It became apparent during live art exhibitions in the 1990's that it was not just the bikers, prisoners, sailors and the lower class that were covered with tattoos on their bodies. In DeMello's (1995) article it makes note that more common group of people to have tattoos on their bodies were the educated middle class. The middle class talked of being able to express their lives through art on their bodies. They were able to develop an emotional relationship with their tattoos and talked of wanting the tattoos for spiritual reasons, self-help, or personal empowerment. Through this it allowed for tattoos to be distant from just the bikers, prisoner, sailors and the lower class individuals and seen as a more common art form amongst the community of higher classes. .
The attitude of the non-tattooed world has been manipulated through the mainstream media. The 1980's and 1990's media showed an awfully limited value of different opinions of everything to do with tattoos. The media had articles that were full of distorted images of tattoos or people with tattoos, half-truths about what type of people wanted and were getting tattoos, and myths of what tattoos use to be. Yet, in the years beyond the 1990's the media has shown a fresh opinion, the ˜new tattoo generation' (Reynolds, 2003). The new tattoo generation is the only group who is now allowed too or noticed wearing tattoos. Thus rendering all other groups, like the bikers, prisoners, sailors and lower class, it denies them their existence to live in the public eye. Through the media's portrayal of the new tattoo generation and their one sided view of the tattooing community it has given the people of Generation Y the perspective of tattoos being for the average person, not just for bikers, prisoners and sailors. .
The popularity of tattoos has increased beyond the bikers, prisoners and sailors through the increase in the entertainment industry.