Tattoos In Western Culture

The option to get or not get a tattoo is a personal one. Many people have strong feelings about both sides. "Tattoos: The Ultimate In Expression" is better supported because it provides real-world scenarios from real people.

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.

Tattooing is a body modification practice used for centuries across the globe. Because of the multiple origins of tattoos, there are several techniques and countless styles. Every tattoo is unique in meaning to the person that receives it, though often they can fit into generalized categories. Tattoos have fallen in and out of popularity over the course of history, though they have never and most likely will never disappear.

On the most basic level, tattoos acted as a badge of social and cultural differentiation that separated the tattooed from the non-tattooed. On a deeper level, however, social and cultural homogeneity did not unite the tattooed, for the subject matter and aesthetic style of the tattoos created a fault-line that divided the classes. (Caplan, 2000, 148)

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

At the beginning of this article he makes references to Lil Wayne and Russian mob members catching the attention of readers. Later on he mentions David Beckham and his tattoos to how they are an example of mainstream. Throughout his article, Trebay uses doctors, fashion models, and others as examples to convey his idea that having tattoos is becoming more common in society. He writes about how even though they are becoming more mainstream, that they still have yet to be accepted in certain careers due to policies on appearance.

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.

Tattoos have likely been at the top of the list as the most discussed topic amongst the different social classes. There is a divide between societies understanding of tattoos, those who oppose them identify tattoos as being a form of “taboo” and is associated with a type of body modification that is seen as distasteful in nature. Others believe tattoos are a form of one’s own self-expression. Although tattoos are subjective to each person, we should not completely rule them out altogether because they are perceived and sometimes deemed inappropriate, that is a form of stereotyping.

Different cultures tattoo for different reasons like, protection, rank in society, adornment of the body and coming of age. Regardless of why people are tattooed, they have been tattooing since before the birth of Christ.

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.

The art of tattoos has been prevalent in many ancient cultures and represented many different things. In the more recent past times, tattoos were seen in a very negative light; mainly associated with circus freak shows, bikers or outlaws. Even though there are more Americans getting tattoos these days, there is still a disapproving view on tattoos in the workplace. Tattoos are continuously becoming more popular with each generation and more often have some personal meaning. Many companies that have recently started to accept appropriate body art in the workplace have seen positive benefits related to their new policy changes. This debate has also led people to file discrimination lawsuits against their employer. There are occasions that the subject matter or the placement of a tattoo on the body may not be professional for certain types of jobs. With the growing number of people that have body art, the more personal meaning behind it and younger demographics of both people working for and being served by many companies these days, having visible tattoos should no longer be damaging among many careers today. The debate needs to be evaluated by each company, and often each individual situation, to determine if body art can be accepted.

Nevertheless, tattoos underwent a revival and a shift in the 1900s. As a result of tattoos becoming more popular, the previously held concept of the phenomenon has significantly decreased and has become more socially acceptable. The media’s presentation of tattoos, and their inclusion in both the fashion and art industry have had an impact on the symbolism circulating the world of tattoo, and has weakened its negative association to deviance (DeMello, 1995 as cited in Larsen, Patterson & Markham, 2014). This mainstreaming

Tattoo artist were mainly middle-aged men, who worked at the hole in the wall tattoo parlors. Body art also became known to be seen at circuses, and “freak shows” sometimes being next to people with disabilities or natural born wonders (DeMallo). Until the golden age of tattooing, which took place in the twentieth century, when parlors were actually next to things like barber shops, and retail stores. Margo DeMallo describe body art at the end of the sixties as “fragmented into different forms that corresponded to different social groups: servicemen, gang members, convicts, bikers, and working class men and woman” (DeMallo).

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).

Daniel Evers has worked in numerous cities and states over his career. I asked how educated his general clientele is, he responded without hesitation. “Over my career, I have noticed a dramatic increase in the number of lawyers, nurses, pharmacists, and high ranking military getting tattooed. The common thought when I began my career as an artist was that only drug users or gang members were tattooed. Now it is common for business owners and veterinarians to have tattoos from head to toe.” (Evers, 2016)