Frankly, I'm not thrilled with those, either, but a single ear piercings have been practiced by women of all socio-economic levels for so long that they are not associated with druggies, carnies, prostitutes, etc. like lip piercings, nose piercings, etc.. Therfore they don't signal "I don't respect my body" to the world.
Druggies get body piercings and tats? Have you ever priced the cost of a 8x8-6 color tat? Or some of the better piercing hardware? It’s too expensive for someone with a drug problem!
Sheesh, you need a full time job to afford them-— they are luxuries.