Earrings for men

July 31, 2006 4:05 PM

Fashion Question.

Two months ago I got my ears pierced. I recently bought a few pairs of cheap earrings on the street. I'm sure women learn the tricks of this stuff early, but what type of earrings work best on a guy, without making him look ridiculous or overly femmy?

posted by jonmc to clothing, beauty, & fashion (34 comments total)

I think tiny, thick silver hoops look pretty hot on guys, and not overly feminine at all.
posted by Zosia Blue at 4:09 PM on July 31, 2006

Just keep it simple: plain metal studs, small plain hoops (especially thick ones). Small, plain enameled studs can be nice, too.

My husband gets away with a small, extremely unfussy dangly earring on occasion, but the guy's built like a blacksmith; he couldn't be overly femmy if he wanted to be. More gracile guys may wish to skip the dangly earrings entirely.

With the right attitude you could probably wear just about anything. But some things are easier to wear than others.
posted by sculpin at 4:14 PM on July 31, 2006

another vote for plain metal studs or hoops (and I tend to prefer silver rather than gold on guys).
posted by scody at 4:16 PM on July 31, 2006

Plugs.
posted by Loto at 4:17 PM on July 31, 2006

another vote for plain metal studs or hoops

That's more or less what I've stuck with, like the pair I have on here. I bought a few cheap hoops on St. Marks Place of varying diameters, those endless hoop types that are abear to change without maiming yourself. This pair was the biggest, and I think I might be pushing it with those.
posted by jonmc at 4:25 PM on July 31, 2006

Big diamond studs. Wear what you are.
posted by macadamiaranch at 4:26 PM on July 31, 2006 [1 favorite]

Captive bead hoops preferably surgical steel, or maybe curved barbells. I personally hate 'em, but they're popular. I prefer pinchers, claws, or plugs, but these all genearlly require an 8 guage hole or bigger. I've seen some guys pull off small diamond studs, but I'm pretty sure that's a whole different level of cool.
posted by lekvar at 4:26 PM on July 31, 2006

I think the femme factor is increased significantly by having the earrings match. This may be a regional thing, but I see a lot of guys wearing one plain stud, one hoop.
posted by sculpin at 4:29 PM on July 31, 2006

The captive bead hoops that lekvar linked to are what I'm imagining. I vote matching earrings, however.
posted by Zosia Blue at 4:45 PM on July 31, 2006

There's no generally "right" answer for this question, because, like a girl's earrings, it's dependent on your style. Are you a cutting edge, stylish, retro-clothing hipster? Or are you an overweight, bearded, kilt-packing LAN gamer? Are you a 5-button suit hip-hop mogul? Those would all have different (and all "right") answers.So let's start there. What do you wear on a day-to-day basis? What kind of haircut? Show us a photo, that's a good start.
posted by mattoly at 4:47 PM on July 31, 2006

A big brass one, if you're going for the pirate or Mr Clean look. But IMO any earring makes a guy look feminine. Such adornement puts you on a slippery slope which might end in your wearing... makeup.

Hey, you asked.
posted by Rash at 4:49 PM on July 31, 2006

The right kind of earring is the one that doesn't get infected. Other than that, wear whatever you want.
posted by Kafkaesque at 4:51 PM on July 31, 2006

Show us a photo, that's a good start.

*cough*
posted by jonmc at 4:53 PM on July 31, 2006

I've always thought that multiple silver hoops looked decidedly unfeminine on a guy (no basis for this at all, just my gut feeling)...

is the beard new?
posted by hototogisu at 4:56 PM on July 31, 2006

I had one for a few years back in the 90's along with shoulder legnth hair (it was the grunge era), and I've grown it back over the past 2 weeks. Circumstances have allowed me to look less civilized recently, so I'm taking advantage.
posted by jonmc at 4:58 PM on July 31, 2006

good call
posted by hototogisu at 5:00 PM on July 31, 2006

Other than that, wear whatever you want.

Well, I've never had good looks instincts, kaf, you know that. (good to see you, man, by the way)
posted by jonmc at 5:01 PM on July 31, 2006

Well ok. I'd say that for a simple accessory, small hoops would be best, maybe with a stainless steel bead at the bottom. Simple, and goes well with a "rock" look. Something like this or like this perhaps. It's edgy but subtle.
posted by mattoly at 5:07 PM on July 31, 2006

jon, wear one hoop and one stud. At least try it out. Switch which ear is the hoop and which is the stud and try THAT out. Get a big fucking peacock feather earring and try THAT (actually, on second thought, don't - you'll probably end up looking like one of those 14 year old loners who took a nature appreciation course or something). Ooh, have you thought about dangly daggers? Or lightning bolts?

The point is that there's no Right answer for earrings - it depends on the person. Me, for example: I can't even really wear earringings without looking 7, so I just wear a stud up high in my cartilage. Gives me elf ears.
posted by muddgirl at 5:09 PM on July 31, 2006

I had a pair of captive hoops in one ear for years. I don't wear earrings anymore, but that was the look that I stuck with the longest. You kind of need to commit with those, though, as they are a bitch to put on/take off.
posted by mkultra at 5:12 PM on July 31, 2006

(muddgirl, you're screwing with my head, aren't you?)

I've been using the small hoops, mainly. The 'endless' hoops work best, but they're a bitch to take on and off without maiming yourself. I'll figure it out eventually. I don't think I'll be one of those 24/7 David Beckham guys, I just wanted the ability to do it when I felt like, but like I said before, I'm kind of clothing/accessory/looks impaired.
posted by jonmc at 5:19 PM on July 31, 2006

I've got a pal who has two holes in one ear - he does a small silver shape of some sort in the bottom (tiny star, tiny skull, crescent moon, that sort of thing) and a small, round bit of turquoise in the top. I always notice it and think it's cool, because the color is so unusual - so many guys stick with 'just metal'.
posted by ersatzkat at 5:42 PM on July 31, 2006

jon, you ain't never gonna look femmy
wear what you like
posted by caddis at 6:06 PM on July 31, 2006

Are you a cutting edge, stylish, retro-clothing hipster? Or are you an overweight, bearded, kilt-packing LAN gamer? Are you a 5-button suit hip-hop mogul?

Okay, I know what kind of earrings the last guy should wear, but what about the first two?

And, jon, for you, I'd say either captive-bead rings or circular barbells. In any case, piercing jewelry.
posted by box at 6:16 PM on July 31, 2006

The 'endless' hoops work best, but they're a bitch to take on and off without maiming yourself.

That's why I prefer the plugs or pinchers. They're held in place by o-rings, usually black, and are infinitely easier to remove or replace. The cach is that you'll tend to lose o-rings.
posted by lekvar at 6:27 PM on July 31, 2006

Are you a 5-button suit hip-hop mogul?

Holy fuck, there are 5-button suits?

I nth the suggestion of non-matching earrings, or two studs. That is, if you wear something other than a stud, only go with one ear.
posted by bingo at 6:28 PM on July 31, 2006

I think it all depends on you style. Lots of men these days are getting diamond studs, but nice size ones - not wussy little one's like 5 years ago. "Diamond studs for men are becoming more and more popular. When a man chooses to get an earring or two, the usual choice is for some sort of stud. In high school, the basic silver ball was quite popular. However, silver balls tend to lose their appeal to men after a certain age. Something a little flashier, a little rarer and totally beautiful is what men prefer to don as of late."

Another option, which I had myself is a bone plug (the link is not bone but same style). Although this means you may have to go through a few months of stretching to get to your desired size. IF you do the stretching properly, and do not rip your earlobes, if you decide to take the horns out, your ears will shrink back to a small size. It took mine about 6 weeks to totally shrink - I had to take them out for my wedding, but plan on putting them back in.
posted by savagecorp at 6:39 PM on July 31, 2006

Opinion: Hoops are better than studs. Silver better than gold.
posted by eleyna at 6:40 PM on July 31, 2006

I agree, eleyna. Gold looks pee colored to me. I have some small hoops with hinged posts that I bought at Sears of all places in now and they go in easier than the ones that I bought at a jewelery stand in the village. Like I said, I like them and the reviews I've gotten from friends on the new look (beard and hair as well as earrings) have been good (I've been told I look vaguely late period Springsteen-ish, which is cool. I'd do Bruce.), but like I said, I've always been clueless about clothes and grooming so I figured I'd consult.
posted by jonmc at 6:48 PM on July 31, 2006

I'd suggest trying titanium or palladium, they're darker than stainless steel or silver if you don't want so much flash.
posted by casarkos at 7:49 PM on July 31, 2006

eleyna writes "Opinion: Hoops are better than studs. Silver better than gold."


Platinum or white gold better than either. Get gunmetal for a seriously sexy look.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 9:24 PM on July 31, 2006

I think something like this would look good on you.

I won't wear endless hoops because I'm afraid if they get caught on something, grabbed by a baby, etc., that they'll rip right through my ear lobe. I actually get a little shuddery feeling when I see anyone wear them.
posted by taz at 7:16 AM on August 1, 2006

Those are cool, taz. They'd look good on ya, hon. Large diamond studs are popular with some of my Bronx students, too.
posted by pips at 9:46 AM on August 1, 2006

I've kinda settled on the pair I'm wearing in these pics for now.
posted by jonmc at 4:29 PM on August 1, 2006