfarouk]

At most I would say that jewelry could in some cases be a desire for vanity, a desire to feel better about one's appearance, and I think it is a fairly instinctive thing when people try to do or use such little things, but even then that isn't a display (to me) of an excessively high self-opinion, but if anything a display of a lower self-opinion. Or put in more common jargon of present day, a possible sign of insecurity. And even then it would only be in some cases, sometimes people might just be curious or bored, who knows.

TurtleAnne:

Yes, sensible comment, I think.

It's hard to attribute states of mind or attitudes to people of both genders simply because of the simple wearing of earrings.

For both genders, in fact, it may simply be a sensible thing to have done, so that if the occasion arises when wearing them seems appropriate then it's possible to do so straightway with the pierced variety.

I saw this quote, which seems to make a lot of sense, don't you think?

Two of my sons have their ears pierced, and we are certainly not overly permissive. ... We haven't had one problem with rebellion, drugs, or anything else with our sons, despite their ears being pierced.

welltrainedmind dot com

 

[faroukfarouk]

I don't know. My best guess is that it is individual, since it seems both men and women can be insecure about all manner of things, including their appearance, and then it is a cultural thing, what is considered attractive or not, aesthetically.

I do think a lot of it depends on how people are treated, and that aesthetics are often an attempted means to an end, for better or worse.

I dated a guy for a year when I was 18-19, and I remember that I would try to wear attractive clothing, and I would dye my hair, and I had my ears pierced, and so on. But it was not those things that made me temporarily feel better, but it was that he expressed that he liked such things, and it was that expression in that moment, that I had wanted, at the time. And now what I want has evolved beyond even that.

So.. different people, with different emotional needs, at the different stages of their life.

I understand what you say about your past thoughts and experiences.

Moving on from personal thoughts and feelings also, do you think that - like in formal business situations - for women, keeping earrings in is more or less "appropriate" and "expected"?

For men it wouldn't be. I guess for men it's neckties, although this is kind of 'loosening' a bit.

 

[SeventhFisherofMen]

I am a 50 year old male and I am a Christian. I also wear small subtle stud earrings in both ears. I just do it for a sense of fashion and style and they make me feel confident. I don't believe that earrings are inherently feminine (there are feminine earrings and there are masculine earrings and earrings that are unisex). I would never wear feminine type earrings.

What are your thoughts on an older Christian man with earrings.

At church last week an older woman who is a friend of my wife's noticed my earrings(I've been wearing them for 4 months) and she asked me why I had them and said that it was a sign of vanity and rebelliousness. I don't see how it can be seen as vain? Rebelliousness--maybe a little.

I've spoken to other people who said as long as the earrings are not gaudy and satanic in nature that it's OK for Christian males to wear earrings. But others don't think that they should.
I'm probably not going to get rid of them, I like wearing them. but I just wondered what the general consensus was regarding this issue.
Thank you.

I'll be honest and say there was a time I thought I knew everything that was right and wrong, but now all I can say is I don't know everything. To assume I know if something is right or wrong to do if it's not specifically mentioned as wrong in the bible would be extreme of me to do. All I know is everything should be prayed about between you and Jesus, and if you feel like The Holy Spirit is directing you or guiding you then listen. I've been pretty stubborn at times but I eventually come around when The Holy Spirit is guiding me. Some people might group together tattoos and piercings, but I only know of the old testament scripture against tattoos in Leviticus. My hesitancy is due to not wanting to be a pharisee, and I also don't want to accuse either.

My best advice of if you're wondering if piercings are right or wrong is pray about it sincerely and ask Jesus to guide you to the right answer. Sometimes when I make a decision I admit to Jesus if I don't truly know something and that in case what I'm doing is unknowingly wrong please have mercy towards me. That way I at least know Jesus has heard me and knows how I feel and will answer my prayer since I'm being honest and humble about it and He is close to the humble.

 

[Skye1300]

Wearing earrings are not bad in and of itself. It's all just cultural. I think people tend to make a big deal about things that don't matter and totally ignore things that they should be worried about.