Forget the midlife crisis—today's style-savvy women are opting for a midlife piercing, or three. The 'curated ear' trend, featuring mismatched studs and dainty hoops, has gained serious momentum among fashion-conscious women in their late thirties and forties. Maria Tash, founder of the luxury piercing studio that helped popularise the look, notes that women aged 35 to 50 make up about half of her clientele.
Stars such as Gwyneth Paltrow, 47, and Uma Thurman, 49, are among the celebrity fans. 'These women want to do something for themselves—that feels empowering,' says Tash. The trend is partly a quiet rebellion against age-related stereotypes. Stacey, a fashion director from north-west London, got seven piercings at 41. 'We can begin to lose a sense of self. We become mothers, wives or bosses and forget who we are,' she explains.
Lucy, a mother of two from Hertfordshire, got a second piercing in each earlobe when she turned 47. 'Knowing you have multiple piercings feels a bit rebellious,' she says. 'I'm approaching my 50s, but I'm still stylish.' Psychologist Dr Jessamy Hibberd, herself a midlife multi-piercer, says the trend is a pushback against the idea of becoming responsible and sensible.
Multi-piercings have a long history. Paul R King of the Body Piercing Archive notes that women with multiple ear piercings were associated with tattoo communities in the 1950s and 1960s, later expanding to punk and artist groups. However, the trend became mainstream in the noughties, boosted by Instagram. 'Social media showed consumers all over the world what was possible,' King says.
Nicole Mitchell, piercer at London's Sacred Gold, says midlife clients account for 70 per cent of her clientele. 'I have older female clients who were afraid of what others would think, but now they are more ready to own it.' The 'midlife and multi-pierced' are on the rise, proving that age is no barrier to style.
