I had to take my 5/8" plugs out about a week ago ><  I stretched too quickly and was having some problems from it.  They didn't seem to be healing at all and kept bleeding.  They've shrunk a lot but there's still a decent sized hole there, too bad I don't have my old smaller jewelry to put in it anymore.  I'll probably have to get one of my ears scalpeled when I start stretching them again, the person who did it made one of them off-center so it's got one spot that gets pretty thin when stretched.

Don't make the same mistakes I did, take good care of your ears and stretching won't be harmful or even painful at all.

My ears were pierced without my permission and I'm sure there are other faab folk that have had the same thing happen who may have not have pierced their ears if they were born cis men instead.
And even with not having the earring in the ear...one will still has the holes that were obviously from ear piercings and I think that streching one's ears is like "taking the piercing back" and making it something they would have done instead of just pierced their ears because not that many cis guys tend to have earrings.

Like pretty much everyone else is saying, it's just a common thing among younger guys, especially the musician/artist types.  Quite a few of my friends in High School had them, along with essentially everyone who was in a band and the "skater" guys.

They're pretty gross, imo.  If they aren't maintained constantly, they start to smell horrid in no time at all.

Quote from: Horizon on July 14, 2013, 08:29:10 PM
They're pretty gross, imo.  If they aren't maintained constantly, they start to smell horrid in no time at all.

Simple regular washing and they're fine.  The jewelry people choose has a lot to do with that as well, acrylic tends to make your ears smell especially bad, at least in my experience. 

Quote from: wheat thins are delicious on July 14, 2013, 10:44:26 PM
Simple regular washing and they're fine.  The jewelry people choose has a lot to do with that as well, acrylic tends to make your ears smell especially bad, at least in my experience.

Yeah, acrylic and other porous materials need washing more than metals.

All I know about it is that our local Vons that we've been going to for the past thirteen years, turned me down for a courtesy clerk position (even after having the manager chase down my mom asking if I was still looking) based on the excuse of "your shirt wasn't professional enough" (a button down, no less or more than what they wear in uniform). Meanwhile, what should I see a month later? A 20-something guy with his earlobes actually down to his jawline bagging our groceries. Hypocrisy? They gen an A++.

Anyhow. I would never do that to my body. The farthest I've gone is a 16G labret (that I removed in 2010). I don't understand it but hey, whatever they like and want to do is their business. I'm not knocking it. But all the same I'd be lying if I didn't state being passed over  for someone with this exreme amenity for a job I was told my SHIRT wasn't "professional enough" for (despite they use uniforms on the clock)... didn't really chap my ass... 'cause it really did.

Quote from: Magnus on July 16, 2013, 08:26:03 AM
(a button down, no less or more than what they wear in uniform)

A button down or button up? There is a difference. Also, there are more anti-discriminatory laws against body modifications than there used to be. And you never know- the dude could have been wearing a three piece suit to his interview.