Tribal Stretching

• Stretching originated in Asian, African and South Pacific cultures for decorative purposes. Tribes such as the Thai hill tribe stretched earlobes for both men and women.
  
  

Modern Primitives

• Fakir Musafar is credited with founding the "modern primitive" movement. This movement is often credited with the popularization of the stretched earlobe in current culture.
  
  

Tapering

• Tapering is a method traditionally used to stretch earlobes. This uses a tapered metal or glass rod to open the pierced ear to allow for the insertion of larger jewelry.
  
  

Weights

• A second traditional method of stretching piercings is to use weights. Heavy jewelry or a weight is attached to the piercing, using gravity to increase the stretch of the piercing.
  
  

Warning

• If stretches are improperly done or are too large, the piercing will not close when jewelry is removed.