 Ear piercing and nose piercing have been particularly widespread and are well represented in historical records and among grave goods . The oldest mummified remains ever discovered were sporting earrings , attesting to the existence of the practice more than 5 @,@ 000 years ago . Nose piercing is documented as far back as 1500 BC . <unk> of these types have been documented globally , while lip and tongue piercings were historically found in African and American tribal cultures . Nipple and genital piercing have also been practiced by various cultures , with nipple piercing dating back at least to Ancient Rome while genital piercing is described in Ancient India c . 320 to 550 CE . The history of navel piercing is less clear . The practice of body piercing has waxed and waned in Western culture , but it has experienced an increase of popularity since World War II , with sites other than the ears gaining subcultural popularity in the 1970s and spreading to mainstream in the 1990s . 
