View source for Labret

{{Short description|Form of body piercing}}
{{Infobox Piercing
| name          = Vertical labret
| image         = Vertical labret.png
| image_size    = 
| location      = Labrum (below bottom lip, above chin)
| nicknames     = Mao
| jewelry       = 
| healing time  = Ranging from 3–6 weeks
}}

A '''labret''' is a form of [[body piercing]]. Taken literally, it is any type of adornment that is attached to the lip (labrum). However, the term usually refers to a piercing that is below the bottom lip, above the chin.  It is sometimes referred to as a "tongue pillar" or a "soul patch piercing".

==Pronunciation==

The traditional pronunciation of ''labret'' in anthropology is {{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|eɪ|b|r|ə|t}} {{respell|LAY|brət}}. It derives from the Latin ''labrum'' "lip" and the [[diminutive]] suffix ''-et.'' However, many in the body-piercing industry give it the pseudo-French pronunciation {{IPAc-en|l|ɒ|ˈ|b|r|eɪ}} {{respell|lo|BRAY}}, though the French word is in fact borrowed from the English.<ref>''[[Trésor de la langue française]]'', [http://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/labret ''s.v.'']</ref><ref name=aboutpronunciation>[http://tattoo.about.com/cs/piercefaq/a/pronouncelabret.htm ''How do YOU Say L-a-b-r-e-t?''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201184906/http://tattoo.about.com/cs/piercefaq/a/pronouncelabret.htm |date=2008-12-01 }} (note: the etymology here is false.)</ref>

==Anthropology==
[[Image:MocheWomanwithLabret.jpg|right|thumb|[[Moche (culture)|Moche]] figurine depicting a woman with labret. [[Larco Museum]] Collection. Lima-Peru]]
[[File:Across Arctic America p 292.png|thumb|Anguisinaoq, a [[Baillie Island]] man, wearing labrets between 1921–24. They were considered "old school" at the time.]]

The labret was a traditional piercing among the American Northwest Coast Indians, where it was related to [[Social status|status]]:

<blockquote>"access to labrets. After 3,000 [[Before Present|BP]], a divergence in labret wear in north and south coasts. In the north from 1500 - 3500 BP, more labrets worn by males. After 1500 BP, labrets worn by females. In the south, between 2000 - 3500 BP, worn by males and females, but from 2000 BP on, labrets generally disappear and are replaced by [[artificial cranial deformation|cranial deformation]] by free males and females of whatever class (e.g. elite or commoner). So, for 4,000 years on the northwest coast, it was important to distinguish certain individuals in a very direct manner; either by cranial deformation or by labret wear. Gender and geographical region may also be identified by these methods."<ref>[https://www.sfu.ca/pres/petters-perspective/2015/groundbreaking-chair-will-help-promote-first-nations-health.html Simon Fraser University] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402091343/http://www.sfu.ca/pres/petters-perspective/2015/groundbreaking-chair-will-help-promote-first-nations-health.html |date=April 2, 2015 }}</ref></blockquote>

When a mask was being made to represent someone of high status, that mask would likewise have a labret.

[[File:Native American woman known as Skak-Ish-Stin wearing Hudson's Bay Co blanket and labret in lower lip, Alaska, ca 1904 (NOWELL 85).jpeg|thumb|Skak-Ish-Stin wearing a [[Hudson's Bay Company]] blanket and labret]]
The wearing of labrets was widely observed among [[Tlingit people|Tlingit]] women of high status at the time of European and American arrivals in [[Southeast Alaska]]. The Russian term for the Tlingit, ''Koloshi'', derived from an [[Alutiiq language|Alutiiq]] word for labret.<ref>[[Grigory Shelikhov|Shelikhov, Gregorii Ivanovich]] and Richard A. Pierce. ''A Voyage to America 1783–1786.'' Kingston: Limestone Press, 1981.</ref>

Based on analysis of the history and social context of the labret (lip plug) on the Northwest Coast of British Columbia over the last 5,000 years, Marina LaSalle asserts that "while simple correlations of the labret with 'status' and 'gender' are not wrong, nonetheless they betray the complexity of body ornamentation which, though manifested materially, is highly contextual" and that "the labret is a symbol and expression of social identity that continues to hold significant meaning for the descendants of this heritage."<ref>{{Cite thesis |last=La Salle |first=Marina |title=Beyond lip service : An analysis of labrets and their social context on the Pacific Northwest Coast of British Columbia |date=2008 |publisher=University of British Columbia |url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/cIRcle/collections/ubctheses/24/items/1.0058398 |doi=10.14288/1.0058398}}[http://hdl.handle.net/10613/3241]</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=La Salle|first=Marina|date=2014|title=Labrets and Their Social Context on Coastal British Columbia|url=http://ojs.library.ubc.ca/index.php/bcstudies/article/view/183947|journal=BC Studies: The British Columbian Quarterly|language=en|volume=Winter 2013/14|issue=180|pages=123–153|issn=0005-2949}}</ref>

==Types of labret piercings==

[[Image:Snakebites.png|thumb|Snakebites]]
In contemporary styles, there are several different labret variations based on precisely where the piercing is positioned on the lower lip. These include a vertical labret (pierced with a [[Barbell (piercing)#Curved barbells|curved barbell]] through the top of the lower lip rather than in front of the lip tissue), snake bites (dual piercings close together reminiscent of fangs), spiderbites (dual piercings very close together on the same side of the face), and a lowbret, which is placed as low as possible toward the chin.<ref>[http://tattoos.lovetoknow.com/Labret_Piercing "Labret Piercing"], LoveToKnow Tattoos</ref>
The initial piercing is usually done at 1.2, 1.6 or 2.0&nbsp;mm diameter. After initial healing, the piercing can be (gradually) further stretched. Some people choose to stretch to sizes over 10&nbsp;mm, and the jewelry worn at these larger sizes is usually a round or oval 'labret plug'.
<ref>[https://wholesale-bodyjewelry.com/ Body Jewellery]</ref>

==See also==
* [[Body piercing aftercare]]
* [[Lip piercing]]
* [[Lip plate]]
*[[Tembetá]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline}}
*[http://www.bmezine.com/pierce/05-lips/bme-pg05.html BMEZine: Lip Piercing] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216013627/http://www.bmezine.com/pierce/05-lips/bme-pg05.html |date=2008-12-16 }}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120829155554/http://wiki.bmezine.com/index.php/Labret BMEZine: Labret Piercing]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120415201409/http://wiki.bmezine.com/index.php/Labret_Stud BMEZine: Labret Stud]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20111103194221/http://plughog.com/labret-stretching-guide Plughog.com: Labret Stretching Guide]

{{Body Piercing}}

[[Category:Facial piercings]]
[[Category:Body piercing jewellery]]