I don’t mind it. Of course I have stretched ears so… I’m at 5/8 which is one full step up from ½ inch. It sounds big but it’s really not. Here’s a picture with a 5/8 in and here’s a picture of it out.
To me, stretching is ok to a point. Too much of anything is eventually a bad thing. It’s hard to point out where to draw the line but there is defiantly a line that you cross from normal to ridiculous. I’m sure some of you think I already crossed it but I don’t mind.
As long as the time is taken to stretch slowly and correctly, then no pain is involved. Problems arise when people try to make a ½ hole out of a 4ga one. That’s also what causes blowouts and other nasty problems with stretched ears.
Stretched ears can grow back on their own to an extent. The elasticity of the skin is astonishing. It differs from person to person but it’s generally accepted that 00ga is the cut off point for your ears to self heal. There is a chance that if you save all your old plugs and size back down that you can venture slightly farther and still have your ears close up without surgery.
If you begin to stretch with the thought that you may not want them later though, then you need to second guess your decision to do it. That’s like deciding to get a tattoo for the summer with the intention of getting it removed that winter. It makes no sense. Permanent body mods wouldn’t be such a big deal if people thought their decisions through. They might not be as popular either but at least those of us that have them wouldn’t get as much of a bad rap.
Stretching is just another way for people to hide how normal they are. It’s funny because it’s today’s society that causes people to want to be extraordinary and different but then society shuns them for doing so.
Bottom line is that it’s like any other body mod. Some people like it, some people don’t and some people take it to ridiculous extremes.