Ink That Will Never Fade
Putting pen to paper isn’t the only way that ink can tell a story. For thousands of years
many different cultures have used the art of tattooing to tell a story. Each culture that has adopted
this art has used it to express different meanings. Although the meaning behind a tattoo is
different for every culture and has changed since the begin of their existence, the significance of
permanently inking one’s own skin has remained the same. Tattoos are an important cultural
artifact that unites people of all races, genders and religions.
The first tattoo dates all the way back 5,200 years ago. It was found on the body of an Iceman
on the Italian-Austrian border. It consisted of small dots and crosses. The strategic placings
of these dots and crosses led examiners to believe that they were put there as therapy
for joint pain. The next culture that adopted the art of tattooing were the Egyptians in
2000 B.C.. From here, tattooing spread to Greek, Roman and Polynesian cultures worldwide.
The modern American word “tattoo” actually came from the island of Tahiti’s term for the
art: “tattau” (Lineberry). However, once Europeans adopted the art of tattooing, the meanings
shifted from signifying things like ties with a tribe, class within a society, and important cultural
traditions to more self expressive reasons.
The shift in meanings behind tattoos carried over to America. People began to get tattoos
for many different reasons. However, when tattoos were first introduced in America they
were illegal. Therefore, getting a tattoo was looked down upon and seen as a rebellious act.
Despite being illegal, people still continued to get tattoos. Their popularity continued to
grow when they finally became legal Nationwide in 1997 (Green). Yet still through the
early history of tattoos in America, there was negative connotations towards people that
had tattoos. Tattoos were associated with thugs, criminals and bikers. If you were to walk
down the street during this time and see a man with a full sleeve of tattoos, your natural
instinct would be to associate him with a man that comes from a rough neighbor or a broken
family who doesn’t have a good job. Today however, it is rare to walk down the street, turn
on the T.V. or scroll through social media without seeing someone that is tatted. How did
the art of tattooing progress so quickly in America?
The stigma of tattoos has almost disappeared in the western world. The Baby Boomer and the
Silent Generation have grown old and began to die out. But that can’t be the only reason as to
why the stigma has disappeared. The media in today’s culture has had the most significant impact
on the disappearance. More and more people ink their bodies, including celebrities, professional
athletes, and even doctors (Ivanova). These are people that are displayed in the media. Also,
social media allows people to share pictures of their tattoos and tell the stories behind them. Many
people turn to social media for inspiration for their next tattoo. Not to mention, popular T.V. shows
have aired such as Miami Ink and LA Ink, giving tattoo artists like Tommy Montoya and
Kat Von D their own celebrity statuses (Thobo-Carlsen). Today’s media has connected tattoo artists
and tattoo getters all across the world for their love of the art.
People of all genders, races and religions have a story to tell. Many choose to tell their story through
the art of tattooing. The stories will be marked on these people’s bodies forever and the ink will never
fade. They will live on through generations. No matter what happens in our country, there will always
be a new story to tell and a new reason to get a tattoo. The art will live on for many years to come and
it will continue to be an artifact that unites cultures across the world.
Works Cited
Green, Adrienne. “Watching Tattoos Go From Rebellious to Mainstream.” The Atlantic, Atlantic
Media Company, 12 Oct. 2016,
Ivanova, Irina, and Buck Ennis. “For Dr. David Ores, Tats Not All, Folks.” Crain's New York
Business, Crain Communications Inc., 27 Oct. 2013,
Es-tats-not-all-folks.
Lineberry, Cate. “Tattoos.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 1 Jan. 2007,
Thobo-Carlsen, Mik. “How Tattoos Went From Subculture to Pop Culture.” The Huffington Post,
TheHuffingtonPost.com, 27 Dec. 2014,
www.huffingtonpost.com/mik-thobocarlsen/how-tattoos-went-from-sub_b_6053588.html.
This was really interesting to read through, because it can connect to another social issue at play. While it is easy to think American society and American pop culture artifacts are dominant everywhere, this is not the case. This post help shed light on the truth that American pop culture artifacts can represent a whole new meaning in other cultures. Specific to this article, tattoos represent a pop culture artifact in all of the cultures mentioned, but represent a whole different meaning depending on which culture is being discussed.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was a very interesting take on a subject not a lot of us think about. As you stated with the younger generations we are more comfortable with tattoos so we don't think twice about seeing them. I didn't know they just became legal in 1997. It's cool to think about the origins of tattoos and how the purpose of them changed overtime to where they are now in our society and their use in popular culture.
ReplyDeleteEven today, there is still certain stereotypes linked to having tattoos. Some companies will not hire you for having ink on your body. I just hope that society sees tattoos for what they really are, a form of art. Tattoos are not just ink, they represent something meaningful for the person that carries them, something that will stay with them forever, more than just ink i see tattoos as a way to honor that one thing that means so much to you.
ReplyDeleteI have a tattoo myself that holds a really strong meaning so I definitely think tattoos should not be looked at as a bad thing and the people with them should not be judged any differently for having a form of art on their skin.
ReplyDelete