Body Jewelry Plug

• What is a Body Jewelry Plug?

Plugs are large pieces of body jewelry inserted into stretched holes in the skin. The most common place by far for plug jewelry is the earlobe, but it can also be put into the lower lip. Much less common are genital and nostril plugs. Plug body jewelry can be inserted into almost any “pierceable” place on the skin. It is most popular in earlobes partially because the earlobe piercing is less painful to stretch than other piercings.

• History of Body Jewelry Plugs

Plug jewelry has its roots in ancient tribal culture. Many indigenous tribes in Africa, South America and elsewhere still adorn their bodies with plug jewelry as part of tribal rituals. In the fashion world, plug jewelry became popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s. People wear plug jewelry because they appreciate its tribal history, or just because they like the look of something unusual.

• Stretching Piercings For Plugs

To create a hole wide enough for a body jewelry plug, the skin needs to be stretched. Body artists start with an existing small hole in the skin, such as one in the earlobe made for an earring. They stretch the hole gradually with a tool called a taper. A taper is a long rod, usually made of metal, wider at one end than the other. The taper gets threaded through the small hole slowly, narrow end first, and the skin stretches around it. There are different-sized tapers for people who want different-sized plugs.

• Materials

Most plug jewelry is not metal. Metal does not “breathe” as easily as other materials and can be uncomfortable in a plug, even causing infection. Plastic, unfortunately, often causes the same problem. Instead, most plug jewelry is made from softer, more porous material. Bone, wood, horn, semi-precious stones, and ivory are all frequently seen.