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Tattoos And Identity

            Expressing yourself in a unique way is something that everyone strives for in life. The most common ways of self expression is body modification. Body Modification can be classified as anything from plastic surgery to clipping your finger nails and everything in between. Modifing or bodies is something we all do to a certain extent be it dying or hair, going sun tanning or piercing your tongue. These are conscious choices people make to change there appeirence. Apperience is something that carries heavy emphasies on who a person is and wants to be that's why people go to such great lengths to look certain ways or to portray a certain style. One of the more popular ways of expressing who you are through modifying your body is by getting tattooed. Tattoos give people the opportunity to show society with out speaking a part of who they are or what they believe by simply having a design or symbol permanently applied to the skin for a fairly reasonable one time fee. Though tattoos have some negative conotaions they seemed to bethe most popular and effective way of self exspression for the youth but also other generations. .
             In today's society tattoos are used for purely personal reasons. Today there are 42 million Americans with tattoos that is about 1 out of every seven people in the U.S. have a tattoo and the number is growing. This is shown through out the number of tattoo shops that are now open and continue to open at about an average of one new shop opening per day. But how have Tattoos come as far as they have up to this point.
             Tattoos are the oldest form of body modification they have been around for many centuries dating back to the Bronze Age in 3300 B.C. according to Catherine M. Barttash, a behavioral scientist. Throughout history tattoos have served many different purposes. Almost all of them were to easily identify a person as a member of a certain group. For the Morati tribe of New Zealand the tattoo art form is a rite of passage being given to the tribes members only when they have proved they have earned it.


Essays Related to Tattoos And Identity

1. Tattoos

The punks I knew tended to revel in the shocking or self-destructive aspects of body alterations; neo-tribalist body art often stresses transformation - gaining control over one's body, undergoing a rite of passage, or the desire to carve an individual identity in a conformist culture." ... It distinguishes someone from the mainstream, it serves as a badge of identity and it can be a way for people to create an identity and a sense of community." ... Most non-pierced or non-tattooed people would agree that people are heading to the needle factory in order to claim their rebellious identit...

  • Word Count: 1651
  • Approx Pages: 7

2. Tattoos: not just skin deep

Tattoos: not just skin deep Just as a war hero is decorated with medals, others decorate themselves with tattoos. ... Going back as far as tattoos do in history, let's look at why they got tattooed. ... Comparatively, in modern times: By piercing and tattooing their bodies they show they are beginning to establish their own identities and they force their parents to see them as separate entities (Howard, 1). ... Tattoos can be used when people are seeking a "public identity" or wish to rebel also. ... Only gradually is it becoming accepted as adornment and as a sign of self-procl...

  • Word Count: 885
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

3. Tattoos: Not Just Skin Deep

Going back as far as tattoos do in history, let's look at why they got tattooed. ... Comparatively, in modern times: By piercing and tattooing their bodies they show they are beginning to establish their own identities and they force their parents to see them as separate entities (Howard, 1). ... Tattoos were used in the 20th century to label inmates of Nazi concentration camps (Tattoo, 33). ... Tattoos can be used when people are seeking a "public identity" or wish to rebel also. ... Only gradually is it becoming accepted as adornment and as a sign of self-proclaimed identity (Hewit...

  • Word Count: 1017
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

4. Body Art and Tattoos

There are many forms of body modification, but tattooing is the most common of all. ... There are good reasons that tattoos goes back to Bronze Age. ... It is possible that the body marks were in some ways medicinal or use in a practice of healing; however, it could also be decorative and bearers of meaning in terms of rank and identity. ... Female mummies from Egypt with tattoos were often assumed as prostitutes, but it is also shows that other woman of all social classes likely were tattooed. ... Tattoos back then are more basic of a design and only have one color which is black. ...

  • Word Count: 807
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

5. The Bar Code Tattoo by Suzanne Wyen

The use of the barcode tattoo in The Bar Code Tattoo is used to organize people into a genetic hierarchy. ... It will become your identity. ... Individuality vs. conformity, Identity vs. access, Freedom vs. control.... The Barcode Tattoo demonstrates this with the tattoo. ... On page 102 "new medical phenomenon they dubbed tattoo mania psychosis this mania in which a person becomes convinced that the barcode tattoo will somehow do him or her harm. ...

  • Word Count: 1042
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

6. Body Art as Visual Language

People have always marked their bodies with signs of rebellion, social status and cultural identity. ... Reshape, pierce, tattoos or simple adorn their bodies. ... Like performance artists and actors, people in everyday life use body art to cross boundaries of gender, national identity, and cultural stereotypes. " Tattooing uses a sharp implement to puncture the skin and thus make a permanent mark, design, or picture on the body. ... In fact, cosmetic tattooing of eyebrows and eyeliner is one of the fastest growing of all body art tattoos. Tattoos can also signify bravery and commitment to ...

  • Word Count: 910
  • Approx Pages: 4

7. The Beauty and Significance of Body Art

Beauty and art is not often defined by what individuals finds acceptable and pleasing to the eye; but can be used as a form of self-expression and developing identity as a person. ... Schildkrout states, "Body art can be an expression of individuality but it can be an expression of group identity. " (Hirschberg & Hirschberg, 2012, p. 110). ... Egyptian mummies bear tattoos dating back to 4200 BCE and the oldest known remains of a tattooed body comes to us from a Glacier in Italy and dates to the Bronze Age. ... Tattooing has been around for many years and as time passes, the popularity has...

  • Word Count: 967
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Moko

Moko is the Maori art of tattooing. ... Maori tattoos consist of intricate patterns on the back, legs, hips, and face. The tattoos are made using a tool similar to the adze. ... In this way, tattooing is related to the arts of wood and stone carving. ... Geneolgy and personal identity are often denoted through stylistic continuity within the tattoos. ...

  • Word Count: 432
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

9. Art for the human canvas

Tattooing has been around for centuries. ... The art of tattooing has exploded! ... "I'm not a fan of tattoos," says state Rep. ... This winter, body art got a stamp of legitimacy from the American Museum of Natural History with the opening of "Body Art: Marks of Identity." ... Whether you consider tattooing a taboo or art for the human canvas, tattooing has made its "mark" on this generation. ...

  • Word Count: 1379
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

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