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Well I have this friend who is dating this guy who has his ears stretched to like 1/2 inch I think. They are big much bigger than a 0ga or 00ga. Well my friend wants to "gauge" her ears. I told her the proper terminology. I wish I had some like Jagger-Wolf when I was getting into stretching. It would have prevented a lot of pain and stupidity. Thanks Jagger-Wolf btw if you are reading this you taught me a lot! I want to make sure she doesn't do the stupid s**t I done as a stupid teenager. I thank my lucky stars I didn't get a blowout or a serious rip or anything. I was SUPER SUPER lucky. Any who, I told her why gauging wasn't the proper term and what the proper terms were. I gave her advice on proper stretching. Well turns out she only wants to stretch them to impress her fairly new boyfriend. *facepalm* She wanted to go up to a 0ga. Luckily she changed her mind. Now that isn't what pisses me off. What annoys me to no end, is that I am an open book of stretching. If I don't know something I will find out ASAP. She still calls it gauging and gauges. I corrected her politely. I tell her to sound like educated person about stretching to use proper terminology or enthusiasts and professionals will either correct you rudely, maybe politely or think you are utterly stupid and there is no need for that. She says she is content with saying gauging. *facepalm* The other day like Friday we went to the mall and then we went and got my tattoo touched up. The whole time she is talking, "omg I wonder if my boyfriend would like my gauged ears. I wonder how quickly I can get to a 0ga. I wonder what gauges he would find sexy." I corrected sweetly once again she said, "whatever I am not serious at this. If we break up or I don't like them that big they will close up." I once again told her no they wouldn't. Past a certain point which varies for people there is no return. I said for some the point of no return is a 2ga. She said her boyfriend said it would, and he knows a lot about gauging. He stretched his ears using his fingers at one point. :/ He refers to it as gauging and gauges. He used a DF on a fresh stretch. I so wanted to tell her to STFU but I value our friendship. She wanted to do a dead stretch because she didn't want to buy tapers. I offered to buy the tapers for her. She said she is going to think it over some more. I hope she doesn't go through with it. This guy is a flake. He is already cheating on her. I have first hand knowledge of that. I saw him making out with my other friend. I am not going to tell her because last time I told her a boyfriend was cheating she accused me of trying to steal him. He is going to leave her anyways. He doesn't want to be tied down and yadda yadda yadda. He is in college and has a whole sea of women at his feet. His words not mine. But for literally 3 hours I heard gauge this and gauging that. I wanted to yell SHUT THE ******** UP! After learning proper terminology I can't stand hearing anything else. Well if the person is ignorant of stretching I don't mind but I educated this girl several times! Yea, I am surprised I didn't drive my car into a tree. Oh god, I could only imagine how obnoxious I sounded when I first started stretching. Half way through high school I started to get a better grasp of proper terms thank god. I don't want people to think my "gauging" is an act of rebellion.

Thank you for all that read that. I just needed to unload.....badly!

This has been going on for over 3 months now on a daily basis.

I am full of bitching today. Friday when I was at the mall with my friend who wants to gauge her ears, I was looking at plugs at Hot Topic. Hot Topic occasionally gets good quality plugs in....occasionally. Anywho, this lady is like, "why would you want to fit soda cans in your ears." I cocked an eyebrow. I said, "excuse me?" I said it nicely as if I didn't hear her over the loud music. She got all defensive and said, "why on Earth would you want to be able to fit soda cans in your ears?' She said it in a very snobby tone. I stayed calm and replied, "but I can't. My lobes are no where that big and never will be." She scoffs and replies, "well I hope you know you look like a freak." I smiled and said, "yes I am aware. Want something else to b***h about? I have 7 tattoos. Of course you wouldn't know because they are all hidden. They won't stop me from getting a career. They are hidden! My ears look like I am wearing big studs. You can't tell they are stretched. My labret if need be will be removed, but since I don't need to remove I won't. I plan on getting dermal implants within my roses on my chest. I realize I don't look "normal" but then again, this is my body and none of your concern. Now you can either shut up or continue to go through life looking like a snobby b***h." I never raised my voice or showed any signs of anger. I wasn't angry at all which is odd for me. I scoffed told me she is happy her children are normal and walked off. Though the thing that gets me laughing is that we were in Hot Topic! A store known for being dark and different. Well use to until it became all scene and popular.

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I really don't care when people call it gauging.
I used to call it that myself when I was younger, I only started calling it stretching because people are so ridiculously a**l about it.

It's really not serious enough for me to care about the slang people use.

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There is a clear difference between Baseball and Football, they are two completely different sports. When it comes to gauging verses stretching it's not like that though. People obviously call it gauging because you are putting a piece of jewelry in your body that is certain gauge, it makes sense why they would call it that, even if they did know it was actually stretching and not gauging.
I just don't understand why it matters what other people call it. In the same reason I don't understand why other people care if people are gay, I don't understand why people care if they call it gauging instead of stretching. It doesn't effect you at all, so why does it matter to you? You know?

I've been going to the same piercer for nearly 3 years now, they have been in business for longer than I've been alive, and my piercer will occasionally refer to plugs as gauges, it doesn't mean she isn't educated about her job, or isn't passionate about it, it's just something some people say. Regardless of whether or not someone uses the "wrong" word I just don't see the point in getting upset about it, it doesn't change or fix anything.

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If millimeter and millimetered was what you called it that would be fine, it's whatever people are more comfortable with calling it really.

There will always be people that have shitty mods, it isn't a proper representation of the culture itself and anyone who assumes it is is an idiot anyway and shouldn't matter.

99% of professionals, do you have a statistic or source to go with that or is that something that was just added for flavor? People are always going to correct others on something, like when people confuse to, too, and two, the funny thing is though when someone corrects someone for using to, too, and two incorrectly they are called a grammar nazi and an a*****e, among other things.

It's just a matter of people being sticklers on the subject. There is no point getting assed every time someone says gauging or gauges or any other similar word. People can call it whatever they what ever they want, it's all about preference anyway. You wouldn't tell someone what kind of mods to get so why does it matter what they call them.

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More right? Is it a pissing contest on who is more elite because they call it a certain thing?

As I have said, my piercer who has been in the industry for over 20 years calls them gauges sometimes, it doesn't make her an idiot, and it certainly doesn't mean she doesn't know what she is doing. I've met several other piercers and tattoo artist that call them gauges on occasion too, it doesn't mean they are uneducated or unprofessional. From the sounds of it you just hate the teenage community who has mods, and anything they say or do is automatically wrong. While I will say the vast majority of the sceney little teen punks that think they are hot s**t with their mods, are generally ignorant as everything because they are only trying to keep up with the latest fad, not everyone who uses the term(s) gauged, gauging, ect are like that. It sounds like you are making a biased opinion on something based on some bad experience with people. It would be like saying no McDonald's can't get anyone's order right because you've gone to a couple that have messed your order up a time or two, obviously that wouldn't be right.

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I don't call them that though, all I am saying is that if someone does call them that, it shouldn't automatically label them as an idiot or something.
I agree that the most correct term to use would be stretching, but what other people choose to call it shouldn't be relevant. I mean someone could call them wakey wittle hoopty holes if they wanted to, doesn't make it wrong, it just isn't the accepted term to call it.

For me and me alone I would never get work done by someone who says "gauges and gauged." It's unprofessional and uneducated. I wouldn't want someone who sounded uneducated about their field working on me.