Tattoos in Society

Tattoos in Society Even though tattoos are sometimes viewed as unprofessional and offensive, tattoos are just a form of art because tattoos should not hinder someone from anything in life and people with tattoos are just as human as everyone else. Tattoos have been around for a long time and have always been a subject that causes conflicts and contradictions, both negatively and positively. Some companies do not allow their employees to have visible tattoos, some do. There are jobs out there that are strict with the dress code and grooming conduct. Where I work, one of the dress code restrictions are that if you do have visible tattoos or body art, they are to be covered by either band-aid or sleeves, if anyone has a tattoo or piercing other than the ears they have to cover them up with a band aid or wear clothing that cover the tattoos. On the flip side there are other jobs that do not have a problem at all with employees having visible tattoos. They are allowed to have then and show them freely. Society is forced to make a choice as to whether they should accept them or not. People now days especially those of younger ages, are more open to the idea of tattoos and the reason for having them. There are still people that believe that having a tattoo either means that you are a bad person or that you’ve been to jail, or that people use them as a way to rebel against society. Individuals who think that about a person are stereotyping without knowing the real meaning of them. Whatever the reason is for getting a tattoo be ready to get attention from it, it might be in a good way or in a bad way. There are many different reasons why people get tattoos. In ancient times tattoos were mainly used as status symbols, amulets, and signs of religion. Now days they are mainly used as a form of expression, adornments, a way to show their individuality, or also as a declaration of love. People get tattoos with their loved ones name or a symbol that would represent them. They also get pictures of things that have a special meaning to them or something that reminds them of something important in their lives. Religious tattoos are very common in some religions and in others they are een as a sin or a way to rebel against your religion, for example in the Buddhist and Hindu religions tattoos are a big part of their religion. They use them to represent their culture and their religious beliefs. In the Christian and Jewish religion tattoos are seen as a bad thing to do to your body, they believe that the body should be kept clean or without any modifications. For some individuals peer pressure from the new society to have tattoos makes them want t o get one even when it means to break your religious rules. In the Hindu religion the women get really creative tattoos in different parts of their bodies like on their hands. These are usually done when they get married, the tattoo artist will create a design on the palm of the brides hand and in the design they incorporate the name of the bride the groom has to find it first in order for them to consume their marriage. These traditions are still used today just like they were used for thousands of years. As time goes by tattoos are being accepted more in society, and they are seen differently. There will always be those who still disagree with them and that are still against them and that they would judge those who have them. Tattoos have been around for years. We believed that the oldest known tattoos have been found on Egyptian mummies, until in 1991 there was a mummy that was named The Ice Man and it is believed to be about 5,200 years old. It was discovered in the Italian-Austrian border. In Egypt, scientists have discovered the oldest tattooing tools dating back to 1450 BC. The oldest tattooed mummies found were mostly women it seems that men were not getting as many tattoos as women did. Excavators believed that these women were marked because it was believed that they were woman of â€Å"dubious status† as the author Joann Fletcher from the Smithsonian magazine mentioned it. This could be a reasonable reason for having found more mummies that were women. The tools used back in ancient times were described to be a sharp point set in a wooden handle, flattened needles that when tied together would provide repeated patterns of multiple dots. Now the tools have evolved but are still the same concept a needle that pierces the skin repeatedly creating the same effect on the skin. It was a painful process back then and it has not changed. You get severe burning when getting the tattoo and sometimes the person cannot take the pain and they have to stop the process, o they are left with a tattoo that is halve way and the they have to go through the removal process if they wish to remove it. Although the tools are more advanced the pain you get when getting a tattoo is still the same. The most used color in the Egyptian culture since ancient times has been black and in other cultures it has been the brighter colors that were most common. Now all of the colors are as equally popular. There are some that are more popular than others like Red, Green, Yellow, Blue, and White these colors are usually used as tint. There are different types of pigments that are used now days, there are organic based, mineral based, and plastic based, and the plastic based pigments are the one’s used for brighter colors. The ink used is usually FDA approved but there are still places that use the illegal ink, some of the ink that people use is not for the skin and this will result in an infection. As time goes by the pigments fade in the skin as they have sun exposure and with time the pigment goes deeper into the dermis so the image fades and becomes less recognizable. The colors that are more likely to fade are red, yellow, and pink. You can use sunscreen lotion to help protect the skin from the sun that in the long run will help maintain the look of the tattoo and it will help from fading. One of the cons of tattoos other than the rejection from society is the bad side of tattoo removal. When you decide that you made a bad choice on a tattoo or you decide it’s not something you want anymore you have the choice to remove it with a laser. The procedure is said to be pain full and the tattoos are not removed in its entirety it still leaves a scar. You also run the risk of catching an infection when getting the tattoos since the skin is getting pierced several times and it is left open after the tattoo is done. The worst case scenario would be if you catch HIV, this happens when a person that is infected with this deadly virus has gotten a tattoo and the tattoo artist did not disinfect the needle properly so the next person that gets a tattoo will run the risk of getting infected. The different countries that use tattoos the most are Japan, Samoa, Africa, and New Zealand. They all have different parts of the body that they prefer to get tattoos; in New Zealand they tattoo the face to represent status, lines of decent and tribal affiliations. These tattoos are called â€Å"Moko†. In India and Thailand they preferred tattoos on the arms and legs they use the tattoos to show strength. In Africa they used tattoos in a different way; since it is very hard to see the tattoos on their dark skin they would make indents in the skin like Braille. In ancient Greece and Rome the Persians would tattoo the woman with exotic beauty marks. In Central America the Mayas would use tattoos as a sign of courage. The most common tattoos now days are those of the zodiac signs, names, pictures of family members, or someone they admire. In the ancient times the most common tattoos were of symbols that were used as amulets or were part of the religion. Now most tattoos are colorful and there are even tattoos that glow in the dark. These are not so common since you can only see then under a black light; they are becoming very popular in clubs. Tattoos have evolved throughout time and people become more and more fascinated by them. Society will always have different opinions about tattoos, People’s religions and their different beliefs will always play a major roll in the way people perceive tattoos and those who have them. Society should consider the opinion of the opposite side before judging and before stereotyping someone. The people that have tattoos should also consider the other persons point of view and their reasons for not liking a tattoo or not wanting a tattoo. If we educate ourselves more about the reasons for some to have them and the reasons of those that oppose to them we would be more open to the subject of tattoos. http://www. smithsonianmag. com/history-archaeology/tattoo. html http://historyoftattoos. org/ http://www. essortment. com/all/historyoftatto_rkyb. htm http://www. colourlovers. com/blog/category/articles http://www. livestrong. com/article/12437-tattoos-and-tattooing/