I could really care less what people wear on their bodies. If I see someone walking around in old 70's hippie dress I would be amused, but I wouldn't judge. Times change, style changes, and people's mindsets, I think, should move with it. Accessories my parents clearly despise of are plugs and septums. Here's what I think.
Septums, if you do not know, are nasal piercings put through the nasal septum, a cartilaginous wall [1] that separate your nostrils. They have grown in popularity amongst the younger adult generation, and seem to have taken the eyes of the next generation to hit their twenties.
Plugs, also known as gauges, are ear piercings that focus on stretching the earlobe into a wider circle [2]. This is done for self-expression, for keeping a culture, or just for the sake of fashion. Plugs, or gauges (gauges referring to their sizes), are even much more so popular in the young adult population of America, and are much more accepted than a septum piercing.
There has been a problem within my family, caused by these two types of piercings. First, my brother's wife has a septum piercing. It is not big, and when she is wearing it it isn't very noticeable, yet my mother cannot stand it. Before my brother and his wife got married, my mother even threatened not to go to the wedding because my brother's wife decided she wanted to wear her septum on the big day. I just couldn't see why it was such a big problem. I mean, sure, I don't want one, but who am I to judge or care for what other people are wearing? In fact, when she wears it, it seems like a part of her-- I just don't care if she does.
The other problem is with my sister's boyfriend. He has a septum but he also has plugs, and these my mother and father seem to hate even more than my brother's wife's septum. My mother complains EVERY TIME she sees him with them in, which really bothers me. I think he is a really cool guy; he's funny and knows how to just enjoy himself. He can cook very well. He even wants to go to culinary school. He has a nice personality. Yet it seems that my mother (and to an extent, my father) can only see as far as his nose and ear piercings. To me? I just think, "big deal." I don't even notice them.
I just don't see why there is such prejudice. If someone wants to wear something as minuscule as a septum or a gauge, why make such a big deal about it? It seems even childish to me. Accept people for who they are. And here comes another cliché saying:
Don't judge a book by its cover.
-Luke
[1] Source: Nose Piercings Information
[2] Source: Ear Piercings Information
An extra thought... I haven't posted in a long time. I've been gone on trips and after I got back from them I've just been lazy. Well here I am, I'll start again!
