Why Tattoos?

What are some negative views of people with tattoos? 

This is a video that gives people some idea on the negative connotations associated to people who are inked up.

Although tattooing is becoming a more common practice in Western culture, it still remains socially stigmatized. Fenske quoted in his book Tattoos in American Visual Culture that:

When bodies are understood as social and political-- as inscribed by and lived within power relations-- anomalous body modifications do not appear as inherently unnatural or pathological, but they also don't illustrate that individuals can freely or limitlessly shape their own bodies and identities. Rather, body projects suggest how individuals and groups negotiate the relationships between identity, culture, and their own bodies (18).

Skin Deep- A Youth Culture Tattoo Documentary

Tattooing, as an art form, is prevalent in a lot of cultures. This documentary shows the youth tattoo culture in Ireland. 

                                         
Taking from a different perspective, this video speaks for the tattooed people and why they received tattoos. Tattooing is a choice, a choice made by individuals who want to express themselves in a different way. I was truly touched by the producers of this video and the narrator's genuineness. I feel that I can relate to this video because there're numerous times in my life that I have considered in getting tattoos to commemorate hardships I've gone through which changed me in a certain way.

Tattooing is one of the fastest growing retail businesses in the world. It is particularly popular among teenagers and college students most likely because tattoos are a way to define identities and claim independence for younger generation. A lot of findings show that tattooing experience give younger people feelings of greater control over their own lives. According to Kang and Jones article Why do people get tattoos, tattooing has won a following among teenagers and college students since the 1980s. "[They] altered the reputation of tattooed people from that of criminals and laborers to that of artists and free thinkers" (43).

I think that there is a high correlation between tattoo shops' location and college students' with tattoos because I've observed that a lot of tattoo shops tend to locate near college campus where they are accessible to a bigger pool of customers. In Chapel Hill alone, there are three tattoo shops that I can find which are close to campus: Ascension Tattoo, Glenn's Tattoo Service Inc., and Gorilla Tattoos.

 





According to a Pew Research Poll done in 2010 on tattoos in different generations across the nation, almost four in ten person age 18 to 29 had at least one tattoo. More urban areas also have a higher percentage of people getting tattoos than that of rural areas.

For those young people, tattoos are not only pieces of art on one's skin, but they are powerful symbols that mark their transition in life, whether is it a marking for independence, stepping out of their homes, or a sign of rebellion. Whatever the intention is behind those tattoos, tattooing have become a gateway to indicate adulthood. 

One large influence on younger generation receiving tattoos probably has to do with the amount of teen celebrities getting tatted. Teen celebrities often like to show off their tattoos and media further display celebrities' tattoos on websites and other forms of social media.

 

The reason to the increasing popularity of tattooing probably relates to the emerging alternative purposes of tattooing as a form of art. In the sixth century, parts of Asia used tattooing as a form of punishment for criminals. In China, tattoo characters such as 囚 ("prisoner") would be tattooed on convicted criminals' faces. Later there were Buddhist monks who tattoo their prayers onto their backs and various indigenous cultures who started using tattooing more for decorative purposes. However, in the twentieth century, the Nazis used tattoos to brand their prisoners. Those concepts of criminal or prisoner tattoos continues among a lot of inner-city gang culture for the same purposes. Because tattoos are so commonly associated with negative connotations due to the specific population who identify themselves as criminals or gang members, people nowadays often still associate tattoos to those negative concepts. Nevertheless, a growing trend among younger generation often tend to negate those stereotypes and use tattoos more for decorative purposes in contemporary culture.

Gang Tattoos:
Street gang tattoos and prison gang tattoos are worn by the gang members for several reasons: gang members often have numerous tattoos especially if they have spent time in prison to identify themselves to a particular group of gangs; tattoos worn by gangs are also used for intimidation.

closed teardrop

open teardrop

The teardrop tattoo has become a generic symbol for gang members over the years. The open teardrop originally meant that the wearer had killed someone. The closed teardrop meant that the wearer had lost a friend or relative. However, today those meanings could often be altered for the wearer. A lot of youths nowadays also begun to wear those because they believe it's "cool."

Another common tattoo for gang members is the dot tattoos. Gang members often wear them on the web of the hands, the wrist and elbows meaning there're three places they go to: the hospital, prison, or grave.

In recent years, there is also a growing trend in hip-hop artists who obtain numerous tattoos on their bodies. For example, artists such as 50 cent, Lil Wayne, Tyga all have massive tattoos covering parts of their bodies.

 

 

In fact, many rappers have been influenced by the symbolic tattoos prevalent among gangs. The relationship between heavily tatted hip-hop artists and gang members can be traced back to poverty, adversity, struggle for survival, crime, etc. It is that type of culture that gave rise to this particular type of genre in which people can identify themselves better to their past through their tattoos.

As we can see, although tattoo has been around for centuries, its functions deviate through culture. Perhaps because tattoo is constantly in motion we can explain the continuing fascination with tattooing. Recently the rise in popularity of tattooing further proves the evolution of tattooing into a new art form for individuals to showcase their own artist expression on their bodies. Defining art we need to understand that definitions are "socially constructed and therefore subject to significant change over time" (Fedorenko, Stuhr and Sherlock 114).


Sources:
http://www.shoulditattoo.com/tattoo-facts-statistics
Kang, M., & Jones, K. (2007, Winter). Why do people get tattoos? Contexts, 6, 42. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/219550628?accountid=14244 
http://www.gangsorus.com/gang_tats.htm
http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/hip-hop-ink-gang-tattoos-explained-news.9791.html

1.      Vieth, Ken. "To tattoo or not to tattoo? .... is that really the question?" School Arts May-June 2006: 6. Academic OneFile. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw7WMKx6WE4

Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA145631218&v=2.1&u=unc_main&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=a5fb56cbe51c0448d8067cbabc2a749a

Fenske, Mindy. Tattoos in American Visual Culture. 1st ed. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007. Print.

   A Body of Work: A Case Study of Tattoo Culture

Janet S. Fedorenko, Susan C. Sherlock and Patricia L. Stuhr

Visual Arts Research 
Vol. 25, No. 1(49) (1999) , pp. 105-114

Published by: University of Illinois Press

Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20715974