The polemic about tattoos
I was wondering why tattoos are a controversial point in our society! There are people against and people that really like tattoos, but who is right? Should I think it is a good or a bad thing? Maybe for the tattooists the art involves is worth the pain and sacrifice of being tattooed. For the religious, it is a sin to sacrifice one’s body with so meaningless purpose. Now I don’t think there are excuses to justify so drastic a way of art, but analyzing the points of view I will try to clarify some questions I still have about this body art such as the reason people have tattoos, “When did tattooing start?”, the dangers involved in this procedure, the removal of a tattoo and society’s reaction to tattooed persons.
Thinking it is weird to have one’s body penetrated many times by a needle to make only a drawing I do not think is worth it. So, why do people have tattoos? Why it is a common place nowadays?
Probably because people see that the tattoo is a way of expression, but the real motivation to acquire it varies among groups and cultures. It marks thoughts, opinions, memories…Some persons obtains tattoos as a means of asserting their personal identity or sexual orientation. Tattoos may be a testament to feelings of love, they have been associated with rites of passage and identification with groups. Nowadays tattoos is used for some cosmetic medical procedures and permanent make-up applications, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences’ web site. Some women seek facial tattooing as method of permanent adornment that reduces the need of cosmetics, what can be helpful when, for example, a compromised vision impairs the ability to apply make-up.
Talking with a friend who likes a lot of body art, Manoela Cunha, she said: “I like tattoos because they make me feel “the one”! There is