Tattoos In American Culture

First, Many people choose to get a tattoo to commemorate a loved one who has passed or celebrate a special event in their lives. "Tattoos are a wonderful way to keep the memory alive of that special person". When getting a tattoo, people should take the reason into consideration and decide whether it is something they want for a lifetime. Tattoos are very personal and should be treated as such.

There are multiple reasons for individuals to tattoo their bodies and the reasons are usually individualistic and subjective. The experience of being tattooed is intricately bound up with one’s character,

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

For some people tattoos are being used as a known accessory, the reason on why do people make the decision to get them is hardly if ever even questioned. The pain, the stereotypes, and the misconceptions that are often associated with tattoos would pose the question as to why would you choose to get a tattoo. Tattoos can be personal and good way of expressing yourself. Most people, they are shown as different symbols that each have an equal level of significance. The essential of each tattoo have each found the symbolism of them, and their cultural relevance has consistently been a trend found throughout history, religion, and art.

“The nicest people I have ever met are covered in tattoos, while the most judgment people that I have met are the once who don’t have tattoos” (Earl Dibbles). When someone sees a person with a bunch of tattoos, maybe the first thing that comes to their mind is Thug, stupid, thief, or maybe even crazy. Judging a person off of first feeling with tattoos can lead to false allegation and potentially hurt a person’s feelings. Tattoos have existed since the beginning of civilization and although widespread now, there are still misconceptions about them. I have come across many people with tattoos, especially my friend which is MMA fighter; his name is Nasratullah Akhunzada. He has a bunch of tattoos on his body. First of all, he loses his job cause of his tattoos

Tattoos have been around since 450 BC, it was used to mark the criminals and those fallen from social grace. But since then or since the Europeans discovered the “New World” and the tattooed tribes, its concepts has changed many times. You could classify the different changes in six eras in the tattoo history; the colonist or pioneer Era, the circus or carnival Era, the working-class era, the rebel era, the new age era and presently the supermarket era. The colonist or pioneer era was between the 1760s and 1870s is when the Europeans discovered tattoos amongst Native American tribes such as Hawaiians and Borneans whose tattoos had spiritual meaning, it was a way to protect themselves from physical harm and snakebite. But after their introduction with the Europeans

One in every five Americans have a tattoo. It is no longer surprising to see people with markings on their bodies. Many believed it is a form of self-expression. Even though some cultures or religions view tattoos as a negative thing, that does not stop people from getting them. To have a better understanding about tattoos we must go back and trace how it all began. From the tools, they used to the ink, it is incredible how tattooing has evolved over the years.

Tattoos have been dated back to 5000 BCE. Tattoos have played the role of being badges of honor, ceremonial markings, signs off social rank, forms of punishment, and of course ways for people to beautify themselves (The Cultural History of Tattoos). Over the past years, tattoos has increased and continues to increase significantly in popularity. According to statistics, 36% of American adults in the U.S. between the ages of 18-25 and 40% of American adults in the U.S. between the ages of 26-40 have at least one tattoo (Seth). While the trend of getting tattoos are increasing, the concerns of the employers starts to increase. People who have tattoos should not be discriminated because it is unethical, a form of self-expression, 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 are viewed as a trend to some, while the other’s view them as a way of life. It is difficult to deny the place that tattoos have within American culture. Nonetheless, researchers still often argue the negative points and focus on the criminally tattooed and mentally ill individuals, completely disregarding the American Youth who are adopting the art of tattooing as their own cultural norm. This negative approach taken by researchers instills fear in the younger population, even though many professionals have body art themselves. Popular news outlets such as the LA Times and the Associated Press often contribute a different view based on the industry professionals’ opinions, and the surveys and

Attract Reader’s Attention: Tattoos are very popular among young adults these days. Some of them get tattoos to look cool, or they are influenced by other people. For others, tattoos represent a memory or incident that has a special meaning in their lives.

When I was a junior in high school I always talked to my friends about tattoos and how mind blowing it would be to have one. However, they always asked me “are you sure you want a tattoo, you know they don’t ever go away right?” I always downplayed what they said until I actually did research about tattoos. Once I learned that my religion, Islam prohibited any form of tattoo I was heartbroken; I always dreamt of getting a tattoo but, I never knew what to get. Tattoos serve a variety of purposes depending on religion and the individual in context that is choosing to get a tattoo. Tattoos are meant to signify many different things such as the birth of a child, the death of someone close, or a quote or phrase that has an important meaning to

Not only have attitudes towards tattoos changed from their historic start but also the reasons for getting them. As time progressed so did the art of the tattoo, it has largely always been a favorite of individuals serving in the armed forces but outcast archetypes began to use tattoos as an outlet for artistic expression and shock value. Biker gangs all along the West Coast used tattoos to signify which gang they belonged to. Rock stars began to paint themselves with tattoos to illustrate their outlaw ways. Rock n’ Roll was the devils music to those unfamiliar ears listening to it in the mid 20th century and so anything deemed “cool” by them were from then on out banned by most middle to upper class citizens. It was not the act itself of painting your body it was what it represented. Teenagers acting out

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).

The history and social significance of tattoos is very complex, as stated by Karacaoglan (2012):