 The history of nipple piercing , navel piercing , and genital piercing has been particularly misrepresented by printed works continuing to repeat myths that were originally promulgated by Malloy in the pamphlet Body & Genital Piercing in Brief . For example , according to Malloy 's colleague Jim Ward , Malloy claimed navel piercing was popular among ancient Egyptian aristocrats and was depicted in Egyptian statuary , a claim that is widely repeated . Other sources say there are no records to support a historical practice for navel piercing . 
