“…in the beginning there was Gauntlet.”

The above quote was posted to the rec.arts.bodyart Usenet newsgroup, June 16, 1998.

From the Foreword of Running the Gauntlet—An Intimate History of the Modern Body Piercing Movement:
“Body piercing may not be considered entirely mainstream or accepted in all walks of life, but it is certainly familiar as an option people in today’s society may choose for themselves. This massive shift from obscurity to prevalence would likely not have taken place without Jim Ward and Gauntlet. In fact, piercing might never have emerged to become the booming worldwide industry we have today if not for his founding the first legitimate, professional piercing business, and starting the very first piercing publication. His pioneering efforts have literally changed the face (and other body parts) of modern man and woman.”—Elayne Angel, Author of The Piercing Bible—The Definitive Guide to Safe Body Piercing and former Gauntlet Vice President of Southern California Operations

For much more on the history of Gauntlet and modern body piercing, please visit our companion website Running the Gauntlet.