Not so many years ago, only heavy metal bands, punk rockers and those with 'bad boy' images were seen wearing body piercings in mainstream media. We've come a long way since then. Today, body jewelry is worn publicly by many pop culture celebrities, including Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Fiona Apple, Janet Jackson, and Lenny Kravitz to name a few. Celebrity figures are often at the forefront in presenting body jewelry as acceptable, mainstream and desirable. For many people, the body jewelry worn by the stars looks glamorous and sexy, and is something to be emulated.

Whether they like it or not, these celebrities are often elevated in status as role models. For good or bad, they hold a considerable amount of influence over their fans. Current prevalent thought among fans seems to be "Who cares if there's a little pain, if it makes me look cool then I want it." From clothing, mannerisms, and now, body jewelry, fans try hard to look just like their idols.

Miley Cyrus is one of the latest to join the company of body pierced stars. She sports a small diamond nose stud, and has recently been seen on stage with a belly button ring.

Britney Spears has an extensive collection of navel rings and is famous for her public appearances wearing them. Brittany also has a pierced nipple.

Christina Aguilera is rumored to wear the most interesting body jewelry in areas that are...uh...covered by her clothing.

Actress Camryn Manheim of "The Firm" television fame has multiple earrings in one ear.

Gillian Anderson, the actress who played the part of FBI agent Dana Scully in 'The X Files,' T.V drama has a pierced belly button.

Former Spice Girl Melanie Brown, Supermodels Christy Turlington and James King, and dancer Jimmy Gulzar all have tongue piercings.

Many sports stars, including WWE wrestlers A-Train and Billy Gunn, as well as football player Ricky Williams and others prominently wear body jewelry.

Genital and nipple piercing is a trend that is growing for both men and women. While not as widespread as other forms of piercing such as nose, ear, tongue, lip, navel and eyebrow, the piercing of the erogenous zones still has its own following.

On the Oprah Winfrey show, singer Janet Jackson talked about how much she liked the sensation that her pierced nipples give her.

Along with Janet, there are other celebrities with pierced nipples. Prominent starts include rock musicians Axl Rose and Tommy Lee, Icelandic singer Bjork and rap star Lil Kim.