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Folks, it’s time to make an appointment at your local piercer. Ear piercings are trendier than ever, and whether you like the "constellation" look on your earlobe or prefer dainty gemstones along the outer rim, there’s an option for you. Looks like “2024 will be bringing us more, way more,” says Johnny Pearce, a piercer at New York City-based Nine Moons Piercing. “Your friend with one cute ear chain in 2023 now probably has three or four. Your other bestie who just got their doubles done as their first adult piercing, now has a specialty appointment to plan a total ear curation.”
Our piercers are spreading the gospel of more for 2024, but what trends are they seeing specifically? Which parts of the ear are getting the most adoration through adornment right now? We spoke to them about which way the needles are pointing for 2024.
- Johnny Pearce is a piercer at New York City-based Nine Moons Piercing.
- Lisa Bubbers is cofounder of Studs, a piercing studio with locations across the country.
- Ashley Sharp is the senior director of piercing and innovations at Banter by Piercing Pagoda.
- Louisa Serene Schneider is the founder and CEO of Rowan, a piercing studio with locations across the country.
- Janeese Brooks is a gentle piercer at Live by the Sword Tattoo in Brooklyn.
- Alaina Rothstein is cofounder of Los Angeles-based ear piercing studio Leo West.
- Sophie Angold is a piercer at New York City-based Nine Moons Piercing.
- Why are we getting more ear piercings right now?
- How to pick your piercer
- 2024’s Biggest Ear Piercing Trends
- Constellation piercings
- Stacked lobes
- Vertical stacks
- Forward helix
- Snakebite
- Conch
- Outer conch
- Tragus
- Rook
- Chaindustrial
Why are we getting more ear piercings right now?
Milestones are one reason customers flock to their local licensed piercer, but another is a generalized sense of freedom and autonomy. With remote work and workplace norms having changed in the last few years, “more people are feeling free to experiment with bolder looks and express their personality," says Lisa Bubbers, cofounder of Studs, a piercing studio with locations across the country. That experimentation shows up both in the amount of piercings and in the piercings themselves.
Ashley Sharp, the senior director of piercing and innovations at Banter by Piercing Pagoda, echoes the sentiment that bolder ear piercings have become commonplace. “Piercings like stacked lobes and vertical stacks are no longer trends. These are classics that are here to stay," she says.
Social media has also played a part in normalizing the “more-is-more” perspective on piercings. “Our clients constantly reference ears they've saved on Instagram or TikTok,” says Louisa Serene Schneider, founder and CEO of Rowan, a piercing studio with locations across the country.
How to pick your piercer
Just as with microblading, filler, or any other body modification, it's important to find a professional piercer you trust who has a style that appeals to you. This is an essential step, whether you’re a longtime body modification fan or it’s your first piercing ever.
There’s a benefit to following a piercer on social media, explains Janeese Brooks, a gentle piercer at Live by the Sword Tattoo in Brooklyn. You get to know their style before seeking them out and “putting your ear(s) in their hands.” Your piercer should make you feel comfortable at your appointment as you make decisions about piercing placements and if they’re right for your lifestyle and learn more about the process of getting and caring for your piercing.
2024’s Biggest Ear Piercing Trends
Most of this year’s trends involve third, fourth, or fifth additions to an already pierced ear. When those new holes are grouped together in one section of the ear, it’s called a constellation piercing. A constellation consists of "really small pieces, close together, closer than what your traditional spacing would be," explains Alaina Rothstein, cofounder of Leo West, a piercing studio in Los Angeles.
The result is an "intentionally random" grouping of ear piercings that lets you show off studs and gems. On the opposite coast, Pearce has seen a jump in these requests as well. “Just as our celestial constellations are eternally recurring, so are requests for these supercute ear projects,” he says.
"People often come in [to the studio] and say 'I’m not cool enough,'" for a trendy piercing, recounts Brooks. If you're intimidated by the thought of a constellation, Brooks thinks that a stacked lobe — when you have two or more piercings placed at different heights on the earlobe — is an easier entry point. These piercings are less painful than those on the cartilage
According to Sharp, the stacking trend has gotten more asymmetrical. “For example, one side may have one to two studs, whereas the other may have four to five lined up, including cartilage piercings,” she said. “Or, for another take on this trend, some consumers wear a dangly or statement earring on one side, paired with a smaller stud on the other. Asymmetrical ear stacks allow consumers to create a look that is unique to their ear’s distinct anatomy.” As we often say about eyebrows, ears should be free to be sisters, not twins.
"If I'm being honest, I love putting my hair behind my ear to show the little pops of pieces sitting right above your classic [piercing]," Rothstein says. She's referring to a vertical stack, which entails a piercing centered directly above your traditional first or second hole. This piercing does require a certain amount of space on the lobe, but if you have enough canvas to play with, it "gives the ear a little extra uniqueness,” Rothstein adds.
The official name for that bouncy piece of cartilage where your ear meets your skull is the forward helix. "This piercing truly stands out in a styled stack," says Schnieder.
Over at Studs, customers are coming in requesting one or even multiple piercings on the forward helix. "We do see new and different piercing trends emerge each year based on what’s trending in fashion, culture, and celebrity," Bubbers says, but be warned, this piercing is finicky. Helix piercings can take over nine months to heal, compared to the average of six months for other cartilage piercings like the rook or conch.
In the realm of body piercing, the term "snakebite" typically refers to two piercings on either side of your lower lip. When it comes to ears, however, it entails two holes placed close together, slightly separated from the rest of your ear piercings, giving the impression that your piercer just might have used two fangs to get the job done.
According to Bubbers, most customers opt for a snakebite in their midi, the center point of the outer ear. “Once the piercings are fully healed, you can really personalize your look with the styling," Bubbers says. "Mix and match hoops, studs, and chains for an extra unique stack.”
Conch piercings have appeared in the top piercing trends for the last few years, but the cartilage piercing is still popular enough to remain on the list for 2024. ("Conches are here to stay y’all!" says Pearce.) At Studs, Bubbers says customers are opting more and more for a snakebite on the conch — through that thick cartilage about halfway down the ear — for a doubly trendy effect.
"I hope you don't use this name," says Brooks, laughing. She prefers the more medical-sounding "outer conch," but the phrase "sconch" is catching on to describe a piercing placed at the lining ridge in the cavern space close to the center of the ear.
"It's right in your eyeline when people look at you," she says. Though it'll be eye-catching no matter what kind of earring(s) you have in, Brooks likes adorning an outer conch piercing with a piece of jewelry that makes a big statement.
“[Tragus] piercings are having a moment and aren’t going anywhere in 2024," says Sharp. The tragus is the small flap where your ear meets the side of your face. “It is the perfect place for something small, simple, and understated that really balances the ear,” she adds.
The experts we consulted at Nine Moons Piercing noted the rise of the rook. It's an inner-ear piercing, located on the “shelf” behind the forward helix. "Rooks are pierced downwards and allow you to wear a cute curved barbell for the initial healing period," says Pearce. “I think a lot of people are getting this piercing for the long-term goals of one day being able to transition to wearing a small, tight-fitting hoop.”
Because of the way the rook hangs down into the inner ear, small charms and jewels, like the flower pictured above, are an added opportunity for style. "I personally love hanging charms off of a rook piercing," says Sophie Angold, a piercer at New York City-based Nine Moons Piercing.
As Pearce points out, because not everyone's ear anatomy will safely support a rook, there is also a faux rook option, which consists of two individual piercings, placed at either end of where a barbell would lie.
Thanks to the '90s and early '00s resurgence weaving its way through every segment of culture, a nostalgic piercing has returned — with a new twist. Elder millennials will remember the industrial, a barbell piercing that lies diagonally across the upper ear. The 2024 version of that look is the chaindustrial, two separate piercings that connect with an ear chain to evoke the barbells of the past. “Since many ears are not anatomically suitable for a traditional industrial piercing, the many possible chaindustrial variations will often provide a viable alternative that anyone can wear,” says Pearce. “Its comfort and accessibility proves it will be even more popular than its industrial inspiration."
More on the world of piercings:
- How Tongue Piercings Work, From Pain Level and Placement to Aftercare and Healing Time
- How to Remove Every Type of Piercing at Home
- 8 Types of Ear Piercings, Explained
- Contraconch Ear Piercings Are Gaining Popularity for Its Unexpected Placement
- Is It Safe to Get Multiple Ear Piercings at Once? Professional Piercers Weigh In
100 Years of Body Piercing History:
