Are Belly Rings Happening Again? Not So Fast.

Maria-Menounous

My niece is turning 18 today. Which is wild –  more so for my sister, I’m sure. The age difference between me, my niece and sister is exactly the same. I’m smack in the middle of a fierce 40+ and a smart and grounded 18 year old. I of course asked my niece what 18 year olds these days are doing to celebrate their new found legality. For me, it was getting my belly button pierced. But that was ’99-2000 and Britney Spears was my role model. The Britney influence was very real. However, the mere suggestion of a belly piercing to today’s Midwestern teenager elicited a firm, almost repulsed, “I don’t want that done.” And to counter, if she did, I would probably advise against. Does anyone really want a belly ring, banging bod or not? It’s been nearly a decade since I’ve even worn mine (though, the proof of its existence never really goes away, #truth). Which really brings me to a question that has been on my mind for a few months now.  If belly button rings aren’t happening, why is Maria Menonous so obsessed with hers?  A shiny gold star, no less.  I see this thing everywhere and it jumps (no, shoots!) out at me. She can be seen bare midriffing on the cover of her new fitness book. In a massive spread in the October issue of Shape. She looks incredible and fit, for sure, but I’m puzzled by the belly jewels. I really truly am. She’s professional, in her mid-30s and wearing a belly ring. All things that, for me, don’t naturally go together. I’m genuinely tripped up by this and more curious than anything on how long she’s been with piercing. Because if it was around the time of the Britney effect, then she deserves some sort of lifetime achievement award.

And, as it turns out, my niece would like to gamble. To that, I say, girl, go buy yourself a scratch off on the way to school.

photo credit

10 thoughts on “Are Belly Rings Happening Again? Not So Fast.

  1. Michelle

    I love this! I got my belly button pierced when I was 18 for the same reasons. Oddly enough, I still like Britney and I still have the damn piercing in.

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  2. Brianna

    Okay, this totally puzzled me too! I didn’t realize that grown women still wore belly piercings! I never really cared for belly piercings, but when I was in high school it’s what allllll the cool kids did. It was like a rite of passage! But since I’ve graduated, I haven’t seen that trend much at all lately. If anything, getting dermals or other body mods are more “trendy”. But I guess kudos to Maria for having such a banging body! Starfish belly piercing and all.
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  3. Nubia

    Ha! We’re around the same age and yes, a lot of my friends would come back from spring break in Panama City and have gotten piercings that they tried to hide from parents. It definitely was a first attempt in trying to be sexy. Oh youth! But yeah I agree the ring is kind of distracting–it’s the first thing I saw before I even realized who it was.
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  4. Caitlin Fox

    LOVE this post. When I was 17, a friend and I went to this random girl’s house where she pierced our buttons in her basement. What was THAT LIFE?! Tell your niece to keep on keepin’ it classy!

    PS: Fact: The evidence, Never. Leaves.

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  5. Jess Zimlich

    I most definitely got a belly button ring in celebration of being an “adult” and that little hole still haunts me to this day! I say scratch tickets all the way 😉

    Reply
  6. kristen @ glambunctious

    I went for moral support with a friend in college who was getting hers pierced. After seeing it done, I knew I was definitely not ever going through with that, lol, but I was one of the few girls who didn’t have one. We’re close in age and the Britney effect was VERY REAL! I generally like piercings and have had a few in various places on my ears, but that’s as wild as I’ll ever go. The crop tops trend this summer alarmed me enough, I definitely do not see myself, at age 34, declaring that it’s high time I acquired a belly button piercing! Even if my abs looked like Maria’s. I would wear lots of swimsuits, though!
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  7. Helena

    Please, do not judge her and do not judge her lifetyme for having her belly piercing done. I’m a lawyer, I’m 30 and I love my belly ring so much, because it is mine and it is for me and the jewelry is adorable, so shinny; by the way, I don’t like Britney at all.

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