Let’s face it. Although men can wear earrings today, most do not. What they do wear is simple, usually studs or small hoops. Women have so many more beautiful choices. As a crossdresser, if you are new to the joys of earrings, please follow me through your introduction to the many choices you can consider! Whatever your style, you will be able to find crossdresser earrings that are alluring to you.
Clips vs. Pierced Crossdresser Earrings
I understand it if you are reluctant to have your ears pierced! Just so you know, I was the same way a few years ago. Fortunately, you have alternatives with clip earrings. These typically use a spring-loaded clip to press the back of the earring snuggly against your earlobe. Alternatively, some use a screw to tighten the earring.
Having said that, you must understand that with clip earrings, your choices are much limited. This doesn’t mean that you must do without lovely earrings though. You just need patience in your search.
Shopping for Clip Earrings
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There are costume jewelry lines that offer clip earrings. In the United States, I have seen a number in the store at Kohl’s and Cato. I am sure there are others, but that gives you a couple of ideas where to start.
The obvious main advantage of clip earrings is that you don’t have pierced ears. However, there are several disadvantages:
- Styles are more limited.
- The earlobe becomes irritated by the pressure of the clip.
- If the earring is heavy, it is more likely to fall off.
I think clip earrings are a great way to become accustomed to wearing earrings at first. When I wore them, I was a frequent customer on eBay. Etsy also has a good variety of handmade and vintage clip earrings.
Deciding to Get Your Ears Pierced
When it comes to deciding whether to get your ears pierced, it boils down to whether you have the guts to do it. I have had my ears pierced for over two years, and I have yet to have a negative remark. The fact is that unlike yesteryear, many men pierce their ears today. Even people who don’t like earrings on men have largely gotten used to the sight. So it isn’t the society that is holding you back, it’s yourself.
When I finally became brave enough to have my ears pierced, it opened many new possibilities for earring styles. There is almost no limit. I have no regrets about getting my ears pierced, other than regretting I didn’t do it sooner.
If you are reluctant, though, I understand! It is a big deal, and it exposes your crossdressing desires just a bit to the world. If you need to hide your crossdressing completely, then don’t get your ears pierced. You can certainly find choices for crossdresser earrings without piercing your ears.
Crossdresser Earrings – Studs
Stud earrings are where you get started when you get your ears pierced. The typical ear-piercing procedure is to push a stud earring through the earlobe. It feels like being injected with a needle while in the doctor’s office.
The defining feature of a stud earring is that the fastener is a straight piece of wire that goes straight through the earlobe. Because the wire is straight, it has the least amount of irritation.
Stud earrings allow you to have only a small decoration on your earlobe. An example is something as simple as a dot or a single gemstone. Below are a few pictures that are links to eBay, where you can buy the earring if it fancies you. Here is also a link to eBay’s current listings for studs.
It is possible to get “stud-like” clip earrings. They will either fasten by some other means, such as a magnet behind the earlobe, or they have a wire that runs under the earlobe to the back of the ear. Although I haven’t tried the magnet approach myself, I imagine it is quite possible the magnet can dislodge without your knowledge. As far as the wire running under the earlobe goes, it is a clear sign of a clip earring vs. a pierced stud. This is why it is very difficult to find clip earrings with very small decorations. The decoration for most clip earrings is large enough to cover the entire earlobe, hiding the wire.
Crossdresser Earrings – Hoops
Although many crossdressers, including myself, like stud earrings, dangling earrings are where most crossdressers get really enthusiastic! It has become socially acceptable for men to wear small earrings, which means that the bigger earrings definitely get into the feminine styles. Hoop earrings are one of the easiest and less expensive choices for trying to get that feminine look.
Hoops come in a variety of metals, sizes, and even shapes. Some hoops even have detailed engravings on them. The best thing about hoops, in my opinion, is that except for the huge ones, nobody looking at you is going to think they are out-of-place on you. They are a safe option for feeling girly without drawing attention to you.
It is possible to find hoops that are clip earrings. They usually involve some sort of spring. I have tried a couple of clip hoops and found them very unsatisfactory. Either the closing mechanism didn’t look good, or it didn’t work well at keeping the earring in place. In my opinion, if you want the look of hoops, you are going to need pierced ears. This is one case where the pierced versions make vastly superior crossdresser earrings.
Here are a few choices for hoop earrings to consider, or click to see a full listing of hoop earrings from eBay.
Types of Hoop Fasteners – Lever
Lever Back fasteners are very commonly used for hoop earrings. The wire is straight, just like a stud, so it is easy to put through your piercing. Once through, all one needs to do is snap the lever into place. The lever has a small spring, so it is nearly foolproof to secure. Taking it off is equally easy. Just reach behind the ear, pull the lever back, and slide the wire out. This type of fastener is highly recommended for some just starting with hoop earrings.
Types of Hoop Fasteners – Stud
Stud fasteners work exactly the same on hoop earrings as they do for the smaller stud earrings. They are a little more difficult to use in that one needs to attach the fastener by feeling, not by seeing. Sometimes the fastener goes crooked, so you have to bring it back to where you can see it so that you can get it aligned correctly again. With practice, it becomes a lot easier.
There is one other problem with the stud fastener. Sometimes the little attachment starts to get loose. When that happens, it can just fall off. If you aren’t aware, you can also lose your earring. I’ve had pierced ears for a couple of years now, and I’ve already lost two or three earrings.
Types of Hoop Fasteners – French Lock
Although they aren’t as easy to use as lever backs, I really like the French lock. It is a straight wire on a hinge. After pushing the wire through your earlobe, you swing it down and snap it into a small fork. What I like about it is that I feel it is more secure than the stud fasteners. In addition, I think it is daintier looking that the lever backs. The lever on those is quite visible from behind, where the French lock is barely noticeable. I think these are ideal crossdresser earrings.
Types of Hoop Fasteners – Spring Closure
Although there are others, the last type of fastener I want to discuss is the spring closure. I am sure that with a lot of practice, one could really come to love these. I am not patient enough.
The spring closure is a tube into which you feed a wire. I find these really tricky and have had success only once. There are three things you have to do at the same time. First, you have to keep the wire in your earlobe. Second, you have to stretch the hoop so that the wire can go into it. Third, you have to feed the wire into the little hole at the end of the hoop. All of the action is behind your ear, so you can’t see what you are doing. For me, getting the wire lined up with the hole while also stretching the hoop is next to impossible.
Having said that, the one time I was able to do it, I was very pleased with the look. It is nice and clean and feels great. However, I’ve had enough struggles with it that I’ve decided it isn’t worth testing my patience. There are so many easier styles of crossdresser earrings from which to choose!
Crossdresser Earrings –Â Hooks
I love crossdresser earrings that use hooks to fasten them to my ears! You can have just about anything hanging from a hook, from the whimsical to the long and sexy.
If you have just gotten your ears pierced, though, you are going to have to wait about six months before you start wearing earrings with hooks. The ear is still very tender during that time, and the curved shape of the hook will irritate the healing hole. It is so worth the wait, though! In my opinion, the hooked earring is the greatest in a feminine look, and that look needs pierced ears. Hook earrings are the main reason I decided to get my ears pierced.
Here are a few examples of hook earrings available on eBay, or click to see the entire list of tens of thousands of hook earrings.
Short vs. Long
I love, love, love long crossdresser earrings! There is almost nothing that compares to the feeling of an earring brushing against your neck or shoulder as you turn your head. It is so feminine!
However, there are a few things to keep in mind with longer earrings:
- These are more likely to get caught on something.
- Longer earrings are more likely to get tangled in your hair.
- Many consider longer earrings a younger look. You won’t see many older women wearing earrings that are shoulder length.
Having said that, I think everyone should at least have one set of longer earrings if nothing than for wearing around the house when you are in the mood for that brushing against your neck.
Summing It Up
There’s no doubt about it. Having some crossdresser earrings dangling from your ears is going to make you look and feel more feminine. They also allow you to set the mood for your face. You go for the understated look with some small studs or look glamorous with some long and slinky earrings brushing your shoulders. There are millions of choices to explore. So get exploring!
xoxoxo Sami
p.s., Here are some of my other popular How-To Guides. Enjoy!
- Selecting a Corset – A Crossdresser’s Guide
- Learning to Walk in High Heels: Stability First
- Learning to Walk in High Heels: Increasing Strength
Did you like this article? What styles of crossdresser earrings do you like? Leave a comment.
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Hi Sammy,
i found your blog today and it´s a really lovely one, thank you for doing it!
Ok, i´m a crossdresser all my live, and i think i´ll be what you call “an older woman or crossdresser” and i ´ve got both earlobes pierced, the left one for more than 30 years (it was cool back then for boys to wear a little earring…) and did the right one myself a few years ago.
The only thing i regrett is that i didn´t did it earlier…
It´s way more fun and looks way better than the clip on´s i´d wear prior that time.
No i own so many wonderfull earring in all kind of styles, and i really love long dangly earrings, even an older and slightly overweight woman like me (i just turned 54 this year) can wear those.
I think they look lovely with the right dress, maybe i gown or a cocktaildress, but even with every day skirts and dresses they look nice, at least i think that…
As you wrote here i love how they move when i turn my head or walk around, they gave me a nice and feminin feeling.
But i also love to wear some nice little one´s with pearls or a little flower, with some glittering stones in it or hoops…, there are so many styles one can wear, i think i got 200 or more pairs and love them all….
Ok, enough said, now i will look a bit more through your blog, and sorry for my bad english…
best wishes and kisses from Germany
Eliza
Thank you, Eliza, for your kind comments. I am glad you are enjoying The Crossdresser Report.
I had my ears pierced a couple of years ago, and I went crazy amassing an earring collection. I haven’t counted but would guess I have about 100 pairs. I plan to share some of my favorites in a post later this year.
Again, thank you for taking the time to write. There is no need to apologize for your English. I understood every word!
xoxoxo Sami