Tattoos and the public

Tattoos as a public form of expression is very intriguing to me. Like graffiti, tattoos are an art form that once was (and still is, but to a lesser extent) viewed as delinquent and a debasement to a clean space. In many cases, tattoos are used to mark gang affiliation or worn as badges of delinquent behavior. However, stereotypes surrounding tattoos have shifted a lot in the passed few decades. The majority of people that I know my age have tattoos – even just in our class I have noticed several of my peers who have visible tattoos. They can also be thought of as expressions of personality, identity, and even have cultural or political connotations.

I have spoken with another professor of mine about the rising popularity of tattoos and she has an interesting theory – I’m not sure if I agree with it entirely but it is definitely something I’d like to explore more. She told me that as the decades have gone by, she has noticed the commercialization of many different kinds of trends that were once unique and used as a way for people who wanted to stand out or deviate from the norm. For example, in the 70’s she used to embroider jean jackets, and in the 80’s she studded them. This was a long process that she put a lot of thought and effort into and would give allow her to wear her own unique identity for others to see. She explained to me that different patterns in embroidery signaled different things to her peers. Now, though, generic stores like Target and Forever 21 manufacture embroidered and studded jackets and anyone can wear them without thinking twice about their meaning, or what they are signaling to other people. Actually, their meaning has effectively been lost. Now, in order to make a genuine and unique statement about who you are, you have to show it with a tattoo.

I think in some ways, tattoos have become a way for people to amass a certain type of cultural capital. They are definitely public, and are a way for people to portray to anyone they come across what their political or ideological views are, or just to show off their love of art. Tattoos are also, in some ways, a labor of love. People want to wear them and be proud -- not only to express themselves, but also to show off a great piece of art that someone else made. I think they're like graffiti in that way as well because it's sending a message through art. And by very nature of it being on someone's body, it's mobile, which makes it easier for a wide audience to see it. 

Just from thinking this through further I think something I’d like to study more is simply the way we communicate through our outer appearance. That is a public statement that you literally cannot avoid making every day. People consciously make decisions about the clothes they wear and whether or not they get tattoos in order to engage strangers and their peers in a conversation about themselves.