A few years ago when I was looking into nose piercings (it wasn’t until last year that I finally worked up the nerve and got it done) I discovered multiple websites debating which was the ideal side to get it done on.

I learned that in India the left side is preferred because it supposedly makes giving birth easier. I also learned that some people consider a particular side to represent sexuality.

Granted, there were no legitimate websites that provided me with this information. My past English teachers would frown if they saw me consuming information from such unreliable sources. Still, I found many of these websites where one would ask “which side should I get my nose piercing on?” and people would battle it out in the comments claiming “Get it on the right side! If you get it on the left side, it means you’re gay!” or “No, it’s the right side that means you’re gay!”

I wasn’t too conflicted. Does the average person actually know these so-called “facts” about the connection between nose piercing and sexuality? I assumed then, and still assume now, that they don’t.

A bigger issue that I had with the “left side = gay and right side = straight” or the other way around was that it didn’t include any other sexualities. Were bisexual people supposed to pierce both sides? What about pansexuals? Do they get both sides plus one on the tip of their nose, too? And asexuals? Do they get not get a piercing at all?

While it sounds completely ridiculous, there are people out there who genuinely believe that getting a nose stud or ring on a specific side of the nose equates to wearing a shirt that says “I’m gay” or shouting that you’re a lesbian from a rooftop.

Quite odd, I know.

I ended up getting my nose pierced on my right side — but not because of the gay/straight debate I had read about online. I ultimately decided on the right side so my anti-piercing conservative grandmother wouldn’t notice it when I rode in the front seat of her car.

(She ended up finding out anyway and took it surprisingly well.)

To put it simply, there’s no need to worry about which side you get your nose piercing on. Instead of focusing on this minuscule theory that most people aren’t even aware of, you should instead choose whichever side makes you feel more confident. In the end, that’s what really matters.