Gauging, the process of stretching one’s ear lobe, has rose in popularity among our generation.

Are they liked because of the eccentric look portrayed by the hole from certain sizes of gauges? Or is it the desire to stray away from the traditional style of earring? Probably both.

Junior Cathy Lau got gauges because she “thought they looked cool.” She is currently at 4g in gauge sizes.

Senior Theo Yeh agreed with Lau. “I got bored of studs and thought gauges looked nice.” He is considering increasing in size, but will not pass 0g or “whatever the point of no return is.”

Sarah Fecher said “I was in hot topic a few months ago and I was like why not.” Fecher is just keeping them at the smallest size, unlike some other students such as Mark Tulchinsky who has been stretching his ears since the middle of seventh grade and is currently up to an inch and a quarter.

“I liked the idea of stretched ears, they seemed to appeal to me. I really like everything ’bout them…the look, the feel, the attention is amazing as well,” Tulchinsky said.

Although much of the youth enjoys the look of the stretched ears, many parents do not.

“Mommy was grossed out,” Yeh said.

Fecher’s mom had the same reaction. “My mom was like that’s gross.”

However, not all parents shared these same sentiments. “My parents approved and they pay for my stretching materials,” Tulchinsky said.

As with everything, gauges has their pros and cons.

“The cons mostly consist of getting wierd looks from people and having to take of them all the time, but the biggest pro is that they look amazing and i love my lobes very much,” Tulchinsky said.

Stretching your earlobes can be a dangerous process, and some students have harmed themselves in the process.

“I used tapers to stretch but i did it too fast so i ripped my earholes a lot. Not ripped but like the inside bled because i stretched too fast,” Yeh said.

Gauges are definitely not for everyone, but a rise in popularity is certain as many teens look for new ways to revamp their style.

[media-credit name=”Mark Tulchinsky” align=”alignnone” width=”225″][/media-credit]