 Reasons for piercing vary greatly . A 2001 survey in Clinical Nursing Research , an international publication , found that 62 % of people who have had piercings have done so in an effort " to express their individuality . " People also pierce to commemorate landmark events or to overcome traumatic ones . According to the assistant director of the Frankfurt University Teaching Hospital for <unk> Medicine and Psychotherapy , some sexual abuse survivors choose body piercing as a means of " reclaiming body parts from memories of abuse " . Piercing can also be chosen for simple aesthetic value , to highlight particular areas of the body , as a navel piercing may reflect a woman 's satisfaction with the shape and condition of her stomach . Some people pierce , permanently or temporarily , to enhance sexual pleasure . Genital and nipple piercings may increase sexual satisfaction . Some people participate in a form of body play known as play piercing , in which piercings may be done temporarily on the genitals or elsewhere on the body for sexual gratification . 
