Thanks to a generation of dream girls like Britney Spears, Janet Jackson, and Alicia Silverstone, the belly-button piercing was arguably one of the most popular trends of the ’90s and early ’00s. For most MTV-watching youths of the day, there was something sexually liberating about rocking a rhinestone-embedded barbell through your navel, and it probably pissed your parents off just enough that you felt like a total badass without getting scrubbed from their will.
Like many trends before it, the navel hysteria eventually faded, and the belly button became nothing more than the place your umbilical cord used to be once again. But with a major resurgence of other ’90s-specific fads, like headbands, scrunchies, and butterfly clips, it’s clear that belly-button rings are not to be forgotten any time soon — and plenty of celebrities agree, like Jessica Alba, Priyanka Chopra, and Beyoncé. True, you won’t see many of them showing it off on the VMA stage with an albino Burmese python wrapped around their necks, but you may catch a subtle glimpse of it on any given day in L.A.
Ahead, the celebrities still rocking belly-button piercings like it’s 2003.
Vanessa Hudgens
Photo evidence proves that Hudgens has had her belly button pierced since the end of High School Musical. But she’s not the only Disney star to try the trend…
Photo: Kevin Mazur/BBMA2017/Getty Images.
Miley Cyrus
Cyrus loyalists know that the singer first got her belly button pierced while she was still playing Disney superstar Hannah Montana in the mid-2000s.
Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images.
Priyanka Chopra
In 2013, the Quantico actress told Times of India that her navel piercing was all thanks to a rebellious phase: "And in one moment of madness, I went ahead and got my belly button pierced. I was shitting bricks later," she explained. "I got hold of a friend and went over and told my mother about it. I knew she would freak out. But once things cooled down, my father even got me the diamond I wear. And I’m happy to show it off."
Photo: STRDEL/AFP/Getty Images.
Jessica Alba
Alba hasn’t given the public a clear glimpse of her body piercing since she left behind her sex-symbol rep to become the owner and operator of an organic empire, but her iconic GQ spreads are most likely part of the reason why you spent your last free period in high school picking out your new dangling jewelry.
Photo: Ray Mickshaw/WireImage.
Kourtney Kardashian
Kendall Jenner’s nipple piercing may be all the rage in 2018, but it was Kourtney’s belly ring that made a statement in 2008.
Photo: Troy Rizzo/Getty Images.
Kim Kardashian
Sadly, if her KKW Fragrance campaign was to believed, Kardashian no longer rocks this bedazzled barbell. Still, it’s worth an honorable mention.
Photo: Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images.
Beyoncé
If there’s one celebrity who could single-handedly catapult this popular piercing back into the zeitgeist without even trying, it’s Queen B.
Photo: Mark Mainz/Getty Images.
Hailey Bieber
In August, Hailey was spotted with a sparkly barbell for the first time. The model has yet to comment on the piercing, but we’re guessing she got it around the same time Justin got his eyebrow piercing.
Photo: NEMO/BACKGRID.
Normani
There’s a lot to see in the music video for Normani’s single "Motivation," but it’s impossible to miss her dangly navel piercing. The belly-button jewelry was especially fitting since the video included a host of homages to iconic ’90s and ’00s music moments, like Beyoncé’s "Crazy In Love" and Ciara’s "1, 2 Step."
Billie Eilish
Eilish recently revealed on Instagram that she also has her belly button pierced, proving that the trend is, in fact, still cool among the youth.
Photo Via Instagram/billieeilish.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
Proof That Gigi Hadid Was Always A Budding Beauty Icon
Hilary Duff Has 15 Tattoos — & No One Ever Noticed
Kirsten Dunst Is Making A Case For Curtain Bangs This Fall
Source: Refinery29 – Samantha Sasso