Gov. Cuomo's office denied online speculation that he had nipple piercings, but professionals say bo

• New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has received national media attention for his handling of the novel coronavirus pandemic, which has hit New York harder than any other US state.
• Photos of Cuomo from a press conference last week were widely shared on social media, as some thought the 62-year-old leader appeared to have something that resembled nipple piercings.
• While Cuomo's office denied that he had his nipples pierced, professional piercers said white-collar workers have increasingly turned to body jewelry, which perhaps explains the speculation.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has continued to make headlines for his handling of the coronavirus outbreak in the state, which has more deaths and infections than any other in the US.

In recent weeks, the governor, who has held regular press conferences and frequently appeared on cable news, has clashed with President Donald Trump over needed ventilators, announced the creation of extra hospital space, and urged the more than 19 million people living in the state to stay home. His brother, the CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, recently announced he had tested positive for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.

As his star has risen, some have suggested Cuomo should run for president, though he told his brother in an interview on Tuesday that he did not plan to do so.

But people on social media had something else on their minds when Cuomo gave a press briefing last Friday: Does the governor have nipple piercings?

"Andrew Cuomo looked disgusting--nipple piercings protruding--in his white shirt before Emergency Room Physicians. Very very disrespectful," one person tweeted, sharing a photo of the governor at the press conference that has been retweeted more than 500 times and turned into numerous memes.

Others had a less cynical view of the speculation about the governor's body jewelry.

"I physically cannot be anything but a New Yorker for the rest of my life," one person wrote.

"I thought this might be photoshopped, so I did a little investigating. Andrew Cuomo does, in fact, appear to have a nipple piercing," said another person, who appeared to have found and shared the original, unedited Shutterstock photos of Cuomo.

Rich Azzopardi, a senior aide to Cuomo, told Insider the governor did not have nipple piercings.

"Of course not," he said. "Sorry, internet."

The Food Network personality Sandra Lee, Cuomo's ex-girlfriend, seemed to address the rumors in an Instagram Story on Wednesday.

"I woke up this morning to a lot of stuff going on online. A lot of stories being written and a lot of nonsense being said, and I just want to say body-shaming is not okay," she said. "It's never going to be okay.

"And when people are out in the front lines working so hard for all of our benefits, to then turn around and body-shame? Shame on you. Knock it off," Lee continued. "Do something to uplift people and make the world a better place, not take cheap shots that are unnecessary."

Lee never mentioned Cuomo by name. The two dated for more than a decade and called it quits in September.

Still, several piercing professionals who viewed the photos told Insider it looked like the 62-year-old New Yorker did have his nipples pierced.

Brian Keith Thompson, the owner and CEO of Body Electric Tattoo in Los Angeles, said he was "75% sure" the governor had piercings in both of his nipples, based on the photographs from Friday.

"I'm going to say that yes, after close inspection of these photos, Gov. Cuomo definitely has his nipples pierced," Thompson said. "New York now has the coolest governor in the union."

"These photos look like he's wearing barbells," said Thompson, adding that he had a different opinion when he spoke with another media outlet on Tuesday. "In yesterday's interview, I thought they were curved barrels. But now, after further inspection, I'd definitely say they are straight barbells."

Lylia Rachel, a professional piercer at Royal Flesh Tattoo in Chicago, also agreed that the photos made it seem as if Cuomo had piercings.

"They do look pierced," she said. "More in the first picture."

Rachel, too, said it looked like Cuomo was sporting a barbell.

Ariana Strunk, a body piercer at Fatty's Tattoo and Piercings in Washington, DC, also agreed that photos made it look like Cuomo was rocking nipple jewelry underneath his bright white polo shirt.

"I can say with almost 100% certainty he has at least his right nipple pierced (with a barbell that's WAY too long, by the way)," Strunk said. "Not as sure about what's going on over on the left side, but it doesn't look like a traditional horizontal nipple piercing to me. It could be two overlapping diagonal nipple piercings."

She added: "Horizontal nipple piercings are one of the most common services I perform. Diagonal and vertical piercings are definitely performed way less frequently, but oftentimes clients aren't even aware that's an option, or it's the case that their anatomy isn't suitable for long-term healing in a certain placement."

While many people on Twitter seemed shocked that the governor might have a body piercing, the piercers Insider spoke with said nipple piercings were becoming much more acceptable.

"I must say, nipple piercings aren't just for tattoo badasses and Instagram influencers anymore," Thompson, who has been doing piercings for 15 years, told Insider. "It's fun for everyone now!"

Strunk said piercings that could be hidden under clothing were more common for people who might want one but wouldn't necessarily want it to be seen.

"I feel like professional piercers might be some of the least surprised that someone like Gov. Cuomo has these piercings, just because of the variety of clients we see on a daily basis, as far as genre, age, profession, etc.," she said. "People with jobs where visible piercings aren't acceptable might even be more interested in 'hidden' placements like nipples, which is definitely something I see a lot, working in DC."

She added: "When I first started working, I definitely wasn't expecting the number of people with executive and government jobs that come in. But at this point, I'm not surprised by anything."

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