Before most of my friends were even 18 they had big plans for their first tattoo. They knew what it was going to be, where it was going to go and where they would get it done, (St. Sabrina's in Uptown of course!). The act of getting a tattoo is a common body practice for teenagers and young adults. Why you may ask? Because tattoos make a statement. Most of the people who get tattoos what to be seen as "cool" or "original" and tattoos present that argument. When we see a persons tattoo we are often asked to take a position. Is that tattoo original? Does it make that person cooler? What does it say about the person?
Tattoos can also be an example of symbolic praxis. When we look at location and type of tattoo, almost no men have the traditional "tramp stamp" tattoo, located on the lower back. This tattoo is found on thousands of female bodies, usually a butterfly or a flower. And almost no women have the traditional tribal design on their buff upper arms (see picture above). The type of tattoo and location illustrates how ones body is made into a docile body, something shaped by culture.
Like fashion, tattoos also have the power of classifying ones social status. A few years ago the tattoo trend was nautical, and back when our parents were growing up it was the Tweetie Bird and the Road Runner. The type of tattoo one has can identify who is, according to popular culture, cool and who isn't. Tattoos are also a pursuit without a terminus, because no matter how cool your tattoo is today, in twenty years (just like good ol Tweety Bird) it won't be. The argument you were trying to make will no longer be relevant.
I really liked this post because i can relate to it really easily. I myself have a tattoo and it took me an extremely long time to decide what i wanted to get. I tossed ideas back and forth in my head for months because I wanted something that would be memorable yet I didn't want to regret my decision after only a few years. What I ended up getting was a french saying meaning "live life." Yes, I do realize that this is slightly a cliché phrase but I try to abide by this saying and I don't feel like I will eventually regret getting this. But if I do, it's in a spot that is easy to hide ;)
ReplyDeleteTattoos are pretty interesting. I've seen a lot of tattoos that I thought were pretty cool, and many that were dumb. For example: my dad has a tattoo of Tigger on his shoulder. Pretty dumb. I think that the only way tattoos are cool is when they actually mean something to the person. Having a tattoo for the sake of having one (I'm assuming like the man in the picture) usually isn't as cool after a few years.
ReplyDeleteThanks guys! And I by no means was intending to bash tattoos(after rereading my post it sounds like I was), I've even thought about getting one. I merely think the culture behind tattoos is fascinating.
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