To some it may symbolize something important that they want to keep with them for the rest of their lives; to others, it could simply be an adornment. In any case, tattooing is an ancient art. It has been widely acknowledged that tattoos date back to the ancient Egyptians, but according to the Smithsonian, this form of art can be dated even further back to the Icemen. This revelation was made when the Iceman was found in “the area of the Italian-Austrian border in 1991 and his tattoo patterns … carbon-dated around 52 hundred years old.” Whether tattoos were linked to medicinal purposes or not in ancient times, they certainly have transformed drastically into what they are today. With the changes in the purpose and meaning of tattoos, also come changes in the acceptance of tattoos, and/or the designing of the body.
In the 19th Century, Christian missionaries went out to spread their word and the good news. Along with this came the denouncing of tattoos; tattoos were vilified and pronounced unholy. These connotations carried through the years and became a standardized way of thought against this freedom of creativity and expression. Somewhere along the way, the use of tattoos resurged. During the times of great dehumanization and enslaving, for example, prisoners of the Gulag tattooed themselves to show rank and to let others know where they were from, and what they were about. Each tattoo meant something specific, and others knew what each meant. Tattoos were a code, a badge, and a beloved part of each person’s body, and therefore their life.
Again, many years down the line, tattoos became a symbol for “bad” people. If someone had tattoos, and especially if they were visible, then that person was automatically identified as rebellious. Lots of new associations about tattoos emerged, and a lot of them proved to be negative assumptions. Fast forward to some years ago during the 80s and 90s: tattoos were somewhat limited to only a specific group of people. For instance, Greek organizations would have the option of getting the Greek symbols either branded onto the individual, or tattooed. In the interim, tattoos began to make a comeback as being viewed with more acceptance from all of society, and not just select groups.
Today, tattoos are becoming more popular once again, and we can find people in all sorts of professions who have tattoos. There are doctors, lawyers, teachers, and so many other professional people who have tattoos nowadays! To no surprise, there are questions like: “Are tattoos medicinal, or therapeutic?” being asked by researchers. Tattoos are now an outlet for people’s freedom as individuals. Expressing one’s beliefs and feelings through art is something that mankind has done for centuries, and tattoos are now considered a respected part of that way of living. Tattoos are becoming a way of life, and not too many people are openly shutting them out. Tattoos are even glorified, and no longer vilified. Freedom of speech came, and now freedom to tattoo is following.
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