Can Men Wear Earrings?

You won?t be asked to show your metro-sexual membership card when you go to get your ears pierced. Earrings are a conservative and subtle way to build on your sense of style.

One or two earrings?

It?s more common for men to have just one earlobe pierced, rather than both. An asymmetric look is a little more interesting than having both done. On the other hand, getting both lobes pierced is more edgy precisely because it?s less ordinary. Go with whatever takes your fancy.

The gay side

You may have heard that if you wear an earring in your right ear, it secretly indicates that you?re gay. Or maybe you?ve heard that the gay ear is actually the left one. There?s a lot of inconsistent information out there- if there ever was a secret ear code, it?s been lost now. It doesn?t matter which side you put your earring in, or if you get both done.

There?s always going to be some smart aleck that makes a comment about how earrings make you gay. Don?t let that stop you from getting a piercing- if all men eschewed everything that?s just a little bit fashionable, it would still be standard to wear a loincloth.

What kind of earring?

A small diamond (or cubic zirconia for the budget-conscious) is the perfect accessory for your ear. It will add sparkle to your look without clashing with anything that you might where. A small stainless steel stud is also an option if you?re looking for something more understated. Keep your earrings little so you don?t look like you think you?re a pimp.

Some men are partial to wearing hoop earrings, but hoops are too reminiscent of pirates for you to be taken seriously. Leave the dangly earrings to the ladies. A stud is the way to go for a look that?s edgy but still mildly respectable.

Can you play sport with an earring?

Plenty of people do play sports with earrings in, but it?s best not to just to be safe. There?s a risk that your piercing could get caught on something, so if you play lots of sport, an earring may not be for you. Alternatively, you can tape it over to protect it, or take it out while you?re playing. It is fine to take out your piercing for short periods of time once it has healed, which takes about a month or two from when you first get it done. If you play for a team, there will probably be a rule that you have to take your earring out, so you might want to get your piercing done in the off-season to give it time to heal properly.

Stretchers

Stretchers- an expanded piercing that looks like a gaping hole in your ear lobe- look terrible on most people. If you?re into off-beat, punk fashion, then go for it- as long as you think you?ll be into the same style for your entire life, because the hole will never heal over. They are also known to smell bad. I don?t see why you would willingly endure pain and odours just to have an ugly piercing.