The Social Implications of Tattoos in Western Society - Term Paper Example

? Tattoos Tattoos have been under utilization for the purpose of decoration and art in several communities for hundreds and thousands of years now. In certain communities, these tattoos were indictors of prestige, high status, and in others, as the indication of one being a slave and a prisoner. For every society and for different kinds of people, the interpretation of this form of art has varied. In the past, certain tribes used tattooing as an indicator for the rites of passage whereby an individual used to hit the age of puberty and entered into adulthood. This form of art may also be associated to different forms of occupations and professions. The miners, welders, and people of such professions may be associated with tattooing. From a medical perspective, tattooing has been used in the process of radiotherapy and in the identification of the body parts that need extensive examination. Certain street gang members, criminals, and clubs have made use of tattooing to mark their membership. Tattoos may be helpful in the identification of a person and their body and displaying their unique lifestyle or any history associated. For instance, in the war veterans, there were distinct forms of tattoos, which could be identified. Some tattoos in the form of marihuana leaves, weed, and ecstasy can be indicators of the drug addicts. There has been a rise in the interest of Western people in the form of art and the acceptance given to this has generally increased as opposed to the taboos attached to it previously (Cains, pp. 192-220). Social Implications of Tattoos In the Western societies, the general idea associated with tattooing is that of rebellion. Throughout history, tattoos have played the role of symbols as an expression of rebellious attitude and deviancy. Body art has gradually reached the mainstream and it is still confronting the consideration as taboo in certain parts. Hence, the idea of getting permanent marks all over your body is something that is still unconventional and out of the odds. The person may be looked upon as one who has set out of the bounds of society and has broken all norms and values. This idea has been there for quite a while now and is changing slowly and gradually (Watkins, pp. 41-48). According to Steve Gilbert (pp. 30-51) in his book, “Tattoo History: A Source Book”, he suggests that the meaning of the word Tattoo is something, which is considered highly disgraceful and is a mark of disgust. In the Latin language, Tattoo means a stigma attached or something, used as a tool to cut out the flesh of someone who has performed an act of shame and has to confront punishment of being a deviant, criminal, adulterer, or outcast. The person’s body was marked by tattoos in order to highlight their act of shame and disgust. In certain parts of Great Britain, the adulterers were marked with the letter ‘D’ as a punishment for their acts (Watkins, 2001). By the late 1900s, tattoos were far from acceptance in the society and were beyond any bound of normality and civil life. The tattoos were traced back to the people in the circus who were better known as “freaks”. This form of art reached the United States by 1897 where it got associated with the sideshows at the circuses. This is how the popularity of tattooing started increasing and the practice became a part of the normal society. It is an observation that at certain points, there has been indication of linkage of tattoos with indecency, compared to symbols representing pornography, filth, and dirty images that violate the morality of the society. In the societies, which recognize nudity as an immoral act of dirt and indecency, obviously such body decorations of piercings and tattoos were in the same classifications. These acts were considered immoral even in places like Greece and Rome. The tattoos were known as “barbaric”, a line between the slaves, criminals, and outcasts from the normal people. The motive behind this was to distinguish and easily identify them if they ever tried to escape. Research states that an overwhelming majority of the outcasts, deviants, perverts, and addicts are marked with tattoos and statistics represent how the art exists among the rebellious deviants. In Japan, the largest number of tattooed people is those belonging to the underworld and the people with this art in America are the ones residing in prisons or addicts or are part of rock bands. As the Japanese tradition goes, those convicted with any sort of crime or law violation are tattooed (Dawkins, 2010). Some researchers found that the delinquents are more likely to get them tattooed and indulge in such forms of acts rather than those not convicted or involved in anti social and immoral acts. “The same Denmark studies also disclosed less than 4.8 in the general population were tattooed” (Watkins, 2001). After extensive studies carried out in Denmark, it was a conclusion that the following statistics indicate the extent of tattoo presence in society: About 42% of those living in the homes for people with detention were tattooed (Watkins, 2001). Sixty percent of the shelters for young men had tattooed bodies. Seventy-two percent of the men in prisons were tattooed Fifty-two percent of the overall population residing in prisons was tattooed (Watkins, 2001). Some agencies dealing with law enforcements concluded that the people possessing body piercings and tattoos had the instinct, which could get them involved in criminal and deviant acts later on. Tattoos depict the anti authoritarian image and they in turn show aggression and going against the norms and values that have been set out. After successfully establishing the symbolism of tattoos as aggression, the prisons and rehabilitation centers started the first step of therapy as the removing of the tattoos from the body of those admitted. According to certain studies, the tattoo becomes such a huge part of a person’s personality that it leaves quite heavy impacts on the people and it exists in such a strong linkage with the acts that the person indulges in after it. Apparently, tattoo that seems to be only a decoration or piece of art has widespread influences that need recognition (Miller, pp. 32) From Taboo to Mainstream In the Western countries, tattoos have started to receive the recognition as forms of individual expression and freedom as opposed to the negative symbols and meanings attached in the past. Where they have started being a celebration of individuality, they still hold their place as symbols of certain tribes who have associated these with their identity (Handwerk, 2002). It may be difficult to analyze to what extent the tattoo industry evolved but it is definite that the industry did see growth to quite an extent and this is quite apparent. The negativity attached to tattoos has gone down largely and people do not look down upon someone who has a tattoo. According to Myrna Armstrong, a professor at Health Sciences University in Texas, “the registrations of tattoo studios began in 1994 and in the initial ten month, 137 studios had already registered. Over the years, the ratio of these sped up and reached around 600 within a period of eight years” (Handwerk, 2002). In the United States, this trend has become quite widely known and whereas this was a part of the prisoner and sailor or miner culture, this has now become part of the normal American life. When the general opinion of people was asked about how they see these tattoos now, their reactions were quite normal and did not involve any negative stigmas attached. A huge part of this acceptance is because of the social acceptance and changing attitudes of people whereby they are adaptive towards change and do not keep the society from evolving (Handwerk, 2002). Significance of Tattoos in South Asian and Pacific Cultures The Pacific and South Asian cultures hold considerable significance of tattoos in their societies. They have a lot of symbols and meanings attached to specific kinds of tattoos. In many ancient Asian cultures, there was an idea of tattoos possessing a certain healing power and they were applied to keep the person fit and healthy for a long period. The people of Tibet came up with certain designs, made on the chakra and then tattooed on the bodies of people to keep them physically stable and healthy in emotional and spiritual ways. In some Asian countries, people tattooed their faces in order to prevent them from losing their eyesight. In parts of India, people got tattoos of their Gods such as the monkey and the elephant because they believed that gave them strength and health (Gilbert, pp. 15). People had strange beliefs associated with tattoos such as that of bringing good luck. People of China believed that tattooing astrological signs brought fortune and well-being to the bearer. People from Burma imprinted parrots to bring good luck upon themselves. Primitive tribes belonging to the South Asian societies held rituals whereby the young adults who reached puberty were tattooed and hence this held quite an importance to them. They associated tests like a boy being unable to go for battles if he could not bear the pain of the tattooing and a girl being unable to bear children and giving birth because she was too sensitive and could not cope up to the pain of the tattoo ritual. Works Cited Cains, E. Glenda. “The Forensic and Cultural Implications of Tattooing.” Forensic Pathology Reviews. Volume 5, Issue 6, 2008: 192-220. Dawkins, Jarret. “Tattoos gaining acceptance: popularity in the mainstream culture.” The News Argus, 2010. Retrieved on August 07, 2011: http://www.thenewsargus.com/features/tattoos-gaining-acceptance-br-popularity-in-mainstream-culture-1.1307021 Gilbert, Steve. Tattoo History: A Source Book. Juno Books, 2003. Handwerk, Brain. “Tattoos: From Taboo to Mainstream.” National Geographic News, 2002. Retrieved on August 07, 2011: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/10/1011_021011_taboo.html Miller, Chris. The Body Art Book: A Complete, Illustrated Guide to Tattoos, Piercings, and Other Body Modifications. Paw Prints, 2009. Watkins, Terry. Tattoos: Marks of Rebellion, 2001. Retrieved on August 09, 2011: http://www.biblebelievers.com/watkins_tattoos/rebel.html Read More