The Guide to Modern Piercisms: Lip Service

Most of us are familiar by now with all the standard lip piercings like the labret and the Monroe, but depending on who you talk to, there could be a difference of opinion over which lip piercing is called what. Let us explain:

The piercing that most of us reference as a Monroe (the name is a nod to beauty icon Marilyn Monroe), might actually be called a Marilyn, Madonna, or Crawford, depending on where someone lives, how old they are, or when they were pierced. The names are all references to famous women who have moles or beauty marks in the area that the piercing is worn.

A labret as well might be referred to as a lowbret, lip ring, lip piercing, or pillar depending on the placement and type of jewelry that’s worn.

And then there’s piercings that rest just above the upper lip bow, which are commonly referred to as a Medusa, upbret, cleft piercing, cupid’s bow piercing, or filtrum piercing (the last being an anatomical reference).

The great thing is, no matter what you call them, lip piercings of all kinds have become so popular in recent years that most allusions are likely to be understood, even if there’s a disagreement over which famous celebrity deserves eponymous credit for your upper lip stud.