THE
HISTORY OF NAVEL PIERCING
Navel piercing is a modern invention
and has never been recorded in primitive cultures; however the navel
has long been recognised as an erogenous zone, because of the
difference between men's and women's stomachs. Women's stomachs differ
from men's in that they are more rounded in the lower part, are longer
than men's, have a greater distance between the navel and genitals,
and are more deeply recessed than men's; these features are often
exaggerated by artists to make women appear more feminine in
paintings.
The invention of the Bikini in 1953
caused a big stir because the navel was seen as being sexually
provocative because of it's similarity to the female genitals. The
Bikini revolutionized women's lives, along with the liberation of
their clothes their lives in general became more liberated. The
process was completed when Madonna started the craze for showing of
the midriff in the 1980's. The ability to flaunt their sexuality in
public gave women more power and confidence in themselves.
"It is easy to pinpoint the
moment when body piercing went mainstream. Christy Turlinton came out
at a London Fashion show, and in the middle of her navel was a ring!
The next day Naomi Campbell showed the world that anything Christy
could do, so could she. A gold ring with a small pearl pierced her
navel. And then at Isaac Mizrahi's show the two came out together,
navels bared and beringed: body piercing as a Supermodel totem"
Suzy Menkes The New York Times September 1994
"I have the most perfect belly
button - an inny. When I stick my finger in my belly button, I feel a
nerve in the center of my body shoot up my spine" Madonna Time
Magazine 1985
"I like it, I think it's
fun!" Naomi Campbell. "I always thought it was a pretty
feminine thing to do - and you can always take it out" Christy
Turlington.
Shortly after Naomi and Christy had
their navels pierced no one was surprised when Madonna, Cher and Janet
Jackson were seen wearing navel rings. Now anybody can joins the ranks
of Celebrities and Supermodels by having their navel pierced.
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