Across the world, many people have piercings. Various parts of the body can be pierced, including the navel, earlobe, eyebrow, or even the septum. The many different areas of the body that can be pierced have caused great controversy. While many believe piercings are an exquisite art form, others believe piercings are in poor taste and a form of self-mutilation. Permanently marking one's skin to insert jewelry has become a hobby that American culture has become obsessed with. Looking at a crowd of randomly selected people, the amount of individuals who have multiple piercings is shocking. Although piercings were originally thought to have significant meaning in other cultures, body piercings are a form of self-mutilation that can cause severe scarring and permanent damage to the skin and mind. Piercing the skin is the act of inserting a needle or piece of metal into the body to insert jewelry (ShareCare 1). Piercing has been an individual hobby for many centuries. According to Tribu, a website dedicated to the history of body art, "The oldest mummified body found with pierced ears and expanded lobes (7-11 mm in diameter) was found frozen in an Austrian glacier, and tests show it is finished. " 5,000 years” (Tribe 1). Piercings were originally symbols of various religious and moral beliefs. Piercings on areas such as the tongue were symbols of God's bloodshed, while ear piercings were believed to ward off evil spirits (Tribu 1). Piercings have evolved rapidly over time, transforming from symbols into a different form of beauty and style. In recent times, many men and women have undergone piercings for purposes other than symbolization. Many people receive a perforation......in the center of the card......en. “Self-care versus self-harm: Piercings, tattoos, and self-harm in eating disorders.” European Review of Eating Disorders 2005. Pages 11-18. Favazza, Armando R. “The Coming of Age of Self-Mutilation.” The Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases 1998. Pg. 259-268.Koenig, Laura M. and Molly Carnes. "Piercings." Journal of General Internal Medicine 1999. Pages 379-385. Laumann, Anne E. and Amy J. Derick. “Tattoos and Piercings in the United States: A National Data Set.” Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology 2006. Pages 413-421. Martell, James. "The history of piercings." TheHistoryof.net, 2008. Revised 2014. Web. 8 April 2014. Mwai, Collins. “Body Art: Self-Expression or Self-Mutilation?” The New Times Rwanda, 2014. Web. 8 April 2014. Tribu London LTD. "History of Piercing." Tribu 2014. Revised March 2014. Web. 9 April 2014.