Today’s wide acceptance of piercing has eliminated any symbolism that it once had in Western cultures. Nowadays, the practice is growing strong, and there are endless options for body piercing. In some places, however, the practice retains its stigma. In North Korea, it is forbidden as a symbol of the capitalist lifestyle, much like skinny jeans. In Iran, body piercings are even punishable by imprisonment, as women who’ve been arrested by the so-called morality police can attest.

But in the West, we tend to see piercings as just another accessory, the success of which ebbs and flows as trends come and go. Piercings are currently making a comeback. Stylish women have been sporting nose and septum (between the nostrils) rings on the red carpet. A few weeks ago, model Gigi Hadid debuted a fake septum piercing at the CFDA awards. Last March, Katie Holmes was seen with a nose ring. Actress Florence Pugh almost always wears hers.

From a Western perspective, piercing might be regarded as a relatively new practice that was popularized decades ago by different urban groups. But it is actually a centuries-old cultural practice in some places. In ancient Egypt, it functioned as a status symbol. Among Eskimos in North America’s Arctic regions, piercing has served as a rite of passage into adulthood for several millennia. In Africa, piercing different parts of the body is a traditional and widespread practice among both men and women; it can symbolize a new stage of life or simply…