I grew up in a strict religious sect where we were not allowed to have pierced ears or lipstick or fancy hair cuts, or any colorful clothes, etc. When I was 18 and wanted out, I started doing rebellious things like wearing a lip balm with a bit of color, getting my hair trimmed (a little bit,) and then my semi final act of rebellion, getting my ears pierced. This was 1966! My final act of rebellion was leaving the group but that is another tale for another day.
I love my pierced ears. I was a school nurse and wore a uniform so I used my earrings to dress up my uniformed self. I had earrings for every holiday, real and costume. When I retired, I sterilized my earrings and for every holiday in my last year, I gave my earrings to a student who wanted them. Many boys with pierced ears got my studs and they were really excited about it.