Tattoos
Demarius Bryant
Tattoos
My Pop Culture Essay:
Ever since i can remember i have had an obsession with tattoos. As a kid in school i would draw on my arms in class to occupy the time, and from there it grew. Once I got to high school, I started paying friends in art class to do henna designs on my arms, legs, and any other body part I thought would look good. My dad is a strict Marine, who has no body modifications, and my mom was a lawyer so permanent tats were out of the question. They really helped me to express myself without being too vocal. The artwork spoke for itself. I’ve always been that different kid who never got in trouble, but was always different. I saw very few “regular” people with tattoos when I was coming up. The main stream people with tattoos were guys like Dennis Rodman and hard core musicians like Ozzy Osborne. With the two people I mentioned, it’s obvious to see the images one would get when they think about people with tattoos. I continued drawing on my arms up until I was 17 and finally got the chance to get one.
My high school basketball team won the state title my junior year and we all wanted to do something to keep the memory of our team alive. While most teams got championship rings, banners in the gym and other school “spirited” items like that, we decided to get tattoos. Tattoo parlors were still not legal in Virginia Beach and our options were: drive to Gloucester to go to a parlor or get them done in someone’s house. Being high school students with little money we went the house route. We decided on a panther because our team felt it best described the way we played basketball. We had a very quiet old fashioned style of basketball. Very little flash, but still very effective in beating our opponents. Once the first tattoo was on my arm I was hooked. The addiction for me was one stronger than any drug could provide. I know have seven tattoos and counting. They have helped me remember life changing events as well as express my religious faith.
Tattoos have come a long way in regards to popularity and who is getting “inked” up today. No longer are the days where tattoos are only for delinquents, gang bangers, prisoners, or thugs have them, but everyday people from teachers to doctors are now sporting them. But tattoos still have the negative stereotypes associated with them as well as health risks if not done professionally. People still stare at you in public places and avoid eye contact with you because they assume you are still part of the old era of the tattoo culture. Generationally, older people still look at you as a bad part of the community while younger people view it as normal as ear piercings. The reasons people get tattoos are as various as the type of tattoos they get. Many people still get tattoos to show allegiance to their gangs or neighborhoods and prison tats to let people know about their reputation behind bars. While the tattoo culture is evolving, it is still heavily rooted in its traditional history. For example, in Japan, tattoos where inked on members of the Yakuza to show their allegiance to the “gang”, and were ostracized by the community. To blend in with the general population, Yakuza’s started wearing kimoras and business suits to hide their ink from the police. Traditionally, their artwork was what was considered a quarter-sleeve. It normally started up on the shoulder and extended down about half the forearm. The kimora would hide the ink, but eventually the tats started extending to full sleeves so along came the business suit. Gangs were being arrested simply for their allegiance to their gang so they too adopted their style of tattoos. They began changing their gang designs or hiding them in larger pieces where one would have to know what they looking for to find it. These “people” still contribute to the negative stereotypes of the inked community, but they are no longer the main stream of those with tattoos.
Many people who are considered idols or role models today sport ink. Many celebrities today wear ink and wear it proudly. While some would consider Angelina Jolie to not be a good role model, she has also been praised for her humanitarian work in other countries as well as here in the United States. Kids and young adults flocked to see “Pirates of the Caribbean” and any other movie with Johnnie Depp, and he as well has numerous tattoos. Our most popular celebrities and stars are covered in ink. Lebron James is considered the savior of Cleveland, and has progressively gotten more tattoos each off season. No longer are they considered “freak” shows like Dennis Rodman, but are just viewed as athletes expressing themselves. They are endorsed athletes by million dollar corporations that use their tattoos to appeal to other audiences. David Beckham is sponsored by Polo, which is conservative company in terms of clothing, but his tattoos and “bad boy’ image help draw in younger fans who follow him. Some companies are going as far as to paying athletes to tattoo their company logo a symbol associated with them because they realize the attention given to the artwork on athletes.
Tattoos have become so popular that companies have had to modify their archaic policy on tattoos to still be able to employ enough people. While the Army policy was once no visible tattoos, they have adopted one of no tattoos on hands, face or neck. This was done in response to the overwhelming amount of potential recruits as well as current soldiers with tattoos. Other military branches have had to do the same to continue supplying their needs. Police departments have had to adjust as well. They view the problem as two-fold. On one hand, police officers with ink are viewed by the younger generations as being “current”, and give them some credibility when they are dealing with the younger people. On the flip side, the older generation is hesitant to accept that and shy away from cooperating with officers who they view as part of the problem. With tattoos being permanent, many people are coming out of college with some type of ink. Companies that normally would have frowned upon them are now at a cross road when it comes to deny someone with a degree in that particular field solely on their personal choice to modify their body. Tattoos may be a distraction depending on the style or type of ink, but shouldn’t be the defining factor of a person’s character.
The tattoo community is almost in its own way like a different race. We may appear different to the eye, but shouldn’t be judged solely on it. That would be the same as denying someone of a job based on their race or religion. While it is a personal choice to get inked up, it’s should be viewed as that, a choice that has no direct affect on anyone but the inked individual. As times are changing so is the way people express themselves. As a larger community, we have good people and “bad” people. Delinquents with tattoos would still be delinquents if you remove the ink and should only be judged based on their actions. The same can be said for individuals who are a contributing part of society. Soldiers who go overseas and fight a war for others freedoms, athletes that people treat like commodities and celebrities that companies make hella bank off of should be respected/ judged based off their craft. Without doing this it creates a double standard that says its okay for some people to get inked up but not others. As the generational gap decreases, I think tattoos will become just as accepted as people with earrings or other body modifications. My comparison is this: would you stare or judge someone who had skin grafts from a fire or would you stare and pass judgment on someone who was born disfigured. If the answer is yes to those questions then god help you, but if it’s no then why stare/ judge people who chose to express themselves by getting a tattoo. It doesn’t define who the person is or de-validate their achievements.
http://www.facebook.com/#/profile.php?id=1572840132&ref=ts