This weekend on Long Beach, NY, I learned two things: one, umbrellas bought at the dollar store cannot sustain winds over 1.5 knots (sorry nearby family of four!) and two, tattoos are everywhere! Many of those inked creations made me laugh out loud, some of them made me gag, but most of them made me realize that people will do anything to stand out.
But I gotta ask: what part of getting a tattoo is original? Tattooing has been around for over 5,000 years in Chinese, Polynesian, Celtic, Greek, Roman, and Native American cultures, to name a few. The art is ancient. I understand that what's actually inked on the skin is individual and left to one's own free will, but the choice to get a tattoo says something about the desire to not only stand out, but to stand together with others that stand out. How innovative is a tattoo when there's a 36% chance that if an 18-25 year-old walks by, they'll have one too?
I mean, humans have been trying to showcase originality for millennia, from cavemen to current presidential candidates. And because tattoos are attempted markings of uniqueness, it becomes less about the archaic idea and more about the actual "art."
With that in mind, let's take a look at a smattering of ways men and women who sunned on Long Beach this weekend decided to draw attention to (read: ink) themselves: there was a Tasmanian Devil waving a confederate flag, an eagle (in color!) spread across a man's chest, a giant squid (also, in color!) twirling around a woman's calf preparing to devour her knee, and the piece de resistance, it's a bird... it's a plane... no! It's a Superman logo, life-size and you guessed it, (in color!) dominating a guy's chest and stomach. I think it was Superman himself that once said that there are two tragedies in life: one is to lose your heart's desire; the other is to get a tattoo you might regret.
Then, of course, fellow beach-goers had a vast assortment of tramp stamps, barbed wire, wings on shoulder blades, and last but not least, the intensely creepy facial portrait. Note to all my loved ones: when I die, please do not tattoo my face onto your body; no offense, but your bicep is not where I'd like to spend eternity. That's what your mantel is for.
Although I rag on tattoos, I can't say that getting one hasn't crossed my mind. In high school I wanted a lightening bolt on my lower back, in college I wanted a sailboat on my foot, and I've recently fantasized about a bald eagle on my left shoulder carrying an American flag in its talons. Thankfully, I'm aware enough to know that an ironic, patriotic tattoo is funny at 25, but becomes exponentially not funny the older I get. It's this forethought that sets me apart from those experiencing the pains of laser tattoo removal right now.
As we search for ways to identify ourselves and display for everyone to see the choices we've made knowing they're permanent, tattoos will become even more popular. Census surveys taken only two years ago show a steady rise in the number of inked Americans. It also estimates that one new tattoo parlor a day is built in the USA. Look for more people trying to join the others by "rebelling" with a tattoo in a city near you.
Before I go, I wanted to make clear that I'm not immune to feeling the need to stand out, even though I haven't gone the permanent marker route. I don't have any cool scars or birthmarks, but I've always wanted something like that. Maybe a bad-ass animal bite wound would do. So instead of people saying, "Hey, cool tattoo!" they'd say "Holy shit! Did you just pull a shark tooth out of your side?"
Now that's unique.
Follow Lindsay Mannering on Twitter: www.twitter.com/LindsayVirginia
My sister is sleeved. She has her undergrad in Finance and is currently in the middle of getting an M.S. in Nursing. We come from an affluent white southern family. We were told tattoos were for "tacky" people our whole lives. I have visible tats on my arms, back, feet. I plan on getting more. My sis and I get along w/our family very much so it was not done out of rebellion toward them. I talked to her today and she said that each time she gets inked she has a sense of relief, of balance. May sound strange to many, but for some of us it runs much deeper than just being "cool."
The argument above is inconsistent. There is the argument that inked individuals are victims of some fad at the same time Ms. Mannering points out how ancient the act of getting inked is. What is it Ms. Mannering? Maybe some designs are faddish but the urge I would argue is quite different. It resides somewhere else.
Angelina's tiger on her back is one of my favourite tramp stamps!
I've been thinking about the tattoo/s I want for years. I know I will get one at some point, but I want it to be a part who I am - an extension of my soul on my skin if you will! It's a personal, independent choice I'm making.
I am fascinated by some of the Arab bedouin tattoos, especially those on women's faces. I have often wondered how my society will react if one day this liberal, globalized, Muslim, single Jordanian female walks in with a bedouin inked pattern on my face. No one can argue that it's not part of my culture and heritage of my region, but I will bet that they will also freak out and be quite judgmental in these confused times. Do I care? No.
My body is mine. I am comfortable in my skin. When I chose to tattoo it, it will be a decision that is an extension of me - so looking forward to that ;)
Everyday we make decisions to stand out. Tattoos are just one of the endless options we reach out
It should also be noted that people with tats are a far greater risk for Hep C, which is hard to diagnose early and can kill you. Before someone drags out the laundry list of precautions taken by tattoo 'artists', I'm aware of what goes on. Despite that, the Hep C incidence rate is very high.
Next, most people who get them eventually want them removed- an expensive and sometimes painful process. The fact that removal is charged for commonly by the square cm ought to give you an idea of how expensive it can be.
Finally, I can't think of anything uglier than a faded, wrinkled and stretched out tat on someone in their later years. Not exactly a pretty picture.
Maybe you are reading about getting a tattoo in some back alley in Tijuana. But as for tat parlor's in the U.S. You are wrong.
And that's what I did (Ok, it was Camels, Kools are gross). By the time I got my first tattoos ten years ago it was becoming mainstream. My imitation of my sister's perceived ultra-hipness was in step with whole a generation emulating what in the previous generation was seen as uber-rebellious and edgy. Tattoos have moved from the fringes into mainstream culture the same way many other trends have.
Tattoos, I think, have become so popular because they allow a person to assert their identity in an increasingly anonymous sea of people by both aligning oneself to a certain group and expressing one's individual values and aesthetic. They may not mark a person as original, rebellious, or even particularly unique, but they serve to communicate something about the person. That's the allure, I think.
I am educated and well-spoken and have several tattoos. Why? None of your damn business!
it was forced upon them for easy identification.
like cattle.
i'd hate to be that identifiable.
Truth is, we who are inked do become part of a group although I don't think that reason is the main motivation for most of us. The first time some high and mighty individual looks down his/her nose at us, we become part of that group whether we meant to or not. Funny thing, turns out for the most part it's a pretty cool group, which gives me the opportunity to tell one of my really cool tat stories.
Back in the '70's, before I got my first tat, I was stationed at Clark AB in the Philippines. One night I was running the bars and met a guy, American but not GI, whose whole body was tattooed. His tats ended at his neck, hands, and feet. It was just a bit before the current tattoo "fad". Call me easily impressed, but I thought that was one of the coolest things I ever saw.
So, those of you who think we follow the herd mentality, what do you think about that guy's motivation? Freak show? Mentally unbalanced? Well, he acted like any other well socialized person I ever met, but then I am part of that group ;)
Or getting a BA in English Literature with a Concentration in Creative Writing then selling her soul, and expensive products, as a corporate Account Executive. But deep down in there, she knows she is better than all those MBAs because she has a unique and special degree that sets her apart. No one can take away her understanding of the plight of the intellectual, or the romantic, even if hundreds of thousands of other people have the same degree.
Just a couple of examples I pulled out of thin air. Maybe you can relate, Ms. Mannering?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lindsay-mannering
I see this is your first comment here. Well, let me -- as the editor and what not -- be the first to welcome you to the Living page. So: welcome! Now, on to the fun stuff, which is to say: your comment.
We do our best to moderate comments here, but sometimes inappropriate comments slip through. Sometimes they're just off-topic. Sometimes they're mean. And sometimes they're just unnecessary. Yours is all three. Now, I don't like to delete comments, and though I told Lindsay she was more than welcome to, I thought maybe it would be better to talk this out.
Did you read her post? Yes, she's questioning the motives of people who get tattoos, that is to say, people who get entirely unoriginal tattoos. And I'm more than happy to have you disagree with her - why not? Most people do! But should you choose to do so, I recommend you make a coherent argument that is free of ad hominen attacks. Otherwise, your comment will be deleted and your account will be banned.
I'm glad we had this little talk. Was it as good for you as it was for me?
Best,
Verena von Pfetten
PS. You can find my bio here - www.huffingtonpost.com/verena-von-pfetten - feel free to dissect it as well, but rest assured, your comment will probably be deleted.
PPS. It says MFA in her bio, not MBA. So, let's - at the very least - get the ad hominem attacks right.
I'm just saying.
Sure there are people who get meaningless tattoos for no reason - "I'm 18! I need an armband!!" "I'm a white kid who knows nothing about Asian culture! Get me a Chinese character for 'strength' ASAP!" - but that is by no means a fair categorization of all tattooed people.
I think the idea of getting a tattoo to stand out and be different is kind of passe. Tattooing is becoming more and more common, as the author said, and people who get tattoos know that (did she think she was the only one who noticed?).
The generalizations expressed by commenters about tattoos being ugly and rudimentary are just plain untrue. There are many talented tattoo artists who create beautiful works of art on skin, and time has been a great teacher - teaching artists what colors hold up over time, what colors work on what skin tones, etc, etc.
Everyone has a different reason for getting tattooed - for art's sake, to mark important milestones, to identify with a certain culture, etc - and I don't really think it's an outsider's place to pass judgement on that.
If you don't like tattoos - don't get one.
I have to say that as a visual artist tatoos really dissappoint. Visually they fall short , the lines are blurred or all the same, the ink color looks atrocious on any skin color, but especially on dark skin, they seem to disregard the particular form of the body part it is placed on, and the images themselves always look like a 1970's acid rock album cover: just a really bad illustration.
Then there is the content. They seem to lack meaning in a bigger way unlike the Indian henna paintings that brides get which are beautiful and abstract patterns that are loaded with symbolism; IMHO they are art. Our western equivalent the tatoo is is not.
Now if the tattooed REALLY wanted to stand out and be different, (as different as one can be in following a ridiculous and ultimately harmful fad), they'd tattoo themselves with an animal spot or stripe pattern, in the same arrangement on the body that nature tends to place the spots.
Now that would be hot. Well, as hot as a likely mentally ill person could be.
Oh, the choices. Leopard, cheatah, tiger, or zebra? Of course, once a pattern is selected, no changing. Once a Leopard-man or Tiger-girl, always one.