Tattoos In American Culture Essay

My Cultural Assumption of Tattoos in America In American culture, tattoos have become a popular part of expressing one’s style and their differences. However, do those individuals consider the changed perceptions that people may have on them based on their tattoos? In America, people who have tattoos tend to be affiliated with gangs, are criminals, open minded, don’t have a professional job, and are modern. Tattoos can have lots of different meanings to their owners, some can be deep and for others it can be simple. Some tattoo owners are prideful of their tattoos, whereas some have a feeling of regret of getting a tattoo. I hold the following assumptions towards people who have tattoos in our culture. I am from a small town that has a reputation

Don’t get me wrong this can also be known as a stereotype to some, to me it is something that is proven to be true. Most jail inmates have tattoos, they have gotten before they were sentenced to jail. What this means is that they were already a criminal before the state identified them as a criminal before they went to jail. The reason why I assume that people with tattoos are criminals is because they have a different lifestyle that people with no tattoos have. In my source, the article states, “One argument supporting this is that body art such as tattoos indicates a preference for an ‘unusual lifestyle’ that is not customary.” (Foltz 592). This source talks about the research with people who have tattoos and compares them to people who don’t have tattoos by studying their behavior. This further proves that most people who own tattoos essentially end up as being criminals due to their unusual lifestyle. Older people also perceive this assumption on tattoos because in the past criminals typically had

In the twenty-first century, where people want to express themselves and their art, getting a tattoo isn’t all about representing gangs or committing crimes anymore. Times have changed and what people might consider normal nowadays wouldn’t be considered normal in the past. In the article, Secret Ink: Tattoo’s Place in Contemporary American Culture, states that, “The expanding popularity of tattoos seems to be based on the fact that these can serve various purposes for different individuals. Some use them as a fashion tool whereas others use them as a method of identity formation, such as commemorating a lost loved one or representing one’s neighborhood.” (Roberts 163). This challenges my assumptions because it argues that not all individuals that own tattoos don’t always get them for the intention of being perceived as criminals but rather for something that is very personal to them. My assumptions are influenced on what tattoos used to mean from the past more than what they mean in this era. For example, not all people who have tattoos are affiliated with gangs. “Perhaps some of these historically negative connotations have permitted the subconscious thoughts of society and perceptions o f modem day tattoo.” (Foltz 593). This quote challenges and proves that people still hold these perceptions towards those individuals that have tattoos because they still think of them on how they were