Lots of stories this week about Olympic skater Alysa Liu, including a feature article in The Atlantic on "The Alysa Liu Effect." The article focuses on her hairstyle ("raccoon head") and clothing, but didn't mention her teeth (photo cropped from a source somewhere else).
This old guy wonders what's going on here, because these look like dental implants rather then stick-on ornaments. I'm quite aware that children getting braces can now have their braces painted, or can use colored rubber bands, as a cosmetic compensation for what is otherwise perceived by their schoolmates as unattractive (similar to "pimple patches" I suppose).
So is this a new body modification that will become more common? Do the arrows represent something from comics or a meme I haven't seen? I'm turning to my readership for answers because it will be faster than looking this up. Thanks in advance.
(Well, that didn't take long. A dozen replies within an hour. Thanks again.)
I believe it’s a piercing in her upper lip, not attached to the teeth at all.
ReplyDeletethis is actually a piercing of the maxillary labial frenum, which is the small bit of tissue connecting your upper lip to your gum. this is called a "smiley" piercing.
ReplyDeleteI have to assume this is a "smiley" piercing:
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lip_frenulum_piercing
That's a smiley piercing, a type of oral piercing located on the frenulum of the upper lip. This piercing connects the upper gum line to the lip, allowing jewelry to be visible when smiling. It is generally considered a low-pain piercing due to the thinness of the tissue. Potential risks include gum erosion and damage to tooth enamel if the jewelry is too large or constantly rubs against the teeth.
ReplyDeletehttps://bodyartforms.com/blog/smiley-piercing-what-you-need-to-know
It's a piercing above her teeth.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.the-independent.com/life-style/alysa-liu-teeth-piercing-b2924041.html
I took it to be piercing. Probably of the thin membrane behind the upper lip.
ReplyDeleteThis is a lip frenulum piercing. Liu has talked about it in interviews like this one https://www.nbc.com/nbc-insider/alysa-liu-explains-smiley-frenulum-piercing-mouth-did-it-herself
ReplyDeleteAs expected having a piece of metal in your mouth, there is a risk of enamel erosion
Codex: frenulum piercing
ReplyDeleteFrenulum piercing.
ReplyDeleteCodex: ps. Please don't ask me why anyone would.
ReplyDeleteThis stuff strikes me as a Cluster B manifestation. Symptoms. We're not a mentally healthy population even as we may excel in specialized areas.
ReplyDeleteIt's a frenulum piercing - the connective tissue between the lip and the gum. The "arrows" are screw-on ends to a circular barbell. https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/general/alysa-liu-s-frenulum-piercing-has-fans-talking/ar-AA1VZm4u
ReplyDelete(Be warned searching "frenulum piercing" - either add "mouth" or click with caution, because there's a similarly named genital piercing.)
News reports say she did it herself.
ReplyDeletethe '90s will never die!
ReplyDelete*no matter how much I want them to
I believe it takes a young woman from being attractive to being not.
ReplyDeleteI may be old.