... Although the current trend of tattoos reflects some pop cultural obsessions with individuality and self- expression, this fad can result in some consequences in terms of health, money, addiction, and workplace regulations. In fact, it seems that everyone in the media as well as in everyday life is sporting tattoos. Although tattoos were previously worn by criminals, soldiers, sailors and gangs, this trend transitioned into a modern fashion statement. Tattoos have transformed from a sign of rebellion to more of a statement of one’s individuality and self- expression. Tattoos have evolved from the typically symbols of crosses, skulls, anchors to more personalized symbols about one’s family, faith, occupation etc. Tattoos are now a trend to personalize and express one’s individuality. They are now gaining popularity among celebrities, athletes and media icons endorse them. There are several reasons for getting tattoos: one of the main reasons for being tattooed is self-expression. People have gone through changes and experience growth; a tattoo is used to symbolize such changes. It is also used as an expression when an idea is conceived or to display an emotion. Peer pressure also strongly contributes to tattoo mania because people want to fit in. Another popular reason for getting tattoo is for cosmetic purposes to cover scars or a birthmark. Tattoos are also worn enhance beauty. There are many people who bore scars and are self-conscious of them. Unfortunately...
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...place for people with tattoos. Unfortunately today tattoos are still looked down upon. When someone gets a tattoo, they know what the consequence may be for them; and that is not being able to get a certain job. I don’t see not allowing someone to get a job because of his or her tattoo as a form of discrimination. In most cases they are not hiring the person because they believe that with the tattoos the employee is not able to upkeep the image that their employer desires. The classes of discrimination include what people have no control over: race, nationality, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and disability. People with tattoos have voluntarily chosen to get them. In addition, employers have the legal rights to create a work and dress code that can include legal provisions on the visibility of tattoos. It would hurt companies because this may give employees another reason to sue them. A reason certain companies may require body art to be covered is that they are trying to keep a certain corporate image which is important for their presentation of the company. They want their employees to be clean and presentable and fit into the image they are trying to convey. This may be important for jobs in which you are required to work and present products to others; which is a large amount of jobs. Also companies may be against tattoos if they want to keep a traditional, clean image; in which they try to appear to a certain audience. Although tattoos are becoming more normal...
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...Tattoos While the oldest known tattoo was on an iceman found on the Italian-Austrian border with carbon-dating showing the iceman to be 5,200 years old (Lineberry, 2007) for many years, here in America, tattoos were only popular with sailors, soldiers, Marines, bikers and occasionally the rebellious teenager. Why were tattoos only popular with these few? Social taboos looked down on those with tattoos. However, through tattoos a person can show self expression, be self creative, and be identified with a certain belief or interest through the art, design or message. It is for these simple reasons their popularity over the last twenty years has grown at an incredible rate, and people of all ages, sexes, ethnic groups, and social classes have begun to get tattoos. Self expression is one reason tattoos have become so popular due to the fact that an individual can make an expressive statement that will speak forever by getting a tattoo. Many young people find this as a way to express their anger or sadness. Tattoos have a way of speaking for an individual when that person doesn’t want to say anything. It is very important that the individual knows for sure that they want a tattoo. Unless taken off by a doctor in a very costly and painful procedure, the tattoo is permanent (Maloney-Hawkins, 2004). It used to be that adults would say that getting a tattoo was a teenager’s way of being rebellious. Now, the adults are getting tattoos, also. Some of the most popular tattoos...
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...Tattoos: Why are they leaving their mark on Generation Y? The practice of tattooing has been one of civilization’s most enduring art forms, with references to it going back over 5000 years. The practice has been both revered and stigmatized. The Victorian gentry used tattoos as status symbols until the invention of the electric needle, which made the procedure more commonplace. With its rise in popularity and its association with the lower classes, sailors, and even criminals, the elite in society chose to refrain from the practice. However, over the last twenty years the tattoo has undergone a dramatic resurgence, particularly with those aged between eighteen and thirty five years old. The reasons for this revival are popular culture, self expression and peer pressure. One thing that has promoted the use of tattoos with the younger generation is today’s popular culture and its icons. The “A” list of film stars, music artists and sporting personalities such as Angelina Jolie, Rihanna, David and Victoria Beckham, and Aaron Hernandez, all wear their ink stamps blatantly and with pride. These personalities have glamorised tattoos, and young people see that they are no longer associated with criminals and outlawed biker gangs. On the contrary, tattoos have made their way into art galleries, museums, fashion runways, and even the front cover of The New Yorker magazine. Television shows such as Miami Ink, which first aired in 2005, have promoted the art into...
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...different cultures disapprove of tattoos, there are significant meanings in tribal tattoos because many tribes require tattoos for different cultural reasons. Humans have tattooed their bodies with a variety of symbols showing their religious beliefs, status symbols, declarations of love, or even different forms of punishment. Scientists say that the marks on the skin of the Iceman dating from back to 3300 B.C., are tattoos. Tattoos also can be found on Egyptian and Nubian mummies dating all the way back to about 2000 B.C. The markings found on the ancient Egyptians were done for reasons scientists still debate about. One theory is that only the “dancing girls” were marked with tattoos showing their prostitute status. The other theory is pregnant Egyptian women were tattooed to protect them during birth and “keep everything in” while pregnant. One thing scientist know for sure is that only the woman in the Egyptian society were tattooed. The tattoos that have been found are all of designs across the abdomen, thighs, and breasts. The designs are dots in a net like pattern the flow across the woman’s abdomen, breasts, and thighs. The Greeks and Romans however, referred to tattoos as a “stigmata.” They used tattooing to mark a person showing they belong to a specific religious group or to show they are a criminal. Roman soldiers were required by law to have tattoos on their hands to make it difficult for them if they deserted their group. Tattoos spread across the Roman society...
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...Corporate perception, productivity, and morale are improved with employing individuals with tattoos. Tattoos have their place in every culture including 21st century America. The notion of only bikers and harlots having tattoos is as outdated as those who use the term ‘harlot’ – today everyone from the leader of the PTA to politicians and CEOs are tattooed. The bias against tattooed individuals extends far beyond name calling, for some individuals it can even extend to the ability to be hired or promoted, however as the number of tattooed individuals increases so does the opportunity for companies to take advantage of the unique benefits that having a tattoo offers, just as many extremely successful companies are realizing. Despite the negative outlook some people have on tattoos in the workplace, employing tattooed individuals improves overall perception of the company, increases...
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...Washington Square News, an article on “Tattoo Tolerance: Older Generation Must Embrace Body Art.” Rashid’s article has brought light over the controversy of whether or not tattoos and body art are acceptable in the workplace, and how having these body modifications can affect they way that you as an individual are perceived in society. Employers are starting to see the results of how hiring tattooed employees affects their business. Even with the art of tattooing becoming more popular, the negative stigma around body modification is still heavily present amongst older generations and communities. Often times these tattoos of self-expressing art tell stories about the person who adorns the design. Ranging from...
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...Article 3: To Tattoo or Not to Tattoo (to discuss in week 4 seminar) Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow it. The increase in the number of people with tattoos is a good thing. According to a worldwide survey carried out by the HSBC bank, 46 per cent of people see tattoos as ‘self expression’. However, in the UK, 30 per cent of people described them as ‘down-market’, compared with only 7 per cent of those in the US. It must be significant that there is a large number of US A- list celebrities who have tattoos. In the Top Twenty-Five Tattooed Celebrities list, there are fifteen females and eleven males. The top is Angelina Jolie who has at least twelve. Hugh Hefner (the owner of ‘Playboy’) described fourth-placed Jessica Alba as the ‘Sexiest Woman Celebrity in the World’ and she has many tattoos. Obviously, people with tattoos are seen as very attractive. People like David Beckham and Robbie Williams have been responsible for an increase in people wanting tattoos in the UK, but the growth hasn’t been as great as it has been in the US (where 1 in 10 adults has one). This could change, however. Given that in 2103 the UK Prime Minister’s wife had a tattoo (a dolphin on her ankle), this must have contributed to an increase in the number of women having tattoos. The third of the UK population who see tattoos as ‘down-market’ should remember that the upper class used to have them. For example, the Queen’s grandfather and great- grandfather, George V and...
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...different views on ink tattoos presented in the texts. “When, for example, does tattooing become self-mutilation?” This quote is taken from text 1 by Andy Carrington who’s a poet and writer. In 2012 he published this text “Is Tattooing a Form of Self-Mutilation?” through his personal website. The question is: Does tattooing mean self-mutilation at all? It depends how you turn the perspective. Andy Carrington has a majority of tattoos, since he wrote “I will confess I chose to have a majority of my tattoos done to alleviate my boredom”. His opinion is that people are more self-destructive if they have tattoos. This text focuses on how your identity changes on the number of tattoos you have printed on their body. “Job-seekers all over the world are finding that their tats may be costing them a job opportunity.” This quote is taken from text 2 by Brendan O’Neill who is an editor of the online magazine Spiked Online. In 2014 he published this text “Tattoos were once a sign of rebellion – now they are evidence of craven conformity to cultural norms” as a blog post from the website of the British newspaper The Telegraph. It’s a normal mentality that people have prejudice for tattooed humans. Normally the job-seekers gets a rejection because of their visible tattoos. But why? Just because you were under the needle for a few hours it doesn’t mean that your personality is changed? Following to the Japanese mayor of the city Osaka, he says: “If they want to have tattoos, they should quit...
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...Commonly everyone is aware that tattoos are a permanent marking of the skin, due to a sharp device using ink. Sapphire Beauty states in her article "Many people have tattoos as a type of decoration design known as body modification, body art, or a way of "self-expression." Tattoos to the person obtaining them are reflected as a sign of uniqueness, it's something personal. Most people, if not all think that only humans have tattoos, but, that’s where they are wrong. Animals have tattoos for marking or utilized for recognizable proof motivations to find a lost pet. The body is a blank canvas and the ink of a tattoo is the paint; tattoos express the body, so the threat must be society’s opinions. So from what I've grasped from that is that tattoos...
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...“A tattoo is a true poetic creation, and is always more than meets the eye.” ~V. Vale and Andrea Juno I. INTRODUCTION A Tattoo is a form of body modification, made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos have been used by most cultures for centuries and recently have become very popular with both men, women and youth. But why are tattoos so popular in today’s society? Most people who have tattoos will say that they got it for a specific time or person in their lives that they will never forget. Others say that they feel more adventurous and don’t really have a specific reason for getting their tattoo. For some people, tattoos make them feel different from other people. Some people say it is art. In an NBC News article a young man said, “Your body’s an empty canvas, so you almost want to continue to add to it.” Some don’t personally like tattoos and don’t understand them. Some understand are representation of a special someone or a specific time in ones life more than the ones that are there to show rebellness. Fads and styles come and go and we are not sure if tattoos will ever die down, but if they do, some people may regret getting tattoos. Tattooing has been practiced for centuries in many cultures and spread throughout the world. Tattooing was popular among certain ethnic groups in Southern China, Polynesia, Africa, Borneo, Cambodia, Europe, Japan, the Mentawai Islands, MesoAmerica, New Zealand, North America...
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...Jessica Carr January 24, 2015 Enc 1102-325 The Big Tattoo Boom You see them everywhere you go. They are on the waitress who are serving you dinner, the veteran waiting for medical care, and even on the football players we watch on television. According to Dictionary.com, a tattoo is done by marking the skin with indelible patterns, pictures, and legends by making punctures in it and inserting pigments. Tattoos which date back to hundreds, even thousands of years ago have slowly grown into a booming business. Many things about the tattoo world have changed over time, from the tools and ink used, to designs, and even meanings behind the tattoos. I plan to explain how big of a business tattooing has come to be. There was a time when getting a tattoo wasn’t an expression or even a choice. According to the Lineberry’s article from the Smithsonian “In terms of tattoos on actual bodies, the earliest known examples were Egyptian and were present on several female mummies dating back to 2000 B.C.” Meanings of tattoos during the ancient years ranged from religious, to cultural, and even to represent skill or ownership. In the beginning tattoos weren’t given using the usual tattoo gun and ink like you would find today. Tattoos have changed a ton since first surfacing in ancient times. I’m sure the Egyptians never imagined tattooing would turn into a thriving business or a way for people to express themselves. In 1891, Samuel...
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...The History of Tattoos Rebecca Tanner Axia College of University of Phoenix What is all the hype revolving around tattoos truly about? There are so many answers to this question yet it can only truly be answered by the individuals who get them. For many it is simply a form of expression but history shows that there are reasons that some may have never considered, such as the medical purposes for getting tattoos. Although they are becoming more and more popular, tattoos have been a form of artistic, spiritual, and medical expression for centuries. Tattoos have been a form of expression for centuries Tattoos date back for centuries. Over the course of time, archaeologists have found evidence of the existence of tattoos on mummified remains as well as other artifacts. According to Lineberry (2007), it was believed that the first evidence of tattoos existed in ancient Egypt where tattoos date back to 2000 B.C. and were found only on female remains. This has since been disputed with the discovery of Iceman in 1991. This frozen mummy had markings on his spine, knees, and ankles. Historians have also found clay figurines depicting Japanese individuals adorned with elaborate body art dating back to 5000 B.C. It was once thought that these were merely artifacts but later revealed to be depictions of actual individuals (Vanishing Tattoo, 2008). Tattoos have also been very prominent in Celtic history, with records indicating the existence of tattoos as far back as 1200...
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...comes traditions, ideas, and beliefs that are their own. Tattoos play an important role in many cultures. Every culture has its own methods of tattooing, the types of tattoos they receive, and what the tattoos symbolize. It is clear that people from one culture will view tattoos from another culture differently than tattoos worn within their own culture. When comparing tattoos between Russian prison inmates and everyday North American tattoos, several similarities and differences can be seen. North American and Russian prison tattoos are similar in many ways in regards to what motivates them to obtain them. One major similarity is that tattooing is a means of signifying identity. Inmates living in the Russian prison system as well as North Americans receive tattoos in order to be identified as a member of a certain group. Russian prison inmates can have coded tattoo designs such as cathedrals, stars, eyes, and skulls that serve as symbols, each with their own meaning, which nonmembers do not understand. These coded tattoos are used to form commitments and are a way to bond with people within the group. This reason also serves as a motivation for people in North America. Another similarity when comparing these two cultures is that tattoos serve as memorials or represent a specific, important event in their life. For example, in North America, a person may obtain a tattoo of a lost loved one to honor their memory. If a tattoo of a rose is seen on a prison inmate this indicates that...
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...“What causes people to get tattoos?” Tonny Cobos SOC100030VA016-1146-011 August 18, 2014 What causes people to get tattoos? Who doesn’t have a tattoo or know someone who does in modern society? 16% of all adults in the United States have at least one tattoo (Harvard Health). In today's society tattoos are completely acceptable. America is the melting pot of the world where diversity and cultures are welcomed. Society is begging to accept “ink”. People that work in business usually have them where they are not easily seen, but a roofer for example it is okay to have them where they are easily seen. If a tattoo is placed appropriately on your body and it is something tasteful, why not. Many celebrities state “tattoos aren't there just to look cool and different. Tattoos have special meaning and they are real, permanent tattoos” (Johnson). This is in no way supposed to stereotype anyone, but to answer some questions about why a person would decide to get something permanently imprinted on their skin.” First there is the reason of a loved one (Jackson).Then there are religious tattoos, many people get this tattoo as a sign of devotion to their beliefs, and is very commendable (Jackson). Next there is the military tattoo Jackson (2007).Then there is the just for fun tattoo. Finally there is the “oh no” mistake tattoo. Of course there will be tattoos that do not fit into any of these categories, but these are definitely common reasons. Tattoos remind people of their roots...
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