Tattooing these days is not a tremendously unique thing. It is becoming fairly ubiquitous. Shows like LA Ink and Miami Ink glamorize getting tattooed. Celebrities and models get inked as well, so it is hard to be surprised about someone getting a tattoo these days. The question is to ask why. Why do you have a tattoo, why do you want one? Obviously the reasoning changes for every person. Sometimes it is to remember a person or event, other times it is an expression of self, viewed as an art form, or a cry for independence and the list goes on.
Tattooing used to be a very masculine thing to do. Hardly any women did it for fear of being ostracized, among other things. I think one reason that tattoos are so popular among women is that it offers a chance to be uniquely beautiful. The tattoos for women have traditionally been on the small side and it used to be desirable to have the option to hide it by business attire, for example. However, that is not always the case any more. Women now flaunt their body art. Celebrity icons Megan Fox, Rihanna, and Angelina Jolie. What has caused this change of location and size in some instances? Women these days might be trying to make a statement against a cookie-cutter form of beauty that not everyone can fall in line with. These women are forward thinkers and very independent. Kat Von D, the TV reality star on LA Ink, for example is a very beautiful tattoo artist. She is loaded with tattoos, yet she is classy and can dress very nicely. In fashion, there is often a mix of stylish and polished elements with a more down to earth type of aesthetic mixed together. Is a tattoo significant to females or are tattoos just accessories that can never be taken off? It goes both ways. We have people that enjoy tattoos as a way of life, while others enjoy in moderation or have none at all. So I ask, What do you think the main drive is behind getting tattoos? If you were to get a tattoo would it have embedded social meaning?
16 comments:
I think that the main motivation behind tattoos are just as individual as what tattoo someone is to get. And if I was to get one to say that it would have no social meaning you be a lie. I would probably get a sleeve which comprised of my favorite sports teams, cartoon characters, and cool designs.
In my opinion, most people get tattoos because they want to portray some kind of message to the world. Whether it is in memorial of a person or an event, or just an image of something they think represents them, people have usually have a deep connection with what they put on their body. This being said, I don't think I'll ever tattoo the the name of my first born across my arm, or the date of my college graduation across my forehead. What ever it is that makes people get tattoos is a personal decision, but one I don't think I'll make any time.
I know people who have tattoos with deep personal meaning, and on the same arm have a chinese symbol that means "the." I think that depending on your state of mind when getting a tattoo, it means different things to you. However, I am also under the opinion that simply having a tattoo (or tattoos) sends a message, regardless of what the tattoo depicts. I don't know that I can think of anything that I like or value enough to have it constantly displayed on my body for the rest of my life.
I think that tattoos probably carry the same sort of message for women as they do for men--to an extent. I think that now more than ever, women are using their bodies to say more and more. I think that for women, maybe getting a tattoo says that "I can be just as independent, just as loud, and just as flaunting with my body as you can. How I choose to do it may be different. But I can do what I want." I think that as the feminist movement has spread, as women have entered traditionally male roles, they have become more and more open to doing those types of things.
I confess that I chuckled at the assertion that someone covered with tattoos can somehow at the same time be "classy". The two are, or at least traditionally have been mutually exclusive. This same irony describes much of Hollywood celebrities laughable striving for relevance. There seems to exist for many celebrities an inability to recognize the irony that their own conduct generates. So many celebrities try to strive for the symbols of a "classy individual" such as rich expensive homes, elegant period cars, costly clothing and fine wines, and yet for all the trappings of culture, class and sophistication, many celebrities by their idiotic behavior are far from classy. For the elite in many cultures, the mere existence of a tattoo however "classy" is ipso facto a sign of low class. I would never get a tattoo, as a human's natural form for me requires no improvement. Its obvious that some people see their bodies as canvases upon which they can display ideas and images like a billboard, and others as places to display artistic depictions of their own personality. I must confess I don't really understand how someone could permanently decorate their body with such a mark, that is bound to darken with age, and leave nothing but an ugly blotch upon the skin.
i think people can get tattoos for a lot of different reasons. Maybe it is for someone else that they are really close to, maybe because it helps them achieve a look they want. there are so many different reasons for why someone would want a tattoo. But if i were to get one i don't know if it would have embedded social meaning but maybe more personal meaning. If i was to get something that permanent put on my body it would definitely have to have some sort of deeper meaning.
I think one of the main drives is to show the world the complete control people have over their bodies. And by getting tattoos, they are showing an outward visual display of who they are by creating some kind of 'art' or message. I honestly can't think of something that holds enough meaning to be permanently inked on my body for the rest of my life. Whenever I see someone with the arms or body tattooed I think to myself, what will that look like when they are a wrinkly grandparent and their grand kids ask what meaning it has.
I think people get tattoos as a form of expression, and just to show that they can. I can't really pinpoint a reason. If I weren't Mormon I would most likely have one, and I honestly can't say why. I think it's just so common now that it's almost expected for everyone to have one somewhere, even if it is small and hidden.
I feel like getting tattoos means something different to everyone. Some people get tattoos that have significant meaning, others just get them because they look cool. If I were to get a tattoo I'd probably put it somewhere hidden, like the back of my neck. It probably wouldn't be really significant maybe just the outline of a star or something. It would purely be for looks, nothing significant.
Tattoos I believe are very personal. They are ridden with meaning though. The personal reason for getting one could be simply to fit it with today's trendy society. It could be to commemorate the birth or death of a loved one. It could be done to show a type of bond with other friends who have the same tattoo. For whatever reason, these people want to send a message to everyone who sees their tattoo.
I think people want tattoos for a lot of different reasons. I feel a lot of the time the main reason is personal. It means something to the individual and they want to sometimes show it off. I have thought a great deal about getting a tattoo, and the significance of what I would want does have a great deal of social meaning. At the same time, no one could figure out the meaning without my explanation so it still retains a very personal base.
I think one of the main drives behind getting a tattoo is just wanting to be different. Tattoos are meant to be seen. If I were to get a tattoo it would be something small. I guess having a smaller tattoo would suggest I would like to be more reserved rather than flaunt my body art. I can't think of what I would get a tattoo of, but I would like whatever I get to have some kind of symbolic meaning for myself.
Some people definitely get tattoos to symbolize something, but I think these days they just stand as a status symbol. There seems to be a certain group of people who always got tattoos, but now it has become extremely popular for anyway, totally shaking up the symbolism. I think for women of today, it has become an accessory that can't be taken off, but they're fine with that, because they're trendy.
Tattoos are such permanent things that I think it is dangerous to embed them with social meanings or even just get them for fashion purposes. Because both social and fashion situations are subject to such rapid change that one who gets tattoos will quickly be outdated, yet still stuck with the permanent ink on their skin.
I think there are many reasons people get tattoos, but I also think that just like a certain hair style or style of clothing, tattoos have become a statement about a woman that certain women want to present. They get tattoos to show off their views and feelings, just like Lady Gaga wears ridiculous outfits to show her view of the world and herself.
I think tattoos are an outward statement of who the person want everyone to think they are. If I were to get at tattoo, it would definitely be a political statement.
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