Modern Times
Stigma:
As a tattooed person, I can attest that stigma and prejudice are still alive and well in the new millennium, even in a "liberal outpost" like Massachusetts. Whether it's a stare, look, comment or something more serious, like denial of service or hassling from law enforcement, cultural stigma is still a factor for those seeking tattoos. Much of this is clearly rooted in the history of tattooing in the U.S. (see below) but there are other possible sources for these attitudes as well.
An interesting article in Skin Art Magazine by Kyle Burkett proposes another possible cultural root to the American and European stigma associated with tattooing that is today being challenged in a broad way. Burkett states that for centuries there has been a stigma against tattooing, buried deep within the skin of western idealists as well as and in the minds of Jews and Christians alike. He believes the stigma to be rooted in different aspects of ancient Mediterranean culture; more specifically, it finds its origin in ancient Greece and Rome. Some of the first forms of tattooing in these cultures was the branding of slaves. To be tattooed in ancient Greece meant that you were a slave and in Rome a tattooe meant that you were either a slave or a criminal (World Book 51). In light of this, Burkett's theory regarding this characterization of tattooed people as slaves and criminals, (the lowest rung on the societal ladder)prevails, and makes a great deal of sense when considering the historical roots of cultural biases today.
The change in Mediterranean religion, from paganism to Christianity, occurred over a long period of time, and many ideas and philosophies were absorbed from the ancient cultures to make the transition g...
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Gilbert, Stephen G. "Japan" Tattoo History: A Source Book. 2001. http://tattoos.com/jane/steve/japan.htm (20 October. 2001)
Gilbert, Stephen G. "Jews and Christians" Tattoo History: A Source Book. 2001. http://tattoos.com/jane/steve/judeo.htm (20 October. 2001)
Gilbert, Stephen G. "Polynesia" Tattoo History: A Source Book. 2001. http://tattoos.com/jane/steve/polynesia.htm (20 October. 2001)
Gilbert, Stephen G. "Sir Joseph Banks and the First Records of Tattooing in Tahiti and New Zealand" Tattoo History: A Source Book. 2001. http://tattoos.com/jane/steve/banks.htm (20 October. 2001)
The New Encyclopedia Britannica. Volume 3.Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. 1989.
"Sailor Tattooing" A History from A to Z. 2001. http://www.tattooarchive.com/history.html (19 October. 2001)
The World Book Encyclopedia. Volume 19. Chicago: World Book Inc. 1996
The topic of tattoos in America can most effectively be summarized into two pivotal moments in history: the cultural diffusion of the practice through European immigration in the 1800s, and its diffusion from one socioeconomic class into a widespread movement in the last fifteen years through various media outlets.
Starting off as juices and markings, tattoos were nothing more than ways of identification and personalization. Rubbing juices extracted from plants onto your face and arms is the most notable to people. Also using bone needles and pigments to tattoo in a more modern fashion was common. Ancient descendants used what they had and although it wasn’t painless and easy, it worked.
Many people have been getting tattoos lately. People of all ages have been getting them and from all different backgrounds. On a nice day in just about any public place one can spot a tattoo about every five minutes, from the business man who had a portrait of his daughter put on him to a young girl with a butterfly on her ankle and even people with extensive tattoo coverage. What is even more interesting is the rise in the number of people who are heavily tattooed and that they come from all different backgrounds. Not too long ago tattooing did not experience the popularity in mainstream culture that it does now. The question that must be asked in order to understand this fascination that popular culture has had with tattoos is why people get tattoos.
In the modern day people are judgmental of things they don’t like or understand. When you ask why people don’t like tattoos the answers you get are I just don’t like them or they are ugly. There is no good reason, it is just an opinion. This opinion can be formed by living a traditional lifestyle or formed on their own. Most people in the modern time like tattoos and or do not judge people with tattoos. The stereotypes of tattoos and the people with them are usually formed from watching TV or from crimes. Sometimes when somebody gets arrested they will have tattoos .People that dislike tattoos will connect that they have committed a crime and they have tattoos which means people with tattoos are more dangerous. That is just how some people use the connection. Some people are bias towards tattoos while others are not. From my experience and research I learned that I am not bias towards people with tattoos, I think that tattoos show meaning. I myself like other people with tattoos live our daily life, our tattoos do not affect us negatively. We can still get the same education and become surgeons, firefighters or whatever we want to
Even though tattoos are becoming part of culture and socially acceptable, the negative and prejudiced attitudes towards those with body art are still present. Not all tattoos are gang related, and one must note that they have historically been a symbol of someone’s culture or religion. Other tattoos may have just a personal meaning to its owner and was not intended to be offensive. People also do not understand that a tattoo may impede them from pursuing a professional career, regardless of their qualifications. Employers realize that the need to recruit workers from different backgrounds are important in such a competitive workforce, so they provide accommodation by having reasonable dress code policies.
Tattoos are a controversial subject in the world we live in. The kind of people that get tattoos is now varied to almost all humans regardless of race, religion, or age. What many people fail to understand or realize is how much of an effect a tattoo can have on the rest of your life. The original tattoo stereotypes have faded from what they were many years ago and yet tattoos still have a reputation as for what kind of people get tattoos. There are many reasons as to why people would get a tattoo but there are many reason why you should think before you ink. Our society and the social media today has a huge impact on the tattoo industry. Movie stars and pop singers with many tattoos are posing as role models for our generation and
Symbolism and meaning is by far one of the most important aspects of the tattoo industry. “The abstract emotions and human awareness of emotions show what really is going on in ones life (Johnson)”. For that reason tattooing is a form of self-expression, and can stand for literal interpretations. For the most part these interpretations are the conveying of spiritual meaning, or marking milestones such as life or death” (Johnson). For those who think tattooing is just for looks or put a bad judgment on it, should also realize that ones personal interest reflects upon their lives. “Many individuals get their first tattoos during adolescence or young adulthood.”(Bravermark) Due to the mainstream culture, these traditions traditionally associate with stereotypes. Stereotypes defiantly have a huge impact on life. Which leads to the next point? Whether flaunted or hidden, sought as art or brought out on a whim, the tattoo has left a huge impact on generation after generation.
Going back throughout history, tattoos have long been associated with criminals. Unfortunately, there is not specific date when tattoos where first performed (McCarron 86). You may say that it all started when Cain was "marked" as a murderer by God (DeMello). It is true that there are links to certain tattoos, gangs and
The importance found in the symbolism of tattoos and their cultural relevance has consistently been a trend found throughout history, religion, and art. The ancient practice of body art, commonly known today as tattoo, originates from the Tahitian word “tatau”, which means, to tap the mark into the body. Although the word wasn’t coined until 1769 when Captain James Cook landed in Tahiti, tattooing can be seen as far back as five thousand years ago. In 1991, scientists came across the frozen remains of a man they came to call Otzi. Otzi was found with a series of small lines marked on his lower back, ankles, knees, and feet.
Jun'ichirō, Tanizaki. “The Tattooer”. 603-102-04 Eastern Literature. Jeffrey Fyfe. Toronto, ON: CSPI – Coursepack, 2012. Print
Dating back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries North American tattooing originated in the island of Tahiti, and other small pacific islands including Samoa and Hawaii (DeMello). The modification by U.S tattooists was to “fit a local sensibility emphasizing patriotism rather than exoticism” (DeMello). Martin Hildebrandt, was the first known tattoo artist in the United States as a professional. Shortly after the first mechanical tattooing machine was created, up until this point tattoos had been done by hand. A tattoo machine was invented because tattoos become a fad with mili...
Having said the above, this literature review has taken the position to support the information suggested by researchers that body tattooing is an intentional act, therefore tattoos have different meanings. These meanings can either be personal or cultural. The views expressed by these researchers are very much applicable to the Jamaican society. These studies have helped to broaden the understanding of the body tattooing phenomena. They have given a good illustration of positive and negative meanings tattoo conveys in America and other parts of the
The art of tattooing first rose to prominence within the West following the resolution of the American Revolution, as tensions remained high between newly formed America and Britain. In an effort to further identify themselves – and avoid being pressed into service by the British navy – sailors sought inventive and permanent ways to verify their identity. Smith found that these ink inscriptions, ranging from significant dates or names to symbols of a life at sea, provided irrevocable proof of nationality for those who carried descriptive protection certificates (2013). Using whatever tools were available on the ships, sailors lined up to get inked with unorthodox pigments – even gunpowder. Smith went on to note that “rarely did members of
The tradition of tattooing goes back thousands of years deep. Long before the advent of architecture, music and fashion our ancestors decorated their body. Archaeological findings suggest that body drawings was practiced in all cultures around the world. Tattoos are evident in wall paintings and clay figurines from ancient Egypt, Greece, South America, and Mexico ( Miller JC. The body art book. New York: Berkley Books; 1997.)
Although the tattoo popularity keeps rising in the recent decades, non-tattooed people tend to view the tattoo itself adversely rather than a piece of art. Through applying Martin Stigma Against Tattoos Survey (MSATS) in the study, participants’ attitude toward the correlation between the stigma of tattoo and its biased information. The results point out that the misconceptions about the tattooed population have a strong influence, which tends to bring up negative emotion and attitudes. For example, people tend to relate tattooed people implicitly with gangs, violence, poor academic performance and other adverse events, due to the wide promotion of these distorted and exaggerated images through the mass media. In addition, although tattooed individuals may know the fact that the stigma of tattoo is inaccurate and negative, discrimination is likely to be recognized because of receiving differential treatments from the others. So a large proportion of them tends to place tattoos on parts of bodies which can be easily covered up, in order to prevent fear and isolation from the public and to avoid negative judgment from superior decision-makers like teachers and