For more than 5000 years humans have tattooed their bodies as part of rituals or cultural customs. While many ancient rituals die out and many customs change over time tattoos still remain one of the most popular forms of body art today. Unfortunately it is their popularity that has transformed the uniqueness of tattoos into a commercialized fad.
Tattoos are alluring to the individual because they are a means to express personality or an idea – though the individuality factor is fleeting because one out of every four Americans has a tattoo according to a March 2005 study from The Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Taking this into consideration does the rising popularity of tattoos undermine their significance? Yes tattoos are now a fashion statement.
Like many other fashion statements the fascination with the tattoo can be greatly attributed to popular culture. Celebrities such as Angelina Jolie Jessica Alba Justin Timberlake and 50-Cent have received tattoos within the past few years beautifying the trend just as they did with aviator sunglasses Ugg boots and Ed Hardy T-shirts.
Now that celebrities demonstrate tattoos are no longer exclusive to gang members biker gangs or delinquents tattoos are more alluring to a common individual.
The debut of the television shows “Miami Ink” in 2005 and “LA Ink” in 2007 also helped to nationalize and popularize the tattoo industry. The shows feature a typical tattoo parlor and its customers: mothers and fathers wanting tattoos of their children teenagers getting their first tattoo rockers getting their 20th tattoo veterans getting tattoos to remember their comrades and many other ordinary citizens seeking to make their mark.
By exposing millions of more people to the tattoo industry these shows are facilitating a greater amount of acceptability for tattoos which inherently convinces more people to join the growing trend.
According to a study published Oct. 82003 by Harris Interactive Inc. 26 percent of tattooed American adults said a tattoo makes them feel more attractive. This statistic is representative of how popular culture has affected the tattoo industry by shifting the “tattooed” stereotype to form a much more positive connotation.
Though the art and the significance of a tattoo can be appreciated the tattoo itself has lost its novelty. Because so many people are seeking to strike out against conformity by getting a tattoo it is no longer rebellious to do so. In fact tattoos are beginning to de-personalize the individual.
In this sense tattoos are becoming the easy way out of defining a person. Instead of taking the time to develop individuality and express it through words and actions people feel compelled to paste what they believe who they love and what is important to them on their bodies. On the one hand tattoos can still carry emotional meaning or symbolize an important concept; it is understandable to want a permanent representation of what one finds significant on his or herself. On the other hand a photograph can carry similar emotions and a bumper sticker can create the same important concept without the permanence of a tattoo. In the long run framing a picture or sticking on a bumper sticker is a better way to express personality because as times change so do values relationships and fashion statements. After all 17 percent of tattooed adults have expressed regret according to the same 2005 study from The Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
This fad will probably remain popular for another few decades or until “the popular culture” realizes that the tattoo-covered shirtless 70 year-olds at the beach are unattractive. Then people will think twice before getting that tattoo ushering in the new era of fashion statements.