Young Black Haired Girl With A Necklace And Earrings Posing On The Old Couch

Other early evidence of earring wearing is evident in the Biblical record. In Exodus 32:1-4, it is written that while Moses was up on Mount Sinai, the Israelites demanded that Aaron make a god for them. It is written that he commanded them to bring their sons' and daughters' earrings to him in order that he might comply with their demand. (ca. 1500 BCE)
Among sailors, a pierced earlobe was a symbol that the wearer had sailed around the world or had crossed the equator. In addition, it is commonly held that a gold earring was worn by sailors in payment for a proper burial in the event that they might drown at sea. Should their bodies have been washed up on shore, it was hoped that the earring would serve as payment for "a proper christian burial". Regardless of this expression, the practice predates Christianity and can be traced back as far as ancient Greece where the gold paid the ferryman, Charon, to provide passage across the river Acheron to Hades.
Pierced ears were popular in the United States through the early 1900s, then fell into disfavor among women due to the rising popularity of clipped-on earrings. Nevertheless, a small male following continued to exist.
In the late 1960s, ear piercing began to make inroads among men through the hippie and gay communities. At that time, the practice re-emerged, but since a large commercial market for them did not exist, most ear piercings were done at home. Teenage girls were known to hold ear piercing parties, where they performed the procedure on one another. Such an event is depicted in the 1978 motion picture Grease (set in 1959), where Sandy (Olivia Newton-John), the leading lady, is pierced by her friends.