For years, adults hated tattoos and rebellious teens and young adults love them. For those that do not know what a tattoo is I would at least hope you do but a tattoo is a form of body modification where a design is made by inserting ink, dyes and pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. The Latin word for
“tattoo” is stigma. The tide has shifted, though, and seemingly, everyone has a tattoo now.
What has caused the social shift? Why are tattoos now mainstream? The oldest discovery of tattooed human skin to date is found on the body of Otzi the Iceman, dating to between 3370 and 3100 B.C. He had several tattoos on his spine, behind his knee, and around his ankles. A
Secret History of Women and Tattoo. Tattooing up until recently has been a male dominated occupation in the late 18 th and early 19 th centuries tattoos were a very common fad for women.
In fact, 2012 was the first year in which more women than men were tattooed in the U.S twenty-three per cent of women, compared with nineteen per cent of men. Olive Oatman,
1858. She was the first tattooed white woman in the U.S. After her family was killed by Yavapais
Indians, on a trip West in the eighteen-fifties, she was adopted and raised by Mohave Indians, who gave her a traditional tribal tattoo. When she was ransomed back, at age nineteen, she became a celebrity. Photograph courtesy of the Arizona Historical Society, Tucson, 1927. But now more women than men are
Tattoo now, is more of a way to express individual or a meaning, as well as, getting one because it looks "pretty". Tattoo is also becoming more of a fashion to people, just like wearing a dress or a pair of earrings, and because they see a tattoo that looks pretty and wants one. Even though people have been getting tattoo why
You would be hard pressed to find many women with tattoos during the 19th and 20th centuries, but one women pushed through the skepticism and public views to become America’s “first tattooed lady.” Nora Hildebrandt was the daughter of the first professional tattoo artist in America, Martin Hildebrant, so it figures that she would eventually follow in her father’s footsteps and develop a fascination with tattoos. Nora began showing off her tattoos in 1882 at the age of 32. Her primary mode of displaying the 365 tattoos that covered her body from neck to toe was to go on tour with Barnum & Bailey Circus (Pednaud, 2014). She toured with the well-known circus throughout the 1890’s, until she was eventually out done by another tattooed woman and consequently faded into time. While Nora might have made tattooed women a grand attraction at circuses, she was just the beginning.
Over the years body art has evolved and become much more acceptable. In the mid 1900’s, piercing and tattoos were most commonly found among sailors, bikers and young rebellious adults. They are, in some instances, still used to identify people, such as gang members. But over the years all this has changed. Society itself has become more open to self expression. It would not be unlikely to find a tattoo or piercing on an “upscale” person now, like a doctor or lawyer. Another reason for this rise in number of people with body art could be due to the technology our world now has to offer. It is no longer such a worry about contracting Hepatitis from getting tattoos or piercings, due to medical technology and education on health and safety issues.
When the Egyptians extended their empire, tattooing extended as well to civilizations such as Crete, Greece, Persia, and Arabia. Later on in 2000BC this form of body art also reached china. With almost every culture influencing the practice of tattoo’s, the concept ranged from medical purposes, branding slaves to even determining the coming out of women. Examples include:
Tattooing is the art of marking the skin with indelible patterns, pictures, or legends by making pricks and inserting colored ink. The word itself has its origins in the South Pacific. The art had been referred to as pricking, scarring, or staining until explorer Captain James Cook encountered the indigenous peoples of Tahiti. (Wilkinson 6)
Before the mid 1960’s, tattoos were viewed as self-infliction and are deemed simply as unnecessary.
A tattoo is a mark with an intricate design on the flesh by inserting pigment into the skin. In “Tattoos Gain Even More Visibility”, Trebay discusses how tattoos and body modifications are progressively becoming the norm in today’s society. Trebay is an author at the New York Times and writes mainly about fashion. He discusses the potential affects markings and piercings pose on everyday life.
The art of cultural tattooing is the art of marking skin with indelible patterns, pictures, or legends by making pricks in the skin and inserting colored ink. This art has been referred to as pricking, scarring, or standing. They use small instruments made of bone, cut into
Tattoos have changed all throughout the years from the history of them to modern, the jobs you can and can’t have and health risks and the licensing to do tattoos and piercings.
The tattoos were made by cutting a deep incision and rubbing charcoal into the cut.
The tattoo is a very old form of body modification, but in spite of that there is still a certain rejection towards those who carry them in a visible area of the body, for some it disfigures what has been created in the image and likeness of God while for others associates this with convicts or gang members mainly because they were one of the first groups to use tattoos to differentiate themselves from the rest of society. But also it is true that there is a very limited understanding about this corporal modification that could be one of the reasons why it can not be appreciated as for how it should be. However, modern society reflects the current popularity of tattooing because it has acquired an entirely artistic meaning to a social expression and a way of identity.
China isn’t the only place that this decline is taking place. Native American and African cultures have also forgotten what their elder tattoos represent and few of the younger generations have tattoos adorning their bodies. In 1991, a 5000-year-old frozen body was discovered covered in 57 tattoos consisting of lines, dots
During the last couple of years, “30% of adults ages 18-29 and 32% of adults ages 30-45 reported having at least one tattoo.” (Whorton 11) furthering the argument that the
What used to be the property of sailors, outlaw and rock star is now become a popular body decoration for many people. It’s not just anchors, skulls, and spider web anymore, people have found plenty ways to express themselves with their tattoo. You might be thinking to get your first one, but fear of the unknown can sometimes hold you back from it. The best thing you can do is educate yourself about the process how the human skin is transformed into a beautiful work of art.
Tattoos today are recognized as totally different than what they were pictured as in the past. “Tattooing is recognized by government agencies as both an art form and a profession and tattoo-related art work is the subject of museum, gallery and educational institution art shows across the United States.” [ (Levins,