Curved Barbell (Body Jewelry)

Bending a barbell into a shallow arc changes which piercings it suits. Tissue that folds, such as the rim above a navel or the ridge of an eyebrow, pushes a straight bar against skin at both ends and leaves two pressure marks. A curve lets the shaft follow that fold, so both ends emerge square to the surface and nothing digs in. Sellers also call it a banana bar, and for once the nickname describes the object accurately.

Ends are usually different sizes on purpose. Navel jewelry runs 14 gauge at 10 mm wearable length with a 5 mm ball at the bottom and a 4 mm ball at the top, since the heavier end hangs clear and the smaller one tucks under the rim. Eyebrow bars sit at 16 gauge and 8 mm, and rook piercings take 16 gauge at 6 to 8 mm. That measurement still runs along the curve between the inside faces of the ends. A curved 10 mm and a straight 10 mm hold the same amount of tissue.

Flat tissue suits a straight barbell, which would tilt in any of these placements. Horseshoe shaped circular barbells curve much further and hang below a septum or through a daith. Rings of every kind close the circle and rotate freely. A healing navel does far better on an arc that cannot spin. Beside a flat back stud, the curved bar shows two decorative ends instead of one and needs both of them clear of waistbands.

Navels are the main buyer, and the test is easy: sit down, fold forward, and feel whether the bar digs into the crease. If it does, order a longer bar or a flexible one. Pregnancy is the usual reason people move to a flexible bar, since a rigid one presses hard as the skin stretches. Dangling charms belong on a healed piercing only, because that extra weight swings all day and drags at the channel.

Hold the bar up and look down the curve for a kink or a flat spot, both of which come from cheap bending and create a rough patch inside you. Confirm the ends seat square rather than at an angle. Wash under the top ball daily, since the underside of a navel curve is exactly where soap, sweat and fabric fibers collect.