The Piercings of the 2000s Are Returning With a Vengeance in 2022

In our humble opinion, nothing beats the rush of getting a needle poked through your skin for a piercing. Among the various ways to express yourself through body modification, they’re relatively low risk and just plain ol’ fun. 

Piercing trends tend to ebb and flow. Some locations, like the ear lobe, seemingly never go out of style while other placements, like the belly button, resurge in popularity every few years or so. The COVID-19 pandemic affected many folks’ ability to get piercings as mask-covered areas became off-limits. But, as tattoo and piercing shops open back up, more people have been willing to experiment, whether it’s by adding new jewelry to old holes or getting something entirely new. 

We chatted with a few piercers to learn about all the ear and body piercing trends you should expect in the new year. Here are the piercing trends you’ll be seeing everywhere in 2022. 

Ear Curations 

The ear is a popular site for piercings, but recently more folks are seeking out ear curations, according to piercer Amber Maysonet who works at Live by the Sword Tattoo. “It’s basically a mapping and planning for either now or future piercings for your ears,” she explains. Ear curations involve giving the piercer the creative freedom to choose multiple piercings for you while taking into account your aesthetic and your ear’s anatomy to figure out the best placements and jewelry. Sometimes these curations also involve adding new jewelry to already existing piercings to ensure everything works together.

Maysonet cites social media, especially TikTok, as the reason why she thinks more people are choosing these curations. “When you look at [these piercings], especially on social media, you see how good everything goes together and how nice [they] look on somebody else, obviously you’re like, ‘OMG, I can do that,'” she shares.