Tattoos
June 7, 2005 7:12 PM Subscribe
Why have tattoos become so universal?
When I was growing up the only people who had tattoos were vets and the "tough guys." Now, it seems like everyone has one. Is there a reason for their phenominal popularity?
When I was growing up the only people who had tattoos were vets and the "tough guys." Now, it seems like everyone has one. Is there a reason for their phenominal popularity?
they got hip. like piercings and colored hair. Then they got super-mainstream hip, almost to the degree that the truly hip are less interested now, but of course, the truly hip who already had them can't undo them, so they remain kinda hip, but definitely no longer brave or unusual. Now it's like getting your ears pierced - plenty of people do, some don't, no one really cares anymore.
as for why they originally became hip, I would say because they're sorta artistic/expressive, and that was big for gen X, and they're sorta dark / painful, also big for gen X, and they are theoretically irreversible, so there's some level of commitment and sincerity seemingly involved. Plus the whole return to tribal culture thing was big, as a way to rage against the machine, yadda yadda ...
posted by mdn at 7:21 PM on June 7, 2005
as for why they originally became hip, I would say because they're sorta artistic/expressive, and that was big for gen X, and they're sorta dark / painful, also big for gen X, and they are theoretically irreversible, so there's some level of commitment and sincerity seemingly involved. Plus the whole return to tribal culture thing was big, as a way to rage against the machine, yadda yadda ...
posted by mdn at 7:21 PM on June 7, 2005
I'm "the boss and one of the senior staffers" apparently. In my view, tattoos are far from "universal". I suspect my 17 year old and 14 year old sons would concur, but you never know... I can't imagine the older one ever getting one (favorite musical artist: Vivaldi). The younger one might, but it will probably depend on the crowd he hangs around with.
posted by Doohickie at 7:23 PM on June 7, 2005
posted by Doohickie at 7:23 PM on June 7, 2005
I have oft considered a tattoo, but then weighed the cost: namely, being disgusted by it 10-20 years down the road (assuming I am still alive).
What would be the benefit?
To answer your question, I think the reason tattoos have taken off is because they are just another fashion accessory to most people today. They are identifiers for whatever scene you are in, allowing people to identify others of their kind.
5 pointed hollow stars on the wrist = emo scene. Doves on the shoulder blades = indie/emo/post-punk scene. Butterfly or sun tattoo on the small of the back = idiots.
posted by tweak at 7:41 PM on June 7, 2005
What would be the benefit?
To answer your question, I think the reason tattoos have taken off is because they are just another fashion accessory to most people today. They are identifiers for whatever scene you are in, allowing people to identify others of their kind.
5 pointed hollow stars on the wrist = emo scene. Doves on the shoulder blades = indie/emo/post-punk scene. Butterfly or sun tattoo on the small of the back = idiots.
posted by tweak at 7:41 PM on June 7, 2005
I got mine when I turned 25, because at that point I'd earned a few unintentional physical scars that had redefined how I saw my body, and I wanted to take control of that, and contribute something permanent of my own, that wasn't injury or genetics.
posted by annathea at 7:52 PM on June 7, 2005 [1 favorite]
posted by annathea at 7:52 PM on June 7, 2005 [1 favorite]
they became part of late 70s counterculture and just spread from there ...
posted by pyramid termite at 7:58 PM on June 7, 2005
posted by pyramid termite at 7:58 PM on June 7, 2005
What mdn said. Short version: blame alternative rock.
posted by furiousthought at 8:09 PM on June 7, 2005
posted by furiousthought at 8:09 PM on June 7, 2005
I think a lot of the allure tattoos have to kids my age (20s, though I got my tattoos as a teen) is that they're percieved as edgy, risky, and dangerous. Aside from the personal reasons I got my tattoos (and still love them), one of my favorite things about them is the shocked look people get when they find out I'm tattooed - I am not "emo" or "punk" or rebellious in any manner. I'm the stereotypical "goodgirl", so the shock aspect did and still does appeal to me.
posted by geeky at 8:11 PM on June 7, 2005
posted by geeky at 8:11 PM on June 7, 2005
Jeez, what a trolling question.
Tattoos have been around for thousands of years, and I'm sure that my tattooed ancestors got them for the same reason that I get tattooed: to mark important events.
I have a lot of tattoos, and each one represents a particular time in my life. I can look them and immediately remember what my life was like when I went to get that image embedded in my skin. I'm reminded of the drama in my life, I'm reminded of the artist who did it, I remember everything about that day. You can't find a better way to keep memories intact.
They've always been universal, grandpa.
posted by cmonkey at 8:13 PM on June 7, 2005 [1 favorite]
Tattoos have been around for thousands of years, and I'm sure that my tattooed ancestors got them for the same reason that I get tattooed: to mark important events.
I have a lot of tattoos, and each one represents a particular time in my life. I can look them and immediately remember what my life was like when I went to get that image embedded in my skin. I'm reminded of the drama in my life, I'm reminded of the artist who did it, I remember everything about that day. You can't find a better way to keep memories intact.
They've always been universal, grandpa.
posted by cmonkey at 8:13 PM on June 7, 2005 [1 favorite]
I've always wondered how alternative became mainstream. Tattoos, dyed hair and long sideburns aren't shocking any more. I'd like to see people who want to make a statement start going way retro or way native. How about a powdered wig and brass neck rings? A lip plate and an iron lung? Bound feet and polio braces? C'mon make a statement!
posted by Frank Grimes at 8:14 PM on June 7, 2005
posted by Frank Grimes at 8:14 PM on June 7, 2005
I would attribute it to Free to Be You and Me and Up With People.
You are not a unique beautiful snowflake, do you understand me?
A generation raised in the 70's and 80's that were told they were special, unique and not like anyone else.
I see all this potential, and I see squandering. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need. We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war... our Great Depression is our lives. We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact. And we're very, very pissed off.
When they reached early adulthood they were struck by the realization that they are like everyone else.
You're not your job. You're not how much money you have in the bank. You're not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You're not your fucking khakis. You're the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world.
In order to re-establish themselves as unique snowflakes they sought out body modifications with tattoos leading the way.
Call it Snowflake Syndrome. They desire to be unique, just like everyone else.
posted by geekyguy at 8:24 PM on June 7, 2005 [1 favorite]
You are not a unique beautiful snowflake, do you understand me?
A generation raised in the 70's and 80's that were told they were special, unique and not like anyone else.
I see all this potential, and I see squandering. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need. We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war... our Great Depression is our lives. We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact. And we're very, very pissed off.
When they reached early adulthood they were struck by the realization that they are like everyone else.
You're not your job. You're not how much money you have in the bank. You're not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You're not your fucking khakis. You're the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world.
In order to re-establish themselves as unique snowflakes they sought out body modifications with tattoos leading the way.
Call it Snowflake Syndrome. They desire to be unique, just like everyone else.
posted by geekyguy at 8:24 PM on June 7, 2005 [1 favorite]
What cmonkey said. Also, I disagree that 'everyone' has tattoos these days. On the contrary, I have frequently listened to people telling me, often in lengthy detail, about how they'll never, ever get a tattoo.
posted by box at 8:38 PM on June 7, 2005
posted by box at 8:38 PM on June 7, 2005
in 1989, a gallery in Seattle had a show in conjunction (IIRC) with the publishers of RE|Search, V. Vale and Andrea Juno. Larry Reid was the director of the gallery at the time. Vale and Juno later expanded the concept into a book, Modern Primitive.
Prior to that, tattoos had played an increasingly important role in establishing authenticity for alternative-crossover pop music acts (such as Brian Setzer's tats).
The Modern Primitives show and book provided an art-historical ideology and framework which allowed participants in early 90s alt-culture a way of understanding tattoos as a way of identifying with non-Western cultural traditions that emphasized cultural relations not founded explicitly on captial and economic considerations.
Naturally, the success of the Modern Primitives viewpoint effectively eroded the implicit, separatist critique of western culture seen in the book, the show, and the tats.
YMMV, but that's what I think.
posted by mwhybark at 8:58 PM on June 7, 2005
Prior to that, tattoos had played an increasingly important role in establishing authenticity for alternative-crossover pop music acts (such as Brian Setzer's tats).
The Modern Primitives show and book provided an art-historical ideology and framework which allowed participants in early 90s alt-culture a way of understanding tattoos as a way of identifying with non-Western cultural traditions that emphasized cultural relations not founded explicitly on captial and economic considerations.
Naturally, the success of the Modern Primitives viewpoint effectively eroded the implicit, separatist critique of western culture seen in the book, the show, and the tats.
YMMV, but that's what I think.
posted by mwhybark at 8:58 PM on June 7, 2005
I have several tattoos, which, unless if I'm working out or having sex with you usually go unnoticed. In fact I have two tattoos visible when I wear short sleave shirts and most people rarely notice them (judging by the fact that it took my parents more than a year to mention them)- they're on the underside of my lower arm.
For me, except for maybe my first tattoo, each own has a story about why I got it. A commitment to some idea, or to mark some event. I am neither hip nor edgy.
When a 40 something soccer mom type that I work with got a tattoo recently, I thought about your question. I think it has become universal because there's less stigma against people who have tattoos. It used to be that "only" bikers, sailors, or criminals had tattoos in america, and if you had them, you'd be judged as one of the above. Now, it's just another form of decoration for some.
posted by drezdn at 9:07 PM on June 7, 2005
For me, except for maybe my first tattoo, each own has a story about why I got it. A commitment to some idea, or to mark some event. I am neither hip nor edgy.
When a 40 something soccer mom type that I work with got a tattoo recently, I thought about your question. I think it has become universal because there's less stigma against people who have tattoos. It used to be that "only" bikers, sailors, or criminals had tattoos in america, and if you had them, you'd be judged as one of the above. Now, it's just another form of decoration for some.
posted by drezdn at 9:07 PM on June 7, 2005
If you'll grant me, I'll quote the 102nd chapter of Moby Dick, which has forever to me justified the art of tattoo:
"The skeleton dimensions I shall now proceed to set down are copied verbatim from my right arm, where I had them tattooed; as in my wild wanderings at that period, there was no other secure way of preserving such valuable statistics. But as I was crowded for space, and wished the other parts of my body to remain a blank page for a poem I was then composing--at least, what untattooed parts might remain--I did not trouble myself with the odd inches; nor, indeed, should inches at all enter into a congenial admeasurement of the whale."
posted by TonyRobots at 9:13 PM on June 7, 2005
"The skeleton dimensions I shall now proceed to set down are copied verbatim from my right arm, where I had them tattooed; as in my wild wanderings at that period, there was no other secure way of preserving such valuable statistics. But as I was crowded for space, and wished the other parts of my body to remain a blank page for a poem I was then composing--at least, what untattooed parts might remain--I did not trouble myself with the odd inches; nor, indeed, should inches at all enter into a congenial admeasurement of the whale."
posted by TonyRobots at 9:13 PM on June 7, 2005
I think the answer is, why not? People like pretty things. If there's a kind of decoration that's cheap, safe, and not stigmatized, people will adopt it.
posted by nebulawindphone at 9:19 PM on June 7, 2005
posted by nebulawindphone at 9:19 PM on June 7, 2005
I assumed that female babies born in metropolitan areas around 1980 just came out with little tattoos on or around their talebone. How else to explain that every woman in her mid-twenties seems to have one?
posted by herc at 9:34 PM on June 7, 2005
posted by herc at 9:34 PM on June 7, 2005
Because they're now so prevalent that they're almost completely safe. Only the naive still think they have any shock value. A girl gets a butterfly on her hip and she joins millions of others.
So now we move on to bigger tattoos, in a bigger effort to shock, which of course doesn't, though it really makes you feel sad for the recipient
But for the most part, I don't see as many tattoos on a college campus as I use to. Thank god. Getting a tattoo for a personal reason? Great. As a way to rebel? Tacky.
People like pretty things.
And most tattoos are not pretty.
posted by justgary at 9:51 PM on June 7, 2005
So now we move on to bigger tattoos, in a bigger effort to shock, which of course doesn't, though it really makes you feel sad for the recipient
But for the most part, I don't see as many tattoos on a college campus as I use to. Thank god. Getting a tattoo for a personal reason? Great. As a way to rebel? Tacky.
People like pretty things.
And most tattoos are not pretty.
posted by justgary at 9:51 PM on June 7, 2005
I assumed that female babies born in metropolitan areas around 1980 just came out with little tattoos on or around their talebone. How else to explain that every woman in her mid-twenties seems to have one?
Exactly. Shock? You have to be kidding me.
posted by justgary at 9:52 PM on June 7, 2005
Exactly. Shock? You have to be kidding me.
posted by justgary at 9:52 PM on June 7, 2005
There was an AskMe thread about tattoos a while ago - I'm having trouble finding it, anyone have better google-fu tonight? Pretty much the same mixture of "My God, who would ruin their skin that way / tattoos never look good / etc" and "Hey, it's my skin / tattoos mark important life events / etc."
Even here in Boston, not 'everyone' has a tattoo. They're more common than they were, and it does seem that sorority chicks will now consider getting tattoos - the obligatory star or butterfly on their lower back. Seems to me that in general there's been a decline in formality in general. Except at work [and sometimes even there] people are able to adopt a much wider range of clothing and appearances than, say, people in the '50s or in the 19th century. Perhaps in part because of this, tattoos have gone from utterly unacceptable to sort-of-unacceptable, and it seems to me that most things that become 'cool' generally tread that line before actually becoming generally popular.
Not that that's any kind of real analysis, but I think that it might be part of the story. To expand on what nebulawindphone says, once it became possible to have a tattoo [or at least a small and relatively unobtrusive one] without rendering yourself completely unemployable, I'm sure a lot of people essentially said "Why not? I like tattoos, I like this design, and I have no reason _not_ to get one."
posted by ubersturm at 9:56 PM on June 7, 2005
Even here in Boston, not 'everyone' has a tattoo. They're more common than they were, and it does seem that sorority chicks will now consider getting tattoos - the obligatory star or butterfly on their lower back. Seems to me that in general there's been a decline in formality in general. Except at work [and sometimes even there] people are able to adopt a much wider range of clothing and appearances than, say, people in the '50s or in the 19th century. Perhaps in part because of this, tattoos have gone from utterly unacceptable to sort-of-unacceptable, and it seems to me that most things that become 'cool' generally tread that line before actually becoming generally popular.
Not that that's any kind of real analysis, but I think that it might be part of the story. To expand on what nebulawindphone says, once it became possible to have a tattoo [or at least a small and relatively unobtrusive one] without rendering yourself completely unemployable, I'm sure a lot of people essentially said "Why not? I like tattoos, I like this design, and I have no reason _not_ to get one."
posted by ubersturm at 9:56 PM on June 7, 2005
I never got one because I never saw a piece of artwork I'd want on me forever... except "Starry Night", which I don't think would work as a tat.
Best tat? Local bouncer with the last name Parrot, with a big Rainbow Macaw on his arm. Of course it helped he had huge biceps, it will probably look dopey if he stops working out.
Worst tat? I saw a picture of a WWII soldier with "Fuck the Japs" tattooed on his upper lip.
posted by Marky at 10:31 PM on June 7, 2005
Best tat? Local bouncer with the last name Parrot, with a big Rainbow Macaw on his arm. Of course it helped he had huge biceps, it will probably look dopey if he stops working out.
Worst tat? I saw a picture of a WWII soldier with "Fuck the Japs" tattooed on his upper lip.
posted by Marky at 10:31 PM on June 7, 2005
This is like asking why being a rebel is now so popular. Once upon a time, being a rebel and a rapscallion made you an outsider, oh my!
Now the culture of ME and MY WAY has taken off in a huge way, probably because the scale of the society we live in has risen to a global level, and everybody is trapped in systems of one kind or another. True individuality is scarce, and connectedness has broadened worldwide. We've never felt so unalone.
Being a rebel is huge. Tattoos used to be only for rebels and the hardcore. Everybody wants to be that now. So there you go.
posted by scarabic at 10:47 PM on June 7, 2005
Now the culture of ME and MY WAY has taken off in a huge way, probably because the scale of the society we live in has risen to a global level, and everybody is trapped in systems of one kind or another. True individuality is scarce, and connectedness has broadened worldwide. We've never felt so unalone.
Being a rebel is huge. Tattoos used to be only for rebels and the hardcore. Everybody wants to be that now. So there you go.
posted by scarabic at 10:47 PM on June 7, 2005
http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=407
claims 36% in the 25-29 age range. that isn't "everybody" but it is pretty substantial
posted by rudyfink at 1:07 AM on June 8, 2005
claims 36% in the 25-29 age range. that isn't "everybody" but it is pretty substantial
posted by rudyfink at 1:07 AM on June 8, 2005
Tats. Ah, the permanent solution to a temporary urge.
Nothing says "I'd like to work in retail the rest of my life" like an obvious visable tattoo.
While we might like to believe that we're above preconceived notions about people, face it, you're not going to a doctor or a lawyer with a big, honkin' tat on his or her face.
Imagine that 20 something girl with the big tat as a grandma 40 years from now. Not so pretty, right?
Do some simple research into the tattoo removal field. Think there's a reason those doctors are driving Porsches? I do. Lots of people who don't understand the word PERMANENT.
KFJ.
posted by kungfujoe at 3:52 AM on June 8, 2005
Nothing says "I'd like to work in retail the rest of my life" like an obvious visable tattoo.
While we might like to believe that we're above preconceived notions about people, face it, you're not going to a doctor or a lawyer with a big, honkin' tat on his or her face.
Imagine that 20 something girl with the big tat as a grandma 40 years from now. Not so pretty, right?
Do some simple research into the tattoo removal field. Think there's a reason those doctors are driving Porsches? I do. Lots of people who don't understand the word PERMANENT.
KFJ.
posted by kungfujoe at 3:52 AM on June 8, 2005
I started getting inked in the mid 80's, and the thing that amazes me these days isn't how prevalent 'tats are, especially in big cities, but rather the commoness of facial tattoos.
It used to be that no artist would do your face, and very, very few would consider inking hands. Now it seems loads and loads of folks have 'tats where they can't be covered up. At all.
I've got 21 tat's, and nobody knows they are there when I'm wearing a suit.
posted by Mutant at 4:01 AM on June 8, 2005
It used to be that no artist would do your face, and very, very few would consider inking hands. Now it seems loads and loads of folks have 'tats where they can't be covered up. At all.
I've got 21 tat's, and nobody knows they are there when I'm wearing a suit.
posted by Mutant at 4:01 AM on June 8, 2005
I think one of the first responses is true. "What do your parents think?".
I know a few people who clearly got it to razz their parents, good job. So I figure they'll like the tattoo up until they move out. I'm not trying to undermine the other reasons their valid too.
posted by Napierzaza at 4:17 AM on June 8, 2005
I know a few people who clearly got it to razz their parents, good job. So I figure they'll like the tattoo up until they move out. I'm not trying to undermine the other reasons their valid too.
posted by Napierzaza at 4:17 AM on June 8, 2005
Response by poster: Always good info on Metafilter, thanks guys. I live in California and the tattoos seem very common here. I didn't intend to troll--I wasn't looking for arguments--it is just something I have been wondering about for a some time.
Grandpa
posted by phewbertie at 5:07 AM on June 8, 2005
Grandpa
posted by phewbertie at 5:07 AM on June 8, 2005
kungfujoe: "Nothing says "I'd like to work in retail the rest of my life" like an obvious visable tattoo.
While we might like to believe that we're above preconceived notions about people, face it, you're not going to a doctor or a lawyer with a big, honkin' tat on his or her face."
My older sister has a lot of tattoos, including on her neck and hands, and for her it affirms that she doesn't want to have to work in the kind of job where being visibly tattooed would matter-- she had worked in office jobs before she decided to start doing woodworking- she works in a shop now, but eventually wants to live off the grid and make furniture, so as well as having individual meanings, her tattoos show that she isn't interested in being a doctor or lawyer, or working in retail for that matter. (which struck me as an odd thing to say, I'd think that entry-level public-service jobs would be the least tolerant of visible body mods.)
I just have one tattoo at time of writing, and it's on my lower leg, so usually not visible. I'm an 18-year-old girl, and I do agree that a lot of my contemporaries get stupid tattoos just for the sake of it, but like others have said, my tattoo is to mark a particular time in my life. It's not a statement of anything, but it's not something I picked out of the tattoo shop's flash display, either. It's something I want to have with me, like I'll have scars and other physical reminders of how I got wherever I go.
posted by ITheCosmos at 6:06 AM on June 8, 2005
While we might like to believe that we're above preconceived notions about people, face it, you're not going to a doctor or a lawyer with a big, honkin' tat on his or her face."
My older sister has a lot of tattoos, including on her neck and hands, and for her it affirms that she doesn't want to have to work in the kind of job where being visibly tattooed would matter-- she had worked in office jobs before she decided to start doing woodworking- she works in a shop now, but eventually wants to live off the grid and make furniture, so as well as having individual meanings, her tattoos show that she isn't interested in being a doctor or lawyer, or working in retail for that matter. (which struck me as an odd thing to say, I'd think that entry-level public-service jobs would be the least tolerant of visible body mods.)
I just have one tattoo at time of writing, and it's on my lower leg, so usually not visible. I'm an 18-year-old girl, and I do agree that a lot of my contemporaries get stupid tattoos just for the sake of it, but like others have said, my tattoo is to mark a particular time in my life. It's not a statement of anything, but it's not something I picked out of the tattoo shop's flash display, either. It's something I want to have with me, like I'll have scars and other physical reminders of how I got wherever I go.
posted by ITheCosmos at 6:06 AM on June 8, 2005
Call it Snowflake Syndrome. They desire to be unique, just like everyone else.
posted by geekyguy at 8:24 PM PST on June 7 [!]
------------
Being a rebel is huge. Tattoos used to be only for rebels and the hardcore. Everybody wants to be that now. So there you go.
posted by scarabic at 10:47 PM PST on June 7
I think geekyguy and scarabic have a pretty good handle on this particular phenomenon.
posted by sic at 6:08 AM on June 8, 2005
posted by geekyguy at 8:24 PM PST on June 7 [!]
------------
Being a rebel is huge. Tattoos used to be only for rebels and the hardcore. Everybody wants to be that now. So there you go.
posted by scarabic at 10:47 PM PST on June 7
I think geekyguy and scarabic have a pretty good handle on this particular phenomenon.
posted by sic at 6:08 AM on June 8, 2005
they're percieved as edgy, risky, and dangerous.
no, they really are not. twenty years ago they might have been. Seriously, in contemporary culture, they are about as 'edgy' as having a second ear piercing. If you want a tattoo as a personal moment with yourself, go for it. If you want to shock people with it, you will first need to perfect that time machine (at which point, presumably, you'll have made enough of an impact in the world to no longer really care if someone is shocked by your having a picture marked on your body).
People have tried to 'take things further' to keep it shocking, going bigger or getting it done in visible places, or doing things like bar codes, but at this point everything seems to be old within way too brief a time of its being new. I know at least three people with bar code tattoos (two of them, funnily enough, brands of cereal), and one of them has already had it covered by another tattoo because he felt it was too cliche.
posted by mdn at 6:21 AM on June 8, 2005
no, they really are not. twenty years ago they might have been. Seriously, in contemporary culture, they are about as 'edgy' as having a second ear piercing. If you want a tattoo as a personal moment with yourself, go for it. If you want to shock people with it, you will first need to perfect that time machine (at which point, presumably, you'll have made enough of an impact in the world to no longer really care if someone is shocked by your having a picture marked on your body).
People have tried to 'take things further' to keep it shocking, going bigger or getting it done in visible places, or doing things like bar codes, but at this point everything seems to be old within way too brief a time of its being new. I know at least three people with bar code tattoos (two of them, funnily enough, brands of cereal), and one of them has already had it covered by another tattoo because he felt it was too cliche.
posted by mdn at 6:21 AM on June 8, 2005
There are a few people that a tattoo might still shock, although it's limited to parents. My friend's boss came up to him and half-jokingly said, "My son's decided he's going to get an earring -- how am I going to deal with that?"
posted by mikeh at 7:27 AM on June 8, 2005
posted by mikeh at 7:27 AM on June 8, 2005
kungfujoe, I'm 40, have 5 tats, including two very large ones, and I don't work in retail. I'm a communications and marketing executive. I've never had a problem getting a job because of my tattoos and I doubt I ever will. I would certainly happily go to a lawyer or doctor with tats, in fact I suspect that my lawyer has at least one. Oh, and I'm really looking forward to being a great grandmother with faded tattoos I can show to my grandchildren, because aging is a natural and beautiful progression.
As for why they're popular & why lots of people have them - pretty much what cmonkey said.
posted by mygothlaundry at 7:28 AM on June 8, 2005
As for why they're popular & why lots of people have them - pretty much what cmonkey said.
posted by mygothlaundry at 7:28 AM on June 8, 2005
My tattoo keeps the evil eye away, like my grandfather's ear piercings [supposedly] did. There are many reasons to get them and I suppose if you were getting them to be hip, radical or edgy it might bother you that they were now more mainstream and acceptable, though the back and forth in this thread clearly indicates they're not that acceptable. Where I live someone with a tattoo is more likely to be ex-military or a biker than someone in college.
you're not going to a doctor or a lawyer with a big, honkin' tat on his or her face
True, but they don't make as much money as other entertainment-industry types who are covered with them. It's a specious argument. Like long hair on men in the 60's, tattoos used to be a subculture indicator and now lots of people have them. Now tattoos exist more popularly [in the US anyhow] as a result of a wide range of personal choices which require a bit more individual probing to understand any one person's commitment to them. When I got my first tattoo my Mom said "Well, I don't think it's attractive." and I said "That's okay, I'm really not trying to be attractive to you." I wasn't trying to piss her off either, it just didn't matter much what she thought.
posted by jessamyn at 7:29 AM on June 8, 2005
you're not going to a doctor or a lawyer with a big, honkin' tat on his or her face
True, but they don't make as much money as other entertainment-industry types who are covered with them. It's a specious argument. Like long hair on men in the 60's, tattoos used to be a subculture indicator and now lots of people have them. Now tattoos exist more popularly [in the US anyhow] as a result of a wide range of personal choices which require a bit more individual probing to understand any one person's commitment to them. When I got my first tattoo my Mom said "Well, I don't think it's attractive." and I said "That's okay, I'm really not trying to be attractive to you." I wasn't trying to piss her off either, it just didn't matter much what she thought.
posted by jessamyn at 7:29 AM on June 8, 2005
I definitely didn't get my tattoos to shock my parents. They're way too out there to be shocked by anything I'd do. My parents did enjoy using my tattoos to shock my grandparents, however. I guess now that mom and dad are no longer dropping acid and trying to levitate the Pentagon they have to use their offspring to keep shocking their parents.
Why did I get them? One is a symbol of my birth story, and I got it 9 years ago at a time when I was trying to symbolically recreate myself. The other I got on a whim at a moment of bonding with a great friend 5 years ago.
Why wouldn't I get them? If they're not taboo and I have the money and the inclination, I don't see the problem.
And I don't see why I'm supposed to be horrified at the prospect of becoming a saggy, fat old lady with a tattoo. If I become horrified in that situation, it will be because I'm a saggy, fat old lady, not because of my tattoos. Here's hoping that whatever body I find myself with in my old age, I'm cool with it, not horrified, tattoos or no.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 8:03 AM on June 8, 2005
Why did I get them? One is a symbol of my birth story, and I got it 9 years ago at a time when I was trying to symbolically recreate myself. The other I got on a whim at a moment of bonding with a great friend 5 years ago.
Why wouldn't I get them? If they're not taboo and I have the money and the inclination, I don't see the problem.
And I don't see why I'm supposed to be horrified at the prospect of becoming a saggy, fat old lady with a tattoo. If I become horrified in that situation, it will be because I'm a saggy, fat old lady, not because of my tattoos. Here's hoping that whatever body I find myself with in my old age, I'm cool with it, not horrified, tattoos or no.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 8:03 AM on June 8, 2005
I got my only tattoo 10 years ago, in college. Even then, even in New Zealand, it wasn't edgy at all. I got a pretty decoration on my body because I liked it, and it reminded me of several things that had occurred that year.
Also, I designed it myself, so there is that individuality to it that I liked.
And wrt the permanency issue? I figured that by the time I may want it gone, it'll be pretty easily done, with not too much scarring. At the time of this writing, I still love it, and want another one. Although it's going to be a line of a poem.
posted by gaspode at 8:04 AM on June 8, 2005
Also, I designed it myself, so there is that individuality to it that I liked.
And wrt the permanency issue? I figured that by the time I may want it gone, it'll be pretty easily done, with not too much scarring. At the time of this writing, I still love it, and want another one. Although it's going to be a line of a poem.
posted by gaspode at 8:04 AM on June 8, 2005
People get tattoos because they're conversation starters. They're like dogs, except you don't have to worry about them pissing on the carpet. Get a tattoo, and people have an excuse to talk to you, and you get to talk about yourself. That's really it.
posted by dagnyscott at 8:05 AM on June 8, 2005
posted by dagnyscott at 8:05 AM on June 8, 2005
Pbast blue ribbon = cool, then
Trucker hats = cool, then
Tatoos = cool.
I predict that all the hipsters will ditch their scooters and switch to Harleys shortly.
posted by VulcanMike at 8:07 AM on June 8, 2005
Trucker hats = cool, then
Tatoos = cool.
I predict that all the hipsters will ditch their scooters and switch to Harleys shortly.
posted by VulcanMike at 8:07 AM on June 8, 2005
(btw, I like tattoos & have one myself; I just think the point probably should never have been rebellion, and by now simply cannot be rebellion. Like women wearing pants - once a statement, now just a preference.
posted by mdn at 8:09 AM on June 8, 2005
posted by mdn at 8:09 AM on June 8, 2005
Nothing says "I'd like to work in retail the rest of my life" like an obvious visable tattoo.
My arms are covered in tattoos and I have a well paying white collar job in an office.
I look forward to being a saggy old man with blurry tattoos that I can tell stories about. Life's no fun if you're scared about the future.
posted by cmonkey at 8:17 AM on June 8, 2005 [1 favorite]
My arms are covered in tattoos and I have a well paying white collar job in an office.
I look forward to being a saggy old man with blurry tattoos that I can tell stories about. Life's no fun if you're scared about the future.
posted by cmonkey at 8:17 AM on June 8, 2005 [1 favorite]
On the "you won't go to a doctor with a visible tattoo" note :
My doctor's office back home in Vermont employs a nurse/receptionist (who is probably closer to my mother's age than my own) with a HUGE tattoo of Mickey Mouse on her chest which is clearly visible when she wears a v-cut shirt (which is everyday). I've never heard even the crankiest of little old ladies compain about it.
It certainly hasn't hurt business any - they're booked solid and often have an overflow such that they can't accept new patients. Certainly tattoos are offputting for some, but I think the point here is that you wouldn't go to an incompentent doctor who had a big honking tattoo. You shouldn't go to an incompetent doctor anyway.
As for my own tattoo : I got it when I was 18 after one of those "major life events" and it's all symbolic and whatnot. And I really like it. Certainly doesn't hurt that it pisses my grandparents off, but they're usually too busy ranting about my lip piercing to mention the tattoo (which is only visible when I wear a tank top).
posted by grapefruitmoon at 9:05 AM on June 8, 2005
My doctor's office back home in Vermont employs a nurse/receptionist (who is probably closer to my mother's age than my own) with a HUGE tattoo of Mickey Mouse on her chest which is clearly visible when she wears a v-cut shirt (which is everyday). I've never heard even the crankiest of little old ladies compain about it.
It certainly hasn't hurt business any - they're booked solid and often have an overflow such that they can't accept new patients. Certainly tattoos are offputting for some, but I think the point here is that you wouldn't go to an incompentent doctor who had a big honking tattoo. You shouldn't go to an incompetent doctor anyway.
As for my own tattoo : I got it when I was 18 after one of those "major life events" and it's all symbolic and whatnot. And I really like it. Certainly doesn't hurt that it pisses my grandparents off, but they're usually too busy ranting about my lip piercing to mention the tattoo (which is only visible when I wear a tank top).
posted by grapefruitmoon at 9:05 AM on June 8, 2005
I love it when Fraternity brothers get their Greek Letters tattooed in obvious places.
posted by u2604ab at 10:02 AM on June 8, 2005
posted by u2604ab at 10:02 AM on June 8, 2005
"...People have tried to 'take things further' to keep it shocking, going bigger or getting it done in visible places, or ..."
(apologies for the double post; the proxy service I use at work munged the URL)
posted by Mutant at 10:46 AM on June 8, 2005
(apologies for the double post; the proxy service I use at work munged the URL)
posted by Mutant at 10:46 AM on June 8, 2005
Why have tattoos become so universal?
Previously tattooing was the preserve of the poor and working classes, those who'd been in the army, navy or prison. It was also briefly popular amongst the upper classes, particularly those who didn't need to work for a living.
More recently tattooing has spread to the middle classes and has become increasingly accepted. This isn't just because of "alternative" music although that is clearly one reason. Look out for middle age women with "tribal" tattoos and you can see that what I would call "new age bullshit" has also been a big contributing factor. Once your mother and your daughter are tattooed then tattooing just seems a little bit more acceptable.
So why are you seeing more tattoos? Because recently all your middle class friends and neighbours started getting them.
posted by dodgygeezer at 10:52 AM on June 8, 2005
Previously tattooing was the preserve of the poor and working classes, those who'd been in the army, navy or prison. It was also briefly popular amongst the upper classes, particularly those who didn't need to work for a living.
More recently tattooing has spread to the middle classes and has become increasingly accepted. This isn't just because of "alternative" music although that is clearly one reason. Look out for middle age women with "tribal" tattoos and you can see that what I would call "new age bullshit" has also been a big contributing factor. Once your mother and your daughter are tattooed then tattooing just seems a little bit more acceptable.
So why are you seeing more tattoos? Because recently all your middle class friends and neighbours started getting them.
posted by dodgygeezer at 10:52 AM on June 8, 2005
Mod note: deleted mutant's broken-image double post thing
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 12:33 PM on June 8, 2005
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 12:33 PM on June 8, 2005
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:15 PM on June 7, 2005 [1 favorite]