Bodily Piercing and Tattooing

Moderation is important when discussing tattooing and piercings. When tattooing, piercings, and body modifications began to alter the overall appearance of the individual, the individual would be considered deviant by majority of society. There are many individuals in the United States that have tattoos and piercings, but majority of the people have tattoos that can be concealed or tattoos and piercings that are not gaudy. An article titled, “Tattoos in the Workplace” discussed that in 2012 a poll was conducted that stated that 21% of adults in the United States had tattoos (Osland, 2013). However, nearly 60% of people that have tattoos, have them in areas that are hidden by clothes (Kesling, 2013). Although this study may not cover every single individual in the United States, it does give a

The rising popularity of tattoos and body piercing is more than just the latest fashion craze. This type of body art has been a part of this world for thousands of years. Tattoos and piercings have served as amulets, status symbols, declarations of love, signs of religious beliefs, adornments and even forms of punishment (Smithsonian.com). In the later years (1940 – 2000) tattoos and piercings were more common among teenagers and young adults, but now, people of all ages are expressing themselves through body art. To try and understand this rise in the desire to permanently mark ones self, we must first determine the origin and history of tattoos and piercings.

In her article “Tattoos are no longer permanent but removal can be a long and costly business,” Victoria Lambert (2015) explains that tattoos can be removed with laser, an injectable liquid and surgery. However, the process for each option is not only time consuming, expensive, painful, but can also have severe consequences. Lambert points out that most people, a while after they have been tattooed, figure out the useless of their body art, and decide to pay any price to get them removed. He affirms that the laser option, in addition, to being expensive, extensive and painful, can also cause skin disorders with the uncertainty of complete removal. Lambert also claims that another possibility, which is the liquid injectable, is not efficient

A large number of businesses do not allow tattoos that are visible. Many also prohibit piercings, other than single earrings on women. Some industries even take their policies to the extreme of not allowing any tattoos that take up more than 25% of a body part, and if a pre-existing tattoo is too large or obscene, it must be removed (Powers). This even applies if a uniform can easily cover the tattooed area.

Oral piercings have become more and more popular among the past couple of decades, especially with younger groups of people.1 They get these piercings because they think it will make them more popular in their social groups or because they think it looks good to get their tongue or lip pierced.2 Years ago, people got piercings because of their certain religious practices or different ethnic groups, but today oral piercings are becoming increasingly popular with the general population regardless of their cultural beliefs.3 The most common places to get piercings in the mouth are the tongue and the lips.4 Over the years, though, the tongue has become very popular.3 With piercings becoming more prevalent, research is finding that there and many complications and risk factors involved. One of the risk factors from getting an oral piercing is infective endocarditis. This is especially significant for someone who has heart disease because he is more prone to getting infections.5 Furthermore, Oral piercings are not to be considered a simple procedure that can be done by anyone, they should actually be considered a surgery that is to be done by professionals because of the complications that can arise from them.6 Some of the early complications from getting oral piercings include pain, swelling of the piercing site, bleeding, and infections.7 Following, late complications consist of localized periodontitis, irreversible gingival recession, fractured or chipped teeth, and difficulty

In America the practice of body piercing is everywhere, especially among young people. who are getting several parts of their bodies pierced either as an affirmation of their personal individuality, as a means of sexual gratification or stimulation, a reclamation of their bodies from physical or emotional trauma, or for as a means of adornment. Whateverthe reason, it's widespread. Body piercing is the piercing of the ears, nose, septum, cheeks, lip, tongue, nipples, navel, clitoris, labia, penis, and scrotum. Says California State University anthropologist James Myers, Ph.D. body piercing is "possibly as old as genus Homo." (Todd, Richard, p.1) Body

Rabbi Lucas, author of the Teshuva, argued in favor of the many precedents in Jewish law for body piercing, which usually restricted piercings in areas including that of the ear and nose (Tattooing and). He reasoned, however, that other than the direction of one’s “moral compass,” there is no reason to distinguish those piercings from those on any other part of the body (Tattooing and). More so, there is the issue of b'tzelem Elokim and tzniut, or modesty. With respect to the traditional Jewish value of tzniut, one has to wonder why "private" parts of the body are being pierced for cosmetic purposes, if the intent is indeed to keep that part private. As told by Rabbi Rob, “While there may be no prohibition against such body piercings they must be placed in the larger context of tzniut, which remains an important Jewish value (Tattooing

Tattoos and piercings have always been a debatable subject among individuals. In my writing, I will try to explain both sides of this issue and help people realize that tattoos and piercings are not a terrible thing to have. I will explain how they are just a way to self-express and how they are forms of art, not just tattoos. The individuals that conduct interviews use discrimination when hiring; not want to hire people that have a full sleeve of tattoos or a ring in their nose, tongue, lip and so on.

Anyone who wants a tattoo has to have a high threshold for pain. Where the tattoo is located will generally tell a person how much discomfort will be involved. Some of the body parts that cause the most discomfort for men and women are: head, neck, back and front of the knee, hands, and the wrists just to name a few. Usually the parts of the body that has more fat or muscle build up will cause the least amount of pain. This would include the: stomach, buttocks, outer arm, and the calves. No matter where you get a tattoo it will hurt, but it’s not unbearable. A major advantage of body piercing is the pain is manageable and only lasts for the first day. For most people it is just a slight stinging feeling. It is said that piercing hurts less with a gun but it is advised to use a needle for safety reasons. The only other way a piercing could case pain would be if a person got an infection. There is a risk of infection but only if a person does not care for their

This paper focuses on the subject of whether or not tattoos and piercings should be allowed in the workplace. There are a lot of resources arguing that they should not be allowed, but this research maintains the point that they should be more accepted in the workplace these days. This paper concludes by discussing how tattoos and piercings are much more of an artistic expression rather than a form of rebellion as it was once considered.

In the past, tattoos were commonly thought of as trashy or bad. One would often relate them to bikers, rock and heavy metal stars, pirates, or gangsters. That has considerably changed over the years. According to Swan, "In 2003 approximately 40 million Americans reported to have at least one tattoo." Today's culture is still fascinated with tattooing. In the 1990s, tattoos were the sixth fastest growing retail behind the Internet, paging services, computer and cell phone services. 28% of adult’s ages 30-39 were tattooed and that number rose to 36 percent in the 25-29 age group. 31% of the gay, lesbian and bisexual population, regardless of age, was inked as well. Tattoos are significant because they

Body modifications, with the focus of tattoos, have existed in our society for centuries and the way in which it is perceived has changed somewhat over the years, yet certain dishonors still remain our modern day. Like most body modifications, tattoos are an often misunderstood form of body modification. Despite the stigmas, tattoos have become a unique object of desire to endless diverse groups of people. But are the popular assumptions of tattoos out of sync with the true meaning behind them? Further explanation and exploration of the history will reveal the social and cultural practices of tattooing and the causal connection between the mind and the tattooed body, in addition to providing answers as to why tattoos stimulate uneasiness

Tattoos are becoming a popular phenomenon that is seen everywhere. Today’s youth are getting permanent tattoos to be cool and trendy, but are not considering the long-term effects. Teenagers should be aware of all that body modification may include, it is not just a pretty picture. Adolescences must consider the dangers and conscientious result of attaining diseases, being underage, and having a permanent mark on their body.

There is a long list of cultures that utilised tattoos as a form of decoration and communication (Swami, 2011). That said, within some western societies, that historical connection to the tattoo is not that strong. However the art of tattooing has seen a steady growth of its popularity and acceptance, and since the early 1990s, that growth has accelerated dramatically (Caplan, 2000; Cash, 2011; DeMello, 2000; Swami, 2011). The current estimated incidence of tattooing amongst the populations of North America and Europe is approximately 25 percent (Laumann & Derick, 2006; Swami, 2011), with one researcher suggesting those rates could continue to increase to as much as 40 percent of the population (Anderson, 2006).

Throughout time body piercings and tattoos have become a very common trend in today’s society. Body art including both piercings and tattoos have been around for many years, it used to be a way of communicating through each other but it has now become more of a fashion trend especially among today’s youth. Not only do tattoos and piercings have their own type of fashion but they can also represent many things such as religious traits. Many people ignore the dangers that can come along with tattoos and body piercings, things such as HIV and hepatitis are easily spread through the needles used for these forms of Body Art.