Back in Bible Times
Yes, body piercing is actually mentioned in the Bible, which is a very interesting fact. Many people would not expect this to be a topic of discussion in the Bible, but it is mentioned very clearly in the book of Genesis. In this section, Isaac gave his wife Rebekah nose jewelry as a gift. So, you'll also find that it goes all the way back to Old Testament Bible days as well.
Piercing in Various cultures
Of course piercing has been around in various cultures for many years. Many historians seem to believe that Roman soldiers often had piercings. Also, a variety of other cultures have use piercings as well. Some of them include African cultures, the Aztecs, Middle Eastern Cultures, and even Mesoamericans. Even in Europe piercing, especially of the ears, became very popular in the 16th century as well.
The Hippy Movement
While there was some time where body piercing began to die out, once the hippy movement came about in the 60's, piercings began to come back again and it again became popular. During this time many people began to start the trend again, although it would not get as popular as it is today until pop icons and bands began to get piercings as well.
Influence of Bands
It was really the influence of bands that made body piercing take off. Many bands and popular musicians began to get piercings such as belly button piercings and eyebrow piercings, and it was something that brought about the popularity today. Today you will find that piercing is extremely popular and there are many great jewelry choices today that have never been seen before as well.