Body piercings are commonly viewed as avenues for artistic and self expression. Although many people have taken to body piercing, it is not without controversy and belly rings have not been spared.Our history tells us that many cultures have different uses for piercing different parts of their bodies. Some are used for rituals while some have a more ceremonial importance. In the ancient South American civilizations, warriors are known to wear piercings of all types and sizes. They wear a ring around their nose so that they will appear to be more intimidating to their enemies. Their women preferred to wear lip piercings and decorations. These decorations were supposed to enhance the beauty of women during those times. In ancient Egypt, pharaohs were also known to sport body piercings. Members of the Egyptian royal family were the only ones allowed to wear belly rings. Those who broke this rule were to be put to death.Piercing hasn’t always been a safe practice but tattoo and body piercing parlors are now adapting safe measures to ensure that the customers don’t get any infections. Many young women now sport these decorative piercings, especially belly rings. These impressionable young women find their fashion pointers from their idols, most likely pop stars like Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera.Today’s pop stars have a massive following and the fans tend to wear thing similar to what their idols do. Once they see their idols on MTV sport a belly ring, you can bet that thousands of young girls thought that getting one would be cool. These rings are popular amongst young women since it is seen as a sexy accessory. Many dancers who work on TV sport them also. The belly ring has come far from being an exclusive status symbol to a sexy fashion ornament.