Belly Ring

Belly button rings were first seen in ancient Egyptian cultures. Royalty and Pharaohs wore the naval jewelry to indicate their significant status over others. It was considered illegal for an ordinary Egyptian to have a pierced naval.

The beginning of the bikini in 1953 drew a lot of excitement to the female body because the belly button had also been thought of as a sensitive and erogenous zone. The exact moment when piercing became mainstream was when Christy Turlinton presented herself in a London fashion show and was wearing a belly button ring. The very next day, Naomi Campbell stated to the world that if Christy could wear one, so could she; Naomi was wearing a small pearl in her navel. The two, Christy and Naomi soon displayed in a show together their belly buttons, bare and pierced.

It was very soon after this duo had showed off their belly buttons that Madonna, Janet Jackson and Cher were all wearing them too. Now everyone has started to join in with supermodels and celebrities by having their belly buttons pierced. A Belly ring can easily be hidden underneath clothing and because of this the piercing of the belly button has become widespread, especially with younger generations.

The navel itself is not actually pierced when the piercing is done. The usual form of the piercing is through the upper part of the navel. To have a real belly button piercing, it would require that the one being pierced have an ‘outie’ belly button and that is very rare.

Most kinds of jewelry or rings are able to be worn in a belly button piercing, but belly buttons are most often pierced with barbells. It is recommended that a barbell be worn until the hole of the piercing has completely healed. There are many different pieces of decorative jewelry for the belly button; barbells with pendants and barbells with chains are just two of the many. The term belly ring is generally a generic term that indicates any type of belly button piercing, whether the jewelry work is actually a belly ring or something else.

A standard has been set for the belly button barbell. It is also referred to as bananabells or bananabars because of their curved shape. The standard barbell is 1/16” wide and either 3/8” or 7/16” long and most commonly called a 14-guage post. Silver caps are typically placed on both sides of the simple barbell. There is now a new version of belly button jewelry on the market today: that is jewelry with a clasp that slides through and snaps closed.

Even though everyone can get a belly ring, there has to be enough skin in the area for the piercing to work. For those people who have a belly button that sticks out (or sometimes called an ‘outie’) can still get a piercing, but an experienced piercing artist may be needed. The only restriction put on piercing is age; the one getting a body piercing has to be 18 years old or older.

After a belly button has been pierced, it can take between one and even two years before it is completely healed. The healing time can be shortened if the proper cleaning and care is done. A piercing in the belly button should be cleaned out two or three times a day with a mild anti-bacterial soap that has been diluted in salt. It is recommend not to touch the belly button piercing until it has healed entirely. If it has to be touch, make sure to sanitize your hands to prevent any type of infection from forming.

It is also suggested that jewelry in a recently pierced belly button not be changed until the piercing has healed. You need to leave the belly ring in or you should visit a professional if you want to have the jewelry changed sooner or do not want the first one that was put in. This is to make sure the change is done properly and without any damage to the belly button itself. The initial piercing should be done with a stainless steel belly ring. After the area has healed, there are many choices, including gold, silver, titanium, niobium and others. Metals that are plated are not recommended for the belly button.

Having a belly ring is one way that people can show off their personality with various designs and looks. The two basic types are the barbell and circular styles. Barbells are measured in gauge and length and circular styles are measured in gauge and diameter. The styles of rings continue to increase, now adding gems and stones to what is available.

Common styles today include: hearts, dolphins, flowers, fruit, stars and moons, letters, initials, unicorns, spiders, Chinese characters, butterflies, fairies, stones, dream catchers and various birds.