1824 color lithograph by Louis L矇opold Boilly. A young woman is getting her ears pierced by a young man. Ear piercing has been practiced all over the world since ancient times. There is considerable written and archeological evidence of the practice. In Europe, earrings for women fell from fashion generally between the 4th and 16th centuries, as styles in clothing and hair tended to obscure the ears, but they gradually came back into vogue in Italy, Spain, England, France and North America.