Tattoo

ANGLIA POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY

MULTICULTURAL BRITAIN

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ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDIES

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TOPIC: YOUTH CULTURE-TATTOO

Tattoo is the art of permanent painting in one’s skin. The word tattoo has its origins in the Tahitian word ‘tatu’, which means ‘to mark something’. The Art of Tattoo started in about 12,000 BC. Darwin wrote, “There is no nation on earth that does not know this phenomenon”1. And in fact all the different cultures have tried tattoo. From the very first cultures of Maori and Eskimos, to the Americans and Britons, tattoo has traveled through the centuries on the skins of the people who had them and passed some sort of quick information. However, the purpose of tattoo varied from culture to culture. Tattoo, played always an important role in the tradition of each culture. First of all, tattoo could mark special occasions. Occasions of everyday life, like wedding, pregnancy, birth, death, illness, victory, defeat etc. In the case of pregnancy tattoo protected the mother and mainly the baby from the evil spirits and secondly it was a way to guess or try to change the sex of the baby. It was also believed that tattoos protected, as magic filters, the bodies from illnesses and therefore they used them like vaccinations. In the man’s life, they usually marked a good hunting or a victory in a war and of course the phase of growing up. In woman’s life they marked together the phase of growing up with the marriage and then the pregnancy. Moreover, tattoo showed that you belong in a tribe or in an organization. For example, early Britons used tattoos in ceremonies. They used to tattoo family crests to show that they belong in a different family. But also in the old times, criminals used to be tattooed with a number of lines on their forehead. One line used to show a first crime, a second one used to show a second crime and so on. A great impression gives us the fact that the religious tattoos were overused. Those religious tattoos had different meanings. Tattoos were used to bring a person into a relationship, with a God. It had mystical and magical significance. Additionally many people used to tattoo crosses or the face of Jesus and Virgin Mary. In that period people were afraid of whipping. So they put the face of Jesus on top of their heads or on their back, in order to gain the mercy of their lord or boss and avoid whipping. Another use of the cross was to mark the death of a favourite person. In this way the dead person would be honoured and not forgotten. Except crosses they used to tattoo 1

Benedict Taschen Verlag, 1000 Tattoos, p. 6; quoted by Darwin.

stones with the name of the beloved or a portrait of his face. So the dead person would be remembered forever. It has been also believed that the wearer of an image calls the spirit of that image and maybe in this way they tried to call the dead person. Another reason for being tattooed was the desire to bring fear and terror to others. Some used to tattoo two eyes in the inside of their hands, in order to draw their enemy’s attention and make them weak and lose the fight. Others, who were by nature weak or skinny, tattooed themselves in order to raise their self esteem and of course spread some kind of fear and respect. From this derives also the need for protest. People tattooed messages on them with a message for other people or the government. “A tattoo can thus become the most extreme form of protest. It gives people the strength to survive, the ability to assert oneself in the face of daily humiliation”.2 One country that has developed a lot the art of tattoo are the British Islands. Unfortunately, the ancient art of Tattoo disappeared from Britain for four centuries. From the 12th to the 16th. Tattoos were banned from the church as pagan symbols. In 1691 a sailor named William Dampher brought to London a heavily tattooed Polynesian known as the Painted Prince. A great help in the renaissance of tattoo was Captain James Cook, who also found people tattooed in the South Pacific and Polynesia and brought them in Britain. People tried to remember and start over this ancient art. In that period people used to tattoo themselves for a living. They worked in circuses and they were a great show. However, all this happened in the past. Nowadays, people use tattoos for different reasons. First of all, the most important thing is beauty. Women use to tattoo their lips, eyebrows and a permanent make-up or they try to cover some ugly spots they have like moles and scars. It is also used to cover scars from operations or accidents. Today people and especially young people, tattoo their bodies because they want to impress their peers, show they are trendy and show their strength to do painful things like tattoos. Others use tattoo to rebel against their families and the society. But the most important thing of all is that they use the tattoos to create a sexual desire to 2

Benedict Taschen Verlag, 1000 Tattoos, p. 14; quoted by the Taschen.

others. The new tattoos have transferred from the faces and the arms in the lower back, the belly and the genitals. The trendiest designs for women are the tribal, the Japanese or Chinese monograms and little animals like butterflies. On the other hand, men as always prefer something wild, like tigers, lions or even the devil, tribal and small animals like snakes, scorpions and spiders. Additionally movie stars, singers, models, etc. tattoo their bodies in order to be trendier and eventually more famous. In this way they pass the message that tattoo is trendy and the youngsters try to imitate them immediately with no second thought. Surprisingly more and more people are going out and getting tattoos. Today tattoo has made a strong comeback. It is more popular than ever and the tattooists are considered as ‘fine artists’. They use traditional or self-made designs. The most important things that distinguish one tattoist from another are the tools, the experience and the imagination. In the past, the tools that were using were self-made and they didn’t follow any rules of sterilization. There were only black or grey tattoos and the tools were sharp stones, bamboos or bones that had sharpened in the end. Luckily on 1891 the electric tattooing machine was invented by the Irish Samuel O’ Riley and it is still used by modern tattooists. “The drive principle, based on an electromagnet and a spring, has remained unchanged since its invention more than a hundred years ago. However, the rotational movement is transformed into a vertical one via a shaft”.3 Now there is a variety of colours for a more lively tattoo and also there are used different needles each time. Nowadays, legally you have to be 18 years old and older to have a tattoo. Tattooists who accept make a tattoo to a young person can be prosecuted. To have a tattoo is a very serious decision and is really very personal. In the shops there is a large number of images from which you can choose the one you like. Moreover you have more choices if you search the Internet. You must think responsible before you have a tattoo because it is something that you’ll have forever. There are a lot of facts about tattoos and tattooists that people should be aware of but the most common are the following:

3

Benedict Taschen Verlag, 1000 Tattoos, p. 8; quoted by Taschen.

i.

Tattoos are painful but you can control the pain if you have it in the area of the body that doesn’t have many bones. Relaxation also helps a lot.

ii.

The more complex a tattoo is and with more colours, the more expensive it is. The prices start from twelve pounds for the smallest images.

iii.

It is your own business to take care your tattoo. If you don’t moisturize it, it will fade. Especially the direct sunlight lightens the colour of the tattoo.

iv.

It needs fifteen days to heal completely.

v.

If the tattoist don’t sterilize the tools properly there is the fear of being infected by HIV and all forms of hepatitis.

vi.

You never know if the tattoist is experienced or amateur and therefore it is recommended that you make a research before you have a tattoo. However, the body can be decorated safety in other ways like, henna, stencils

or jewellery. In this way there is no fear of getting infected by a virus and of course you can change the image when you like. Unfortunately, not all of the people who get their tattoos like what they have or believe in the design they have on their bodies. No matter how amazing is the art of tattoo it happens that a lot of people with tattoo regret it later or can’t find a job. It is shame that people criticize others for the tattoo they have on their skin. On the other hand there are tattoos with very wild or immodest context. In this way of course you are not able to find a job among others and especially children or the government. Tattoo must have some limits and the most important is not to be offensive. For these reasons people often decide to remove their tattoo. Until now most of the methods that were used in tattoo removal were dangerous for the skin because they created large scars. However, the introduction of lasers into the field of tattoo removal was a very important step. They offered faster and safer ways to remove tattoos than many of the non-laser methods. The latest technology in the field of lasers is the Q-Switched lasers. But before you make a tattoo removal takes place there must be a consultation from a dermatologist in order to find out what type of skin you have and which laser is the most appropriate for your occasion. The tattoo removal method with a laser is more expensive than having a tattoo and you have to attend a lot of sessions. One every six weeks. However, the

results are usually very good and the skin comes back to its first appearance. There are some exceptions when the skin is allergic and there is a danger of oxidization. The melanin of the body in this case block the laser, the skin change colour and blisters. Personally speaking, when I started writing this essay I was totally against tattooing but through the research process I realized that there is a whole history in the background of the ancient word ‘tatu’. Now I have changed my mind and I believe that having a tattoo means something deeper than a simple image. It is also important to understand its meaning through the person who wears it. To conclude, tattoo is a very special art that has changed through the centuries and has come to us less painful and more attractive.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:  Krakow, A. 1994. The Total Tattoo Book. Warner Books.

 Gilbert, S. 2001. Tattoo History. Juno Publishing.  Taschen, V. 1996. 1000 Tattoos. Germany: edited by Henk schiffmacher.

SITES:  http://kahuna.studio.free.fr  www.tattoo.com  www.tattoo.co.uk  www.tattooyou.co.uk

MAGAZINES:  Tattoo Savage  Tattoo  Tattoo Flash