Real men wear earrings

Ebony, Feb, 1998 by Melissa Ewey

A well-dressed Black man walks up to the fine jewelry counter in a department store. He takes his time inspecting the various earring -- silver, gold, platinum. After careful consideration, he settles on a pair of flawless, 1-carat diamond studs. "Your wife will love these," the cashier says, handing him the bag.

"They're not for my wife," the man replies. "They're for me." Earrings on men have become so common that you may not have noticed who's wearing them. From businessmen to actors, sports stars to blue-collar workers, earrings have evolved from a shocking male fashion statement into an everyday accessory. Today, there is no doubt that men who wear earrings are stylish, confident and masculine. A growing list of men, including universally recognized role model Michael Jordan and rugged foot-ball star Andre Rison, say, in effect, that real men do wear earrings.

While some men deliberately seek diamond earrings, others wear them by default. After discovering that an ex-girlfriend was unfaithful, model Tyson Beckford didn't know what to do with the expensive diamond studs he was going to give her. Instead of returning them, he decided to wear them himself.

In the early '80s, unwritten social rules restricted men to wearing a single stud earring in the left ear. Anything too flashy or in the wrong ear was considered taboo. If a man wanted to be taken seriously, he didn't dare wear an earring to work.

Ed Bradley, 60 Minutes co-editor and correspondent, was prompted to get his ear pierced after interviewing Liza Minelli in 1986. When the subject of earrings came up, Bradley expressed his interest in wearing one. Minelli later presented him with a diamond stud, and he had his left ear pierced soon after. Bradley endured a lot of controversy when he wore the earring on-camera, but he weathered the storm and proved that men of all ages and professions can wear an earring with style. He continues to wear a hoop or diamond earring to work and chooses from a variety of studs for social occasions.

Corey Johnson, a 37-year-old physical instructor for Lake Shore Park in the Chicago Park District, got his ear pierced while in college. While his fraternity brothers approved, his family was another story.

"My mom told me she had two daughters, and that was enough," says Johnson. His father and brothers were even less accepting. "They told me only sissies wore earrings."

Johnson originally wore a gold stud in his ear, which he was forced to cover with a Band-Aid when he joined the police force. He let the hole close, then decided to get a gold hoop five years later.

Is Johnson worried what the kids he works with think about his fashion statement? Not at all, he says, considering that some of his male students, ages 6-11, are busy making statements of their own -- some even wearing earrings. Johnson's family has also grown to accept his earring, and the same brother who disapproved 19 years ago now wears an earring of his own.

Times have definitely changed. These days, many men wear earrings in both ears, sometimes with more than one in each ear. Comedian and Vibe host Sinbad is rarely seen without the dangling crosses he wears in both ears. Singers Johnny Gill and Keith Sweat have been known to sport a diamond in each ear.

The unwritten rule of thumb seems to be that the older a man gets, the more discreet the jewelry becomes. For example, trendsetting actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner wears multiple earrings, and even had his tongue pierced last year. On the other hand, distinguished music mogul Quincy Jones alternates between a close-fitting gold hoop or discreet stud in one ear.

While men in the entertainment industry and other creative fields have the freedom to wear whatever they choose, men in other professions must remove their earrings when they go to work. The National Basketball Association and other athletic organizations, for example, strictly prohibit players from wearing jewelry of any kind while in uniform. When the game is over, athletes such as Michael Jordan wear earrings to complement their unique sense of style.

In the '90s, a man wearing an earring is no longer unusual. No matter what a man's profession, self-confidence makes all the difference between a man who simply wears an earring and a man who wears it well. "I did it for me," Johnson says, "and I've never regretted my decision.