I got permission when I was 12, our neighbor who I believed to be a pirate did it, he had a peg leg, BIG handlebar mustache, he sharpened a pair if gold wires while I held ice on both sides of my ear, when it was "dead" he cut a potato in half, put it behind my ear lob and pushed the earwire through. I will never forget that sound! The worse part was the ice. Then when I was 40 and on husband number 3, I went to a different church (the ex got the good one!) The preachers wife was a dainty little 70 year old playing the piano, she had a small hoop in the regular spot then a small stud just above it and thought it looked so nice. Next week when I came home with a second hole, #3 said "but you're not gonna get anymore right?"