One summer night, my friends and I were having a sleepover, and we played truth or dare. It was that awkward transition from the 8th grade to being a freshman in high school, and everything in high school seemed scary and exciting. As I was sick of making a fool out of myself with doing ridiculous things to avoid speaking the truth, alas, I surrendered. My friend slyly smiled, whispered to the rest, and proceeded to ask, “Would you ever get a tattoo?” The giggling and gasping ensued. I took a long pause. Would I? As we were young, tattoos had this rebellious aura wrapped around them, and many people today agree as well. As of now, a college student today at UCI, I have never gotten a tattoo, but with society making it more acceptable to have tattoos today, I can’t help but to consider having one. Am I being pressured to succumb to this “fad?” Partially, yet for me, it’s a long thought process before I allow any needle to touch my skin.
The word tattoo comes from the Tahitian word “tattau,” meaning “to mark,” discovered by explorer James Cook in his 1769 voyage to the South Pacific. However, scientists have made the discovery that the practice of tattoos had been used from mummified human bodies as early as 3300 B.C. Such markings on people’s bodies were also evident in Egyptian and Nubian mummies, and as the discovery went on, the use of tattoos stretched from Greeks to even ancient Germans. Reasons regarding such markings on people’s bodies included therapeutic healings, or even remembrance. The reawakening of the discovery of tattoos occurred as Europeans began their explorations around the world, encountering Polynesians and American Indians. Because tattoos were considered exotic in U.S. and European societies, tattooed people from such areas of the world were marveled at in the 18th and 19th centuries.
American style tattooing began in New York City. At the turn of the 19th century, the entertainment industry and the booming of business attracted the working-class people with money to spend. Samuel O’Riely, from Boston, hired apprentice Charlie Wagner to set up the first tattoo parlor at Chatham Square. Yet as the Great Depression hit, Chatham Square was at loss. Tattoos then eventually became travel markers, where people would tattoo their whereabouts and travel stories. After World War II, tattoos
were associated with juvenile delinquents and gang members, as many prisoners would obtain tattoos of how many crimes they have committed or what they’ve been through in prison. In the 1960s tattoos began highly disrespected by American culture, and as outbreaks of hepatitis occurred from tattooing, the phenomenon unfortunately turned to a halt.
Thanks to technology, tattooing is making a strong comeback, making it more popular and more accepted than ever before. People have the opportunity to not only stick with traditional values of tattooing, but also to utilize the chance to have different styles and designs of expressing themselves through body art. At many colleges today, including UCI, people are open with the idea of tattoos. I have many friends now that have tattoos with distinctive and inspiring messages behind their body art, and I must admit, I ponder at the moment of when I will get one. It’s normal to see students around campus with tattoos, and one can’t help but to wonder their interpreted meaning behind their rose or a skull. Nonetheless, are tattoos still considered taboo? Yes and no. There are people that scorn the idea of tattoos as a repulsive thing to do, or fear that having permanent ink will seep through your untainted epidermis. And still, there are people that take tattooing as a form of art, a beautiful and exclusive way of expressing oneself. Would it be worth the pain to have something stuck with you forever? For some, it’s a thought to overcome, and for others, not so much. College women today are more expressive and daring in their choices, and not only men seem to tattoo now. Careers are even blossomed, as tattoo artists are being credited and respected more with their ability to tattoo just about anything. So I would say the topic of tattooing can be looked at as a taboo, or not, depending on your own opinion of it. For now, it is safe to say that tattooing is a strong trend that will definitely be a part of our generation for a while.
What do you think of tattoos? Does yours have a distinct meaning? Leave a comment below!