Tattoos: Yesterday's Stigma or Tomorrow's Statement?

Everywhere you look now days someone on the street has a tattoo, be it a small inconspicuous design or a complex work of art. Tattoos have grown in popularity in recent years, so much that they have found commonplace among people of all social classes. From your doctor to your lawyer even the friendly lady at the bank; chances are that one of them is sporting a tattoo somewhere on their body.

The exact origin of tattoos is not known. The Maori tribes of ancient New Zealand used personalized facial tattoos for identification purposes. Tattoos have been also been dated back hundreds of years to the ancient Chinese and Egyptian civilizations. In Africa, tattoos served as rites of passage for young men and women. Polynesian tribes are credited for the tattoo arts. These tribal tattoos were used primarily for identity and social status. Some Native American tribes were said to have donned tattoos as a way of telling personal histories or stories, they also symbolized strength among the warriors.

Regardless of the origin, the primary focus of modern tattoos is self-expression. Once seen as taboo in Western cultures, the stereotypes associated with tattoos are slowly being disbanded. In years passed, some viewed tattoos as a symbol of lower social classes. Years ago, tattoos were only worn by slaves, harlots, prostitutes, and adulterers. Many years later tattoos became a trend among sailors. The trend gave way to men in various branches of the service, baring arms in ink. Although still not socially acceptable, tattoos began to become more common in the 60's. Bikers made a name for the tattoo industry in the late 60's and early 70's. Then in the 80's and 90's, heavy metal music and big hair bands saw a surge in the American tattoo trend, which brought it front and center in the public eye.

Modern tattoos have come along way from their primitive beginnings. A growing number of people today view tattoos as a way to display fine art, rather than an ink on skin form of self-expression. Some even go as far as body modification. Body modification is a new form of self-expression that is quickly on the rise in the U.S. It can be as simple as a piercing or as complex as cutting the skin and inserting pieces of metal to achieve a desired effect. One new form of body modification is called branding. During the branding process, a piece of metal is shaped in the form of the desired design, heated with a torch, and applied to the skin. The skin heals resulting in a scar the shape of the original design.

Judith Sarnecki, Associate Professor of French at Lawrence University was quoted as saying “Body art is a way of students creating their own rite of passage for something that's missing in our society.” It seems that young people today strive to find a unique piece of society's pie. They are looking for something that will be theirs and theirs alone. They want something that will set them apart from everyone else, and give him or her a fuller sense of self worth. For many of those young Americans today, they have found what they are looking for in the world of body art.

Tattoos have generated a huge following in recent years. A few short years ago, the only way for people to showcase their tattoos was through biker magazines. They embraced tattoos as an art form rather than just some random design on a person's skin. Now days there are hundreds of tattoo magazines published worldwide. Tattoo enthusiasts have also banded together to form conventions where they can show off their tattoos. The conventions are filled with people of all social classes, and from all walks of life. They give people a chance to share their love for skin art with others. Tattoo artists have the opportunity to showcase their portfolios for perspective clients, also people looking to have tattoo work done can choose from hundreds of artists present.

Tattoo artists today take their work very seriously. The tattoo market has become a competitive industry where artists can demand top dollar for their creations. Artists look at tattoos the way most people would look at a priceless work of art. The only difference between a modern tattoo artist and a classical master is that they choose to use human skin as their blank canvas. Full back tattoos have become popular among tattoo fans, because it offers an uninterrupted flat canvas where a large work of art can be created. Many tattoos are done in sessions rather than at once. Large pieces can take numerous hours and months or even years to complete.

It seems that tattoos have finally made their way into mainstream America. Tattoos have become such a common occurrence that most people no longer think anything of passing someone covered in tattoos on the street. There are however those select few who oppose tattoos altogether. Many businesses will not hire someone who has visible tattoos, while others require employees to cover all tattoos. There are people who still view tattoos as a symbol of unintelligence, a troublemaker, or low social class or standing. In today's modern society, this is simply not true of a person just because they bare a tattoo. With the growing popularity of tattoos today, it is possible that someday there will be one tattoo enthusiast for every skeptic.