An aesthetic or simply cultural act, ear piercing is a problem, especially in young children. Indeed, they are often pierced without their consent and without being aware of what is happening to them.
Ear piercing raises many problems, including that of appropriation of the child’s body. Younger people are often pierced early in life, under the guise of traditions and less violent pain.
Children, on the other hand, do not realize that this violent act is taking place on their bodies, without their permission. Surprisingly, it is often young girls who are pierced and not boys, children are therefore gendered and even sexualized, according to Gilles Lamizi, general practitioner committed against violence against children and women.
“Ear piercing sexualizes the child because we distinguish girls and boys”, says the doctor. “But above all, where is the consent? Because piercing a person’s ears without asking for permission is to appropriate the child’s body. But what would an adult do if their ears were pierced without asking? ”, alert the doctor.
Myth or reality ?
Piercing your child’s ears may stem from cultural traditions or simply from a desire to beautify the child. But many parents justify this act by the absence of pain or even faster healing.
Which is completely false according to Gilles Lamizi. “Tradition is an argument to convince ourselves that what we do is not a problem. While the piercing symbolizes the image that the parent of the child has. While it remains a violence, because it will hurt him, he specifies. “These are traditions from another age and no tradition can justify violence. The traditions before were not necessarily the right ones ”.
When can the child be pierced?
Ear piercing hurts and it’s not pleasant. In younger children, it is at risk of infection, as children often touch their ears. “But adult or child, there are risks of infection as soon as you injure the skin”, he emphasizes.
The important thing is to ask the opinion of your child but without forcing or pushing him to choose. “For a child to pierce himself, he must choose it for himself because the consent can be exchanged, the child can be convinced”.
To allow your child not to regret his choice and to be fully aware of his choices, it is worth waiting until he is a teenager because he will be able to make his own choices with his free will.
Thanks to Gilles Lamizi for his testimony.