Tattoos – A Defining Mark
In the Western world, tattoos were once the marks of rebels, bikers or ex-convicts. They were a sign of subcultures, and to “normal” people, they were a sign of an unsavory character. That’s changing, though. Tattoos are going mainstream, and now it turns out that the last person you would expect to have one, does.
Teenage girls get them to rebel against their parents. Many businessmen have them hidden under their three-piece suits. Soccer moms have butterflies on their ankles because they “look pretty.” Thirty years from now, either 50% of the population will be inked, or the next generation will see what a 30 year-old tattoo really looks like, and the trend will slow way down.
Tattoos are an art form. Some people like oil paintings, others like ancient sculptures. I think there’s nothing more beautiful than a well inked tattoo. I love the stories behind tattoos. Most tattoos have meaning, and generally it represents an important moment in a person’s life. There’s something compelling about the permanence of a tattoo.
The other thing I love about tattoos is how much they can tell us about people. A tattoo can tell you a lot about the person wearing it, but it can also tell you a lot about the people who react to it.
The reactions to a tattoo are fascinating because while they run the gamut from surprised, to impressed, to nauseated, to disdainful, they almost always give a small glimpse into the person who has the reaction. I’m not suggesting that you can tell exactly what kind of a person someone is based on how they react to the news that someone has a tattoo, but I do believe it says something about that person, and about what that person thinks of you.
I have a tattoo on my left shoulder. Not many people know that, because I don’t often walk around with my shirt off. Still, somehow, in the past two weeks, I’ve had people remark on the fact that I’m inked on three occasions. The reactions have gone from, “That’s so cool,” from a colleague at work, to “Is that political?” from a stranger, to “I never would have thought you would have a tattoo,” from a fellow writer.
The last reaction got me thinking. Why not? What kind of person has a tattoo? What about me makes me seem like I would not be that kind of person?
Obviously, tattoos still have not reached the mainstream level where the mention that you have one no longer causes a reaction. In fact, tattoos are still marginal enough that the knowledge that a person has one is enough for others to adjust their perception of him or her, even if only slightly. In that sense, people who have tattoos are lumped into a subculture. A very strange subculture, with very little common ground among them.
The only thing that people with tattoos have in common is that they’ve been inked, and in most cases, they like body art. Beyond that, there is no longer a “type” of person who gets a tattoo. There may be various types, who get them for similar reasons, but there is no one type. I have a hard time identifying with the soccer moms with butterflies on their ankles, or with bikers that have more inked flesh than not.
Still, despite this fact, there’s still a social perception that there is a “type” of person who gets tattooed. Western societies are very fond of breaking people up into pre-defined types. It makes the job of the census bureau easier. It makes government’s job easier when passing laws for large groups of people. It makes marketers’ jobs easier when advertising to a specific demographic. It’s time we all stopped to consider just how similar the individuals within these groups really are.
One such group that might be more dissimilar than we think is Gen Y. The one thing that Gen Y has in common is age, and while there might be some similar traits among individuals in this group, it doesn’t do anyone any favours to try to define a specific set of characteristics for an entire generation. It’s tempting to say that Gen Y is entitled and tech savvy, but it’s no more accurate as a blanket descriptor than it is to say that anyone with a tattoo is a rebel. I can think of no better proof of this point than the articles on this very site. They express individual viewpoints that show as many points of divergence as they do of convergence.
I have a tattoo. I am part of Gen Y. You can use that to describe me. But please don’t use it to define me.
Photo Credit: vramak
I love tattoos. I have two tattoos on my inside ankles. It's the molecular structures of serotonin and dopamine. I normally wear pants so most people don't notice, but I agree that seeing people's reactions are interesting. Hopefully next week, actually, I'm getting another tattoo (a Vonnegut quote) on my ribs.
Personally, I agree with the idea that 30 years from now, more than half of the population will be tattooed. It's really common among my generation. Even my friend who I never expected it from got a tattoo during winter break from school and surprised us all. They're more accepted today.
However, you still need to take precautions when you're getting a tattoo. I have thought long and hard about the tattoos I've wanted. They need to be in places where they aren't too obvious and I can hide them if necessary. Also, I don't want to make the stupid decision of getting a tattoo on my front hip and then have it stretch out if I ever decide to have children. Too often, I feel as though people don't take this kinds of things into consideration when choosing to get inked.
I really enjoyed the article!!
That's my issue: location! I think of all these good spots, then realize my affinity for tank tops, sleeveless shirts, and low backed dresses makes them more conspicuous than I'd thought. I have a hunch this is less of an issue for the guys…?
But also, the best part of getting inked is the emotional part – you choose something that means the world to you, so why care what people think? A company that doesn't hire you for a tattoo is probably a company you don't want to work for, right?
Thanks for the comment, McKenzie, and for sharing your experience. Part of what I love about tattoo art is the amount of thought that goes into it (at least in most cases), and it sounds like you're one of those people who puts tons of thought into it before getting inked.
Yeah – the location thing is less of an issue for guys. We have a pretty wide area that's easily covered by a T-shirt that we can use as canvas. On the other hand, unless I'm in a professional setting, I wouldn't mind if my tattoo were showing. In the same way, just because you wear low-backed dresses, if your tattoo is tasteful and your comfortable with it, I say let it show.
And yeah, I agree with the point about the company not hiring for tattoos, but my point of view on company practices when hiring Gen Y are pretty well known (or at least well known to anyone who read that article).
Long story short, if your tattoo is really part of who you are, it's a good indicator if you're a good fit with a person or a company.
Getting a tattoo is on my list of 25 things to do before I'm 25. I've been thinking about it for years. The only problem is that I'm so fickle… something that I think is meaningful or clever now will seem silly to me in a month.
Maybe something that all tattooed people have in common is that they have enough conviction to make that bold decision.
I've never been a tattoo person. I don't ever want one on myself and I don't really like them on other people… but you're right that people who get tattoos are not lumped together in some “type”. People get tattoos for SO many different reasons and they usually have some hidden meaning to that person that you could never understand why they got it or what it means.
However, I've asked a lot of people what their tattoo “means” or just asked “what is it?” and so far I haven't been very impressed by the responses. Most of the time people say it's something that used to mean something to them but now they don't really care or it's a reminder of a painful time in their life (ex. death of a family member or friend or memory of a friend or significant other that you don't talk to anymore).
My mom has been asking me and my sister to get a family tattoo since my 18th birthday. My family is everything to me, really. But every time she asks I tell her no. I just don't like tattoos. Oh well.
Christine, what I did was I designed my tattoo, and pinned the design to a corkboard above my desk. It stayed there for a year. When after one year, I decided I still wanted it, I knew that it was right.
The reason I haven't got a second tattoo, yet, is because no other design has withstood that test.
Just a suggestion.
They're definitely not for everyone. The fact that you don't like tattoos and I do, doesn't mean that we're all that different (it also doesn't mean we're similar). That was pretty much the only point I was trying to make here.
Unlike your mom, I'm not going to try and sell tattoos to you (there's a sentence I never thought I'd type).
I totally agree. I have two interlocked hearts on my hip — an 18th birthday gift to myself, something I'd always wanted done — and I feel like I could have picked a better design. It's not that I don't like it, it's just that, I don't know, it doesn't MEAN anything in particular. I could see updating it at some point to make it more meaningful.
I want to get a second tattoo, and I have a few ideas floating around, but I can't pick just one, and I can't decide what one I like best. I've wanted to get another for about three years (the most recent plan was as a 21st birthday gift to myself), but I haven't been able to settle on anything.
“In the Western world, tattoos were once the marks of rebels, bikers or ex-convicts. They were a sign of subcultures…” They were also a sign of allegiance to both country and comrades in wars dating back for however long you want to go. Tattoos weren't just signs of rebels, but marks represent a bond with other people who were going through some serious 'ish' together. By dismissing tattoos as the marks of bikers and rebels, you're ignoring the fact that for most that got inked in war, they had significant meaning attributed to them.
Carlee touches on a good point about meaning. I feel like most meaning is being lost in tattoos and it's more about art now. It's no longer a sign that you served 5 years in the bunker, but something you thought looked cool when you were wasted with your friends in Mexico on Spring Break.
It's definitely now becoming a mark of rebellion among younger Gen Yers, but it's our generation's rebellion. First there was swing dancing, then there was the 'Peace' culture which was epitomized by Woodstock. Our culture seems to define itself with ink, and a rather ambivalent outlook on ongoing war efforts (as opposed to previous generations which either embraced the effort, or protested against it).
Haha, love that last sentence there
And I completely understand your point. I'm a lot like my family. Yet they want tattoos and I don't. It's just like some people like soy milk and others like regular milk. It's all preferences.
Adam, I like to inspire the unexpected in people, so you've made my day! Re: (there's a sentence I never thought I'd type). As an artist I see the beauty in art, whether body art, a painting at MoMa, architecture, great product design or even well done WordPress code!
I have not given up on Carlee, but neither have we done our “family” tattoo. I suppose when it is time the action will happen, with or without her participation. She also never thought of herself as an entrepreneur, in fact loathed the thought…. mmm how things change?
I wrote a personal blog post on tattoos last year. I'm proud of my tattoos, 4 for now, because they not only symbolize what I've gone through, they've made me who I am today. Nice post, thanks for sharing!
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I've definitely noticed that tattoos are becoming much more acceptable among my peers. Stereotypically, I'm the last person you would think would have a tattoo, but even I have a small one. I am really interested, however, to see how our generation feels about them in 20-30 years time. Will we begin to regret the designs we appreciated so much in our teens/early 20s or will they have become so commonplace that we don't think twice about it?