Tattoos and Society

The trend of tattoos has steadily been increasing since the 70s. What used to be a drunk sailors typical end to a crazy night has now morphed into an entirely new form of artwork and fashion. The history of the origins of tattoos is extensive and diverse, ranging from decoration to religious ceremonies, with the first being the more common reason of getting “inked” these days.

I, myself, have been wanting to get a tattoo since I was in 11th grade, which was more than 6 years ago…a long time you might say, but is it long enough? If you ask anyone you are considering getting a tattoo, one of the first remarks he/she makes is “make sure you have thought long and hard about it” or “there are permanent…are you sure???” or even “I hear it’s SOOOO painful” and my personal favorite “if you get one, you’ll get addicted.” Yet many of these people don’t have tattoos themselves so why do we seek their advice or even tell them about our plans?

One reason I believe we go to so many people for advice is because we want to have our own wishes validated (I know I have fallen into this category several times). After all, the social connotation that are associated with a tattoo has become more of the focus than the tattoo itself. For instance, suppose you meet a beautiful young female doctor who is wearing scrubs and is on her way to the hospital but is impatiently waiting in line at a local coffee shop. The line is long and being the great guy you are, you offer her to go in front of you so she can save lives. You begin talking with her and realize she is one of the most amazing people you have met. She loves the outdoors, has a dog, travels to countries you never even knew existed, and the best part…she laughs at your joke. As she turns to the burista to order her large coffee she drops her name badge, bends over to pick it up, in which time her scrub top has raised ever so slightly, but in this time you see it. A brightly colored and exotic tattoo across her lower back. Quick, what are your first thoughts? For about 98% of the population the term “tramp stamp” comes to mind, which then further leads the mind to wonder and speculate the nature of individual with this “type” of tattoo. Soon, you realize that the beautiful doctor may be something you did not expect…but why is this????

Now consider a punk rock goth wearing a black trench coat and blaring music on his iPod. We would almost expect this person to be covered in tattoos and piercing. Society has created the image of a goth to be wearing dark lipstick and having satanic tattoos on every inch of his body, yet I met a few goths who have no tattoos at all…the reason being: they’re too scared. Which was a little ironic considering their other lifestyle choices.

Even in today’s highly advanced and modern thinking society, there are a number of double standards in place. For instance, male nurses are a relatively new trend and female mechanics are a rarity, as are tattoos on males and females. Guys have tattoos that are tough to display their manly-ness but a female with a barbed wire across her bicep would be almost ridiculed for trying to be one of the guys. Similarly, girls tend to get butterflies and fairies that are cute but guys get tattoos of nude females while in prison. Now, I’m not saying there is a specific tattoo for each gender but I am saying it’s very hard for people to see “classic-male tattoos” on females and vice versa.

I recently read an article by Mark Morford that discussed tattoos and had some links to a diverse range of tattoo artist’s websites. I visited these sites and saw some amazing designs. My personal favorite tattoo artist (for personal reasons) is Kip at Victory Tattoo in Chico, CA. He’s studied various forms of art work and is dedicated to being a life long learner of his art. I believe this is one of the key factors in finding the right tattoo artist…someone who understands the creative and powerful impact a tattoo can have on a person’s life. If you ever decide to get a tattoo, please visit Kip…he’s worth it!

So here’s my take on tattoos. Although they are permanent and can be potentially visible, I see them more as a memory. Just as a certain smell brings back a memory, a tattoo serves as a memory of a particular time in your life. They don’t need to be good or bad, they need to be important to you. After all, you can’t impress everyone in the world so what’s the point in trying to impress anyone? Instead, focus on your own happiness and what the process of getting a tattoo will mean to you. I will advise you to be 100% certain on size and location. Remember there are certain walks-of-life in which a visible tattoo will not help you or may even be frowned upon, so do take the time to think about these two factors. Also, after you get your first tattoo you realize all of your fears and anxiety was over rated resulting in a since of relief, liberation, and a clearer perspective on tattoos.

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