Tattoos As A Culture

Gradually the acceptance of tattoos seeped into the Western society, which led to the tattoo fad in England and USA in the late 1800s (Caplan, 2000). Despite the historical stigma, the fashionable society started adorning tattoos as a social expression. What started as a fad for the working classes, soon spread to the upper classes. Interestingly, the trend did not unify people of different classes. The upper class discriminated the tattooed lower class and saw their tattoos as a sign of deviance.

Tattoos have been around throughout our history, from Egyptian times to the present day. Many people may say they know the history of tattoos, and where they originate from, but do they really? Does one know that there were reasons that some people had tattoos? There may be people who know the actual history of tattoos and body art and why one would decide to get one; however there are people who do not. To be able to understand the idea of tattoos, one should educate themselves to the history of tattoos. Although tattoos have been considered taboo and a stereotype, history reveals that this particular form of body art has been used for self expression, status and

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:

In different modern culture people often express themselves with tattoos. People express their beliefs and, in some cases, prove themselves, like fight to prove that they are worthy to be in that culture. Some cultural tattoos, like ones from Japan, can tell a story or indicate one’s social status. People have to prove to themselves and the other members of their culture that they belong. Cultural tattooing has many different meanings to many different cultures.

For as long as there have been people, there have been methods of distinction amongst them. Throughout the years we have discovered ways in which to express our beliefs, our ideals, and our passions. Tattooing has been one of forefront methods in expressing our humanity, or in certain cases, our lack there of. For so many, they have taken on many different representations, each with an equal level of significance. The importance found in the symbolism of tattoos and their cultural relevance has consistently been a trend found throughout history, religion, and art.

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.

Tattoos have not only risen in status to become popular and acceptable, in some environments, tattoos have achieved an elevated degree of artistic value. Tattoo art and artifacts have value. Tattoo, a previously ignored and downgraded practice, is undergoing a process of cultural re-inscription. New meanings of tattoo are being generated by exhibitions that reframe tattoos as art Some contemporary cultural anthropologists have interpreted tattooing as a vital part of a larger phenomenon of body modification, including branding, scarring and piercing, inspired by the global breakdown of cultural

Without a doubt, tattoos have been around longer than that. When the Egyptians empire expanded, so did tattooing. Civilizations like Crete, Greece, Persia, and Arabia learned and developed the tattooing art. It eventually made its way to China. Greeks used tattooing as a way of communication for spies. Certain markings showed their ranks and identity. The Romans used tattoos to mark criminals and slaves which is still used today. As years passed, so did the use of tattoos. Heavily tattooed people were known as freaks and travelled with circuses or freak shows. They were not used as religion or cultural purposes as much anymore. In the late 1700s, “the cultural view of tattooing was so poor for most of the century that tattooing went underground.” (http://www.powerverbs.com/tattooyou/history.htm) Tattoos first came to Chatham Square in New York City. It was the turning point of the century in the 1900s. The popularity of tattoos were declining across the world. Husband 's started tattooing their wives to display their best work. After losing popularity in Chatham Square, it made its way to Coney Island. Tattoo shops began opening up in places around the world that would accept them or people who supported them. At this point, tattoos became known as ‘travel markers’. “You could tell where a person had been by their tattoos.”

The first noticeable piece of the tattoo is the transparent glass and its position. First of all, its position is at the center of the tattoo. Everything is surrounded it, such as: two roses on its left, and right side, and the words which are “Positive” on top and “Outlook” at the bottom. It may be the main point which the tattoo owner wants viewers to focus on. Secondly, the glass’s brim is inclined on the left. As viewers look close to the bottom and top of the glass, they can easily observe that the brim is inclined to the left, and the boom is pulled up. It is very weird that the glass is not standing straight as usual. Moreover, the glass seems similar to the microscope. A microscope is used to observe minor thing which our eyes cannot

Tattoos are marks with an indelible designs that is perminant to the body. Some Tattoos could have some meaning behind it, other could be because they like the way it looks. Tattoos were viewed as bad, but as time has progressed it has changed people’s attitude against them. Tattoos has define the emergin culture. It has defined our culture because it expresses how people are, it act like a tribute, and it shows diversity.

Tattoos have been a cultural practice in Japan since the Bronze Age, spanning the globe throughout time. Tattoos have been used throughout history for many things; from distinguishing military members, personal accomplishments, and spiritual symbols (Squires 2017). Each cultural throughout history has their own beliefs and meanings behind the tattoos they get. Most cultures also have very specific designs for certain parts of the body and a ritual and application process that is uniquely their own. The Japanese have a very distinct artistic style and application techniques as well as the deep spiritual meanings of their tattoos Japanese tattoos began as way to convey your social status or used a charm for protection or luck.

Imagine the United States president tattooed from head to toe. Would he look strange? Would he even be president of the United States? Oddly enough tattoos play a huge stereotypical role in today's society. People all across America are too scared to ink their body because they are afraid they will not get accepted into a job they want, or be able to do much of anything that a non tattooed person does. I think tattoos should be considered a normality. Tattoos should not affect an opinion, used to show expression, and should not have an age limit.

A persons’ image is vital when meeting someone for the first time. Our peers, employers, family, superiors, even strangers that you walk past can automatically judge someone, and imagine how they present themselves to the world. Tattoos have been predominantly linked with a rebellious attitude and pictured on out of control stereotypes such as rock starts, bikers, sailors, and disobedient teenagers who want nothing more than to hack off their parents. With a new coming of age generation and a step into a more lenient and liberal society these types of patrons still participate in body art but so do doctors, lawyers, or just the run of the mill house mom. Tattoos signify religious beliefs, cultural influence, or each individual’s sole

“During the last 20 years, and especially during the last ten to eight years, there has been a dramatic increase in the popularity of tattoos, which are in demand by all classes of society today” (Serup 15). It is no lie to state that there is a visible popularity surge in tattoos from the last decade, and the number continues to rise. One of the possible explanations for this increase might be that tattoos have evolved to become part of the mainstream media or trend which mainly sprouted from the middle class. Other explanations have said that tattoos reflect the time and society and change when it occurs, but also self-expression. One thing for certain amidst all the explanations is that tattoos hold a significant element in redefining society in its control and setting of norms.

The word tattoo comes from the Tahitian “Tatu” which means to mark something. Each symbol in a tattoo means different things in different cultures and places in the world. In some places, tattoos were used in many different ways in the past .People would use them to symbolize criminals, to be marked as a member of a group, some were used for protection, in tribes and to show skills. There is a deep history of tattoos and it is really interesting to know who had them, what a person did to obtain one, when was the tattoo placed on a person and why the tattoo was important in some cultures.