Our generation’s attitude towards tattoos and body modification is strikingly different from other recent generations. I remember a conversation I had with a woman who worked in my father’s office. She told me a story of how she and her husband had gone out to eat dinner at a place where they make fresh pizza, dough and everything, right there on the spot. They were hungry, and the smells wafting from the kitchen were enticing. They peered back into the kitchen to see a woman tossing the dough, shaping it with her fingers, wrists, and forearms. Her arms were also sleeved in tattoos. To her and her husband, the pizza maker’s arms looked dirty and unnatural, and it was enough to make them look for another restaurant. This was the first time I began to understand why other people, people from my parent’s generation, did not like the look of tattoos.
Personally, I know if it had been me at that pizza shop, I would have had no problem digging right in. As a girl, I feel like I have been exposed to and tried plenty of other modifications that change my appearance, like using make-up, hair dye, self-tanner, and razors for shaving; all of which are accepted and even advertised in our society. Therefore tattoos, to me, seem little different than another form of changing my outward appearance, granted in a more permanent fashion. Any altering of outward appearance will influence other people’s perceptions and judgments. I know that by wearing bright red lipstick or showing off my tattoo will change people’s initial impression of me.
Additionally, like the use of make-up and other appearance alterations, tattoos are often a marker of personal identity. The tattooed people I have known usually have a personal story to go along with their ink, or are linked to an important person in their life. My own tattoo, a phrase “On my honor, I will try,” written on my left leg, I had done with two friends. It represents our friendship, which as cheesy or mushy as that may initially sound, is important to me and has shaped who I am today. And while I know friendships can end, I know that my tattoo will always remind me of where I came from.
The stories and link to identity can make tattoos very personal, but at the same time tattoos are becoming more common for our generation. In one sense, tattooing has made its way into our popular culture, making the more widely accepted. Through television shows like “Miami Ink” or “Ink Master,” the process of tattooing has been brought into the home. The flashing of tattoos by celebrities, like Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, and Rihanna, has made tattoos attractive/seductive, and in a way, fashionable. Tattooing has become accepted, however only in a limited range. Smaller or discreet tattoos are accepted as a commodity or experience. Many students I know who have tattoos, myself included, have them placed in hidden or easily covered areas of their body. Therefore, there is still a large feeling of acceptance of tattoos, or at least a strong enough need to keep them from being displayed every day.
Photo Credit: All photos were taken by author Claire Deahl.