When Did Tattoos Become So Meaningful

Tattoos are not a new fad that grew over night. Society is changing how they view body art. Tattooing has been a form of art that people have used to communicate with for ages. Whether it is a tree, symbol, family crest, a butterfly, a semicolon, or a zodiac sign, some sort of tribute all tattoos have meaning in which someone can tell a story or origin. It is a form of expression for one’s culture one’s history. Tattooing has changed and grown rigorously over the past couple centuries.

With each generation becoming more accepting. If getting a tattoo by an amateur, with which you may or may not be aware, they often use objects such as pens, pencils, knives, needles, or straight pins and inject substances such as India ink, charcoal, carbon, or mascara. Artists use either machines for a more modernized take on the art, but some prefer to keep up with the traditional stick-and-poke. Even though tattoos are sometimes viewed as unprofessional and offensive, tattoos are just a form of art because tattoos should not hinder someone from anything in life and people with tattoos are just as human as everyone else.

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Tattoos have been around for a long time and have always been a subject that causes conflicts and contradictions, both negatively and positively. Some companies do not allow their employees to have visible tattoos, however, some do. There are jobs out there that are strict with their dress code and grooming conduct. In workplaces that have an image to represent, such as Six Flags Great Adventure, a dress code is more often enforced.

One of the dress code restrictions is that if you do have visible tattoos or body art, they are to be covered by either band-aids or sleeves. Nowadays, tattoos are becoming increasingly popular.” Four in ten Americans have at least one tattoo and the number is increasing with millennials” (Karim, 2013). There have always been those who accept them and those who find tattoos unacceptable.

Many cultures, religions, and gangs use tattoos as to show devotion and representation to their cause. Tattoos were connected to a criminal underworld linked by gangs and secret societies. Luckily today, tattoos are very common and have lost that kind of association. This doesn't mean that gang tattoos have disappeared altogether. There are still tattoo designs that are specific to the different ethnic gangs that operate in the major cities. Gang and prison tattoos have more in common with traditional tribal tattoos than they do with modern decorative body art; they are designed to mark an individual as a member of a group, as well as being an indication of status. And some gang tattoos are a form of punishment like putting a snake, rat or the word traitor on noticeable places like the face or hands. In Russian prison culture many get tattoos to represent their crime and sentence. A Russian murderer on death row would put a tattoo of a skull to show there a killer and barbed wire to show that there for life. MS13, Yakuza, Bloods, Crips, and Aryan white supremacy use tattoos for their cause or culture.

The history of tattoos began as a tradition marking with a puncture of the skin or burnings. Tribal tattoos represent a meaning, the tattoo on the actor Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson has an intricate Polynesian tribal tattoo that covers the entire left side of his chest, as well as his left arm and shoulder in a beautiful yet complex design this represents his Samoan heritage on his mother’s side. “’The story of my [chest and arm] tattoo is a very elaborate story,’ Johnson said during an interview with Inked Magazine, ‘[It represents] all the things that are important to me, that I love and that I’m passionate about.’ Dwayne and his tattoo artist apparently talked for hours and then said a prayer before even starting his intricate tribal tattoo, which took a total of 60 hours, split up into three different sessions of 20 hours a piece. According to Johnson, the chest and arm tattoo is a story about his life and journey, but bigger than that, a story about his ancestors and his culture, which play an important role in his own identity” (Inked Magazine Staff, 2018). His tribal tattoo has at least 10 Samoan meanings and to Dwayne it has infinite meanings to himself it’s his life story.

In conclusion tattoos are just body art and can be completely harmless but not finding the right sterilized resources can end tragically. Tattoos help one to stand out, find oneself, and express oneself. There is an endless possibility of what type of art one can create on their body. In the case of tattooing, think of one’s body as a canvas and their tattoos as their story. A life manifesto. If anyone is debating or thinking about getting one, make sure the right resources are discovered and the image is well thought out because it will be there permanently.