Permanent Fashion
Beauty is indeed skin deep…but think, before you ink.
Tattoos are no longer taboo; over the past five years there has been a resurgence of this inked up trend that was once exclusive to the rough and rowdy crowds of bikers, sailors and veterans.
Tattoos have had a long history, and have covered a large portion of the human body. Arms, stomachs, shoulders, backs and bottoms have seen it all, but now tattoos have begun to claim newer territories like lips, ears, and eyelids. Several possible explanations may account for the growing prevalence of this once forbidden art. Many celebrities, athletes and musicians in this decade are displaying these pieces of body artwork, and we all know how influential these individuals are on society and fashion.
There have also been a handful of popular television shows, which solely focus on tattoo artists and their artwork displayed on living canvases on programs such as Inked on A&E and Miami Ink on TLC. The final straw that catapults this “tat” trend into the masses is that the wonderful people at Mattel have made a controversial Butterfly Art Tattoo Barbie, which comes with her very own permanent tattoos and piercing! If this doesn’t hook your children on the idea of body modification I don’t know what will.
The 1990s is when the tattoo trend really began to hit the mass market. However, the problem with tattoos back then was that the clients weren’t putting enough time and thought into their designs; they were just picking them out of a book. This is when tattoo culture reflected hundreds of thousands of the generic barbwire, blazing dragon, butterfly and Asian-language tattoos.
The big problem with the Asian character tattoos was that often, the meanings were incorrect because the artists were not familiar with the actual languages. Imagine requesting for a character that means hope and ending up with one that means horny, and oh yes it’s happened. The less popular tats are either ones of inferior design, or tats that have been seen too often like the Asian characters and astrological symbols.
After sober second thought, many people reassessed their initial decision to have a tattoo years later because they have outgrown it and a completely new market has opened up, laser removal. Although it is possible to remove tattoos using laser technology, the procedure can be quite expensive and extremely painful. Small tattoos can require several sessions and run as much as $200 to $300 per visit. It all depends on the size and colour; it could take between 3 to 30 sessions and in some cases, more.
Tattoos have experienced a revival in popularity in many parts of the world, in particular North America, Europe and Japan. So why does this re-emerging trend have a different feel to it this time around? Mainly because customers are putting more thought into their bodywork. People are taking more time to find their design and trying to make it their own. This gives the tattoos a bolder look than in the past. The tattoo recipient can feel confident in their decision because they have invested the time to consider the design carefully, not just by choosing something popular out of a catalogue. However, don’t get me wrong this generation also has a hand full of tattoos styles that are overexposed, such as stars, pined hearts and the bird tats; in particular swallows.
The rapid growth of this culture has incurred a flood of new artists into the industry with technical and fine art training. Combined with progress in tattoo pigments and the continuing modification of the equipment used for tattooing, this has led to an enhancement in the quality of tattoos being created. With this generation of tattoos, it also seems to be steadily moving into the mainstream faster than ever. People aren’t just getting one small 1 to 2 inch tattoo, the current consensus in the ink culture is “go big or go home.” Individuals are increasingly getting half sleeves, sleeves, back pieces, chest pieces legs pieces and so on. This allows the artists more skin to work on which allows for more detail, colour and individuality which results in a piece with more impact.
The real problem, which may arise, is what happens if this trend goes into hibernation for another decade. Although we would like to think that tattoos are now part of society’s norms and standards, it’s not quite there yet. In America a nationwide poll was done in 2006 by the Scripps Survey Research Center, the results were that 23 percent of respondents said they had a tattoo. The percentage almost doubled among 18 to 34-year-olds. Contrary to popular belief, tattoos continue to possess a powerful social stigma in North America. Many employers, in particular individuals in professional fields still look down on tattoos or view them as contributing to an unprofessional appearance. Therefore, these tats can damage the wearer’s career prospects, especially if they have ink that can’t be covered up such as a tattoo placed on the neck, hands and even the face. This stigma could once again lead to a “tattoo chill”.
Is the tattoo culture an example of generational rebellion or collective behaviour? According to behaviourists Turner and Lewis, fads are examples of relatively short-lived behaviour, which is usually associated with objects, people, behaviour or ideas. Which really means tattooing is more a fashion statement than a fad. Fashion statements are much more enduring and they come and go in cycles, just like the popularity of tattooing over the years. Tattooing is found in countries and cultures from all around the world and the actual practice has been around for thousands of years. With the steady growth of tattooed individuals over the years, future generations will become increasingly comfortable with tattoos and it will push this trend and natural cycles into normalcy.
During the first years of this 21st century, the existence of tattoos became evident within pop culture. Movie stars, models, popular musicians and sports figures are just some of the people in the public eye who are tattooed, which in turn has fuelled the acceptance of tattoos amongst society in general. For the time being, this trend is riding the wave of a fashion life cycle and it will be going strong for at least a few more years. Inevitably, it will subside only to cycle back as a continuing part of the fashion mainstream.
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