"I find lots of women are more adventurous now," L.A.-based piercer Brian Keith Thompsontells R29, "So they come in and let me decide what to do to their ears." Hell, Beyoncé, Scarlett Johansson, and FKA Twigs trust him, so it makes sense that during the month he favored the rook, for example, it created a massive uptick in L.A. But the origin story behind the latest trend is different.

Keep in mind that piercing isn't an exact science, so different experts recommend different techniques, but these are the experts we trust. Thompson puts it best: "Talk to 100 piercers and you're probably going to hear 100 forms of aftercare…"

This isn't exactly a rare occurrence for the celeb piercer, who works with Beyoncé, Scarlett Johansson, FKA Twigs, and many more Hollywood A-listers. "I've had girls come up to me at bars and stick their tongues through my ears or start fingering my ears," Thompson continues, "You're a constant target."

With Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid, Rihanna, and Paris Jackson among the slew of celebs who sport barbells under bras, the nipple piercing is on its way to becoming as ubiquitous as belly button rings were in 1999...

Don’t tell my mom, but I got my nipple pierced on my 21st birthday. I was sober (surprise), and I guess you could say it was during my “rebellious” stage...