Significance Of Tattoos

Significance of Tattoos

Rebecca Hay

Axia College of University of Phoenix

In the past, tattoos were commonly thought of as trashy or bad. One would often relate them to bikers, rock and heavy metal stars, pirates, or gangsters. That has considerably changed over the years. According to Swan, “In 2003 approximately 40 million Americans reported to have at least one tattoo.” Today's culture is still fascinated with tattooing. In the 1990s, tattoos were the sixth fastest growing retail behind the Internet, paging services, computer and cell phone services. 28% of adult’s ages 30-39 were tattooed and that number rose to 36 percent in the 25-29 age group. 31% of the gay, lesbian and bisexual population, regardless of age, was inked as well. Tattoos are significant because they represent and symbolize different things to many people.

Erika Aldama. (2007, Febuary 8). The History of Permanent Trend. Retrieved January 13, 2008, from http://media.www.thetraveleronline.com/media/storage/paper688/news/2007/02/08/LifeStyle/Tattoos-2706864-page2.shtml

The word tattoo is said to have two major origins- from the Polynesian word �ta’ which means striking something and the Tahitian word �tatau’ which means �to mark something’. The history of tattoo began over 5000 years ago. Many past cultures included tattoos in their tradition. Tattoos were used for different reasons such as communicating among spies, for criminals and slaves to be marked, culture, religious and ceremonial, or social status.

The first permanent tattoo shop in New York City was settled up in 1846 and began a tradition by tattooing military servicemen from both sides of the civil war. Samuel O'reilly invented the electric tattooing machine in 1891. O'Reilly's machine was based on the rotary technology of the electric engraving device invented by Thomas Edison. Modern tattoo machines use electromagnetic coils. The first coil machine was invented by Thomas Riley in London, 1891 using a single coil. The first twin coil machine, the predecessor of the modern configuration, was invented by Alfred Charles, in 1899.The birthplace of the American style tattoo was Chatham Square in New York City. Tattooing had little respect in American culture. Design boom. (2007). A Brief History of Tattoos. Retrieved January 14, 2008, from

http://www.designboom.com/history/tattoo_history.html

In the late 1960s, the attitude towards tattooing changed. Much credit can be given to Lyle Tuttle. He is charming and interesting and knows how to use the media. He tattooed celebrities, mostly women. Magazines and television went to Lyle to get information about this ancient art form. Lyle Tuttle (born 1931) is a well-known American tattoo artist and historian of the medium, who has been tattooing since 1949. He was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, after having tattooed Janis Joplin and several other notable musicians and celebrities of the time.

Lyle Tuttle. (2007, June 23). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 14, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lyle_Tuttle&oldid=140156691

When deciding what type of tattoo to get, a person may want to go into the shop and look around first to make sure that it is clean and safe. Make sure that they use sterilized equipment. Then one can look at his or her “flash” tattoos. These are tattoos that the artist has designed or have placed on individuals. If the customer has a design in mind, they can talk to the artist to see if they can draw one especially for them. Sometimes they will design a tattoo that the customer wants exactly, or they might not be able to come up with what they want. If that is the case, the customer can always look on the internet or in books. Usually the individual will want something unique that no one else would have that expresses them.

The most common method of tattooing in modern times is the electric tattoo machine, which inserts ink into the skin via a group of needles that are soldered onto a bar, which is attached to an oscillating unit. The unit rapidly and repeatedly drives the needles in and out of the skin, usually 80 to 150 times a second. This modern procedure is ordinarily sanitary. The needles are single-use needles that come packaged individually. The tattoo artist must wash his or her hands, and the area that will be tattooed. Gloves must be worn at all times and the wound must be wiped frequently with a wet disposable towel of some kind.

Prices for this service vary widely, globally and locally, depending on the complexity of the tattoo, the skill and expertise of the artist, the attitude of the customer, the costs of running a business, the economics of supply and demand etc. The time it takes to get a tattoo depends on the size and complexity. A small one of simple design might take 15 minutes, whereas an elaborate sleeve tattoo or back piece requires multiple sessions of several hours each.

Several people are afraid to get tattoos because of needles or the sight of blood. In reality the needle only goes into the skin about 1/16 of an inch. This causes very little harm to the skin which in turn produces little or no blood. In the process of the getting a tattoo, the tattooist continuously wipes the area of blood, so that it is done in a clean and professional manner. When a person is drinking alcohol, or taking blood thinners during the tattoo process this is the only time he or she may tend to bleed profusely. Karen Hudson. “How much do they really hurt?” 2007 http://tattoo.about.com/cs/pafterabvneck/a/090103.htm (December 14, 2007).

Tattoos can be very painful depending on the person. Each person’s tolerance level is different. Tattoos are painful if placed in areas near the bone. Usually the best place to get a tattoo is where there is a lot of flesh. Here are some places and the pain areas…

Most Painful Areas:

Men - Abdomen, Spine, Chest

Women - Ankle, Spine, Ribcage