The History of Belly Button Ring Piercings

Whilst I wasn't around in the days of the Pharaohs or the ancient Aztecs, popular word has it that they and other cultures have adopted various body piercings. 

By J Beck

It is easy to call to mind an image of Latin American warriors sporting nose rings!  Body piercing was used for various ceremony and to signifiy a certain standing in the community.  Body jewelry was often shunned if worn purely for adorning reasons.

In ancient Egypt, only the Pharaohs were allowed to have a belly button ring piercing, anyone else would attract a death sentence for daring to wear one!!

Things have certainly changed, although belly button rings and belly piercing has really only become popular (and acceptable) in the last few decades. 

Think of a western woman from the 1940's.  Would she have been happily and freely able to bare her belly in public?  Or would there have been all sorts of aspersions made as to her moral standing!?  Women were by no means able to freely express themselves through their bodies and their clothes until much later.

Even the Hollywood Silver Screen had restrictions in the 40's.  No females' belly buttons were to be bared on-screen! 

It didn't take long for a creative Hollywood movie maker (or three) to come up with ways to get around this.  Their solution?  Create a plot that involves Middle Eastern belly dancers, and give them a belly button ring! (in the movies that actually meant putting a jewel in the actresses' belly buttons - not a real belly button ring piercing)!  It did popularise the concept.

So where did the West get the idea that belly button rings were Middle Eastern?  From those Hollywood movies!  Belly button rings have nothing to do traditionally with Middle Eastern belly dancers!  However, belly dancers have now embraced the belly button ring.  It adds a beautiful adornment to their belly and ther chosen outfit.

Next up - what about women not in the movies?  When would it be acceptable for them to wear belly button rings?  Well first it had to be socially acceptable to bare their bodies in public!!  Slowly year by year, inch by inch, waistlines lowered, and top hems shortened, widening the gap to eventually expose much of the belly.  Then came the bikini in the 50s, and this really got the ball rolling.  However, it wasn't until a couple of mischievous high profile women in the 80's came out sporting belly button rings that it has became very popular, and much much more acceptable.

Christy Turlington adorned her belly with a belly button ring on a London catwalk.  Just the next day Naomi Campbell had her golden pearl belly button ring, and not far behind - followed Madonna!  I'm sure you've probably heard of Janet Jackson and Britney Spears' belly button rings too!

Today anyone with a belly button to show off can get a belly button ring piercing!