Personal Narrative: My Interview With A Woman At Mount Ida

This research article poses the question: can the current popular phenomenon of tattoo culture in Cape Town be described as a subculture, with its own stylistic characteristics and its own subcultures? Before we discuss the history of tattooing, one needs to understand what a tattoo is. In simple terms, a tattoo is created by “the insertion of colored materials beneath the skins’ surface or epidermis” (Tattoo Temple 2016: online). Tattoo culture is a form of counter-cultural production. Therefore it is grouped under the larger postmodern umbrella term ‘subculture’. Subculture, put simply, is a cultural group found within a larger group, but people part of a subculture generally have things in common that are different to those of the rest in the larger group. Within the frame of tattoo subcultures, Ken Gelder states that tattooing was “a ‘vogue’ among the English aristocracy in the late eighteenth century, influenced by exoticised indigenous figures from other places” (Gelder. K. 2007:130). By saying that it was a vogue it means that it was its own culture amongst a culture of people who have a very demanding and respectable career, like “doctors and lawyers, for example, and other examples of the ‘ruling classes’” (Gelder. K. 2007:130). Even though it plays a significant role in youth subcultures today, tattoos and tattoo culture, is not a new phenomenon. “The etymological origin of the word ‘tattoo’ is believed to have two major derivations; the first is from the

The increase of adolescents’ desire for tattoos, has quickly created the opportunity for tattoos and piercings to become apart of our societies norm. Tattoos are everywhere, and despite controversy between some private and shared world views, their presence continues to grow. Andres Martin is an experience child psychiatrist with extensive experience and knowledge on this topic. Throughout this academic article Martin uses examples from his experience that give the audience proof and real examples that support Martins claims. Martin is directing his attention to other fellow child psychiatrists to give them a better understanding of this rapid increase of teenagers with tattoos. In Andres Martin’s “On teenagers and Tattoos”, his goal is to provide his colleagues with the reasoning behind adolescents and their increased desire for tattoos. Martin believes that teenagers are attracted to tattoos because they hold significant meaning, importance, and have become a solution for permanence in our constantly changing society.

People in society have marked their bodies with tattoos for thousands of years now. Tattooing has been a form of expression and many refer to it as a freedom of speech from the First Amendment. The utilization of these tattoos has often been as a form to express their spiritual beliefs, honor loved ones, creating a fashion statement, and to identify themselves. “It is estimated that in the United States, the number of people in the general population with tattoos range from 7 to 20 million” (Palermo, 2011, p. 507). Physical appearance and societies opinion varies widely depending on its presentation.

A few questions that get asked are why did you get a tattoo or what does the tattoo mean? Every person who has a tattoo will have a different answer and some may have a story to tell. In pacific cultures tattooing has a huge historic significance. Polynesian tattoos are bold, symbolic and a piece of art. The traditions behind these tattoos are centuries old. They use two styles in their tattoo designs. The first style is known as Etua, which has a religious and spiritual significance. This style also makes use of magical symbols, which are believed to offer protection from the Gods. The second style is called Enata. This style has natural designs, which depict a person's social status, identity, occupation, island of origin, and his history (Buzzle 2015). Many Polynesian tattoos have different meaning. A turtle tattoo symbolizes Turtles symbolize longevity as they live for a very long time. Getting a tiki tattoo in the Polynesian culture was considered to be ancestors of humans and was believed to be the forces that drove out bad energy. Tikis are usually portrayed with their eyes closed, as they are known to have the ability to smell approaching trouble (Buzzle

The art of tattoos is a wildly popular and growing art trend in the modern day; and for good reason! Tattoos have the potential for one to customize their body in an artful form of expression. While a vast majority of the United States’ population has begun to partake in this trend, there is still much that even they might not know about the practice. To fill you in on what most people don’t know about tattoos, we have created a list of the most interesting and unknown factoids regarding this unique, artistic expression. Also, check back for our part two article with the remaining eight things you probably don’t know about tattoos!

Medical tattoos are used to ensure instruments are properly located for repeated application of radio-therapy and for the areola in some forms of breast reconstruction. Tattooing has also been used to convey medical information about the wearer (e.g., blood group, medical condition, etc.). Additio-nally, tattoos are used in skin tones to cover vitiligo, a skin pigmentation disorder.

Modern day tattoos can be almost anything. Anywhere from your favorite television, sporting team, or lost loved ones. New designs have freshened up the tattoo business and have young teens flocking.

Friends don’t let other friends get bad tattoos. If that is true then the people on today’s list definitely need to start making some better friends- quickly. They also need to start making better choices when it comes to their body art and maybe try to pay a little more attention to detail at the same time.

To obtain answers needed to addressed the research questions presented at the beginning of this study, the researchers conducted a one-part survey to comprehend and understand one’s perception towards people with tattoos. The results show that tattoos are becoming more accepted by the millennial. Even though only 1 out of 15 students appeared to have a tattoo, it turns out that 4 out of 10 females and 4 out of 5 male undergraduates express their will to be inked in the future. However, the results of this study contradicts the findings of Crespo’s (2008) study wherein women tend to consider getting tattooed than men. This might simply imply that perception on tattoos might have really changed.

Tattoos have always had an important role in ritual and tradition. In Borneo, women tattooed their symbols on their forearm indicating their particular skill. If a woman wore a symbol indicating she was a skilled weaver, her status as prime marriageable material was increased. Tattoos around the wrist and fingers were believed to ward away illness. Throughout history tattoos have signified membership in a clan or society. Even today groups like the Hells Angels tattoo their particular group symbol. TV and movies have used the idea of a tattoo indication membership in a secret society numerous times. It has been believed that the wearer of an image calls the spirit of that image. The ferocity of a tiger would belong to the tattooed person. That tradition holds true today shown by the proliferation of images of tigers, snakes, and bird of prey.

In “Self-Expression Through Tattoos And Piercings,” writer Alexandra Bartolone, from the famous Odyssey, reviews various thoughts and feelings towards tattoos and body piercings; ultimately, she describes the different stereotypes felt towards inked and pierced individuals, her own thoughts, and research studies. Bartolone, right off the back, engages the topic by describing her personal feelings about tattoos and piercings. Bartolone has five ear piercings, a belly button piercing, and a tattoo, so she’s no stranger to the community of the tattooed and pierced. However, she didn’t always view tattoos and piercings as a mean of self-expression. In fact, at a younger age, she associated tattoos and piercings to the bad guys in the movies. The writer believes there is a trend among generation Y. Thus, the younger the generation, the likelihood of tattoos and piercings are accepted than from the older generation.

Shoulders are the lone most popular locale for placing tattoos on men because tattoos on these parts are noticeably attractive to the eyes. In favor of tattoo artists, the arms are the most excellent area to make complex designs for the reason that it usually provides a noteworthy spot to work on. Tattoos on arms communicate to actions, stories to nearly all citizen, save for a handful it is just a plain kind of art and a pleasant thing.

Tattoos do come with risks and anyone that wants to get one should know them, that should be common sense. Normally when someone tries something new, the right thing to do would be to ask questions about everything and anything, which is insisted in my first source, “The personnel should be willing and able to answer your questions. If you feel they are brushing your concerns aside or can 't answer you, leave and seek out a professional shop” (Alliance 2). The simplicity of asking questions is often brushed aside when the person getting tattooed is stressed with ideas like possibly ruining their body, but it is important to remember to always ask questions if you’re really that worried. In today’s age most teenagers depend on what they see online to create a bias about something, the idea of tattoos is a large topic as well so our bias is centered around what is seen by those we idolize. A statistic from the U.S. expounds, “In the 20th century Americans have gone from disdain of the tattoo to such widespread cultural acceptance that it seems more people under 40 are tattooed than not” (Aubrey 1). Seeing as such young people accept the stars of social media as their idols, it’s right to use them as an example to actually get a tattoo also since we see that they don’t have the fears and regrets that are normally thought

Over the last fifteen to twenty years tattoos and piercings are seen far more commonly than they used to be. The rise in the popularity of the body art isn’t surprising because people are deciding to be more self expressive through music, clothing and bodily modifications.We live in an era where the pristine house wife no longer is the “norm”, yet people still seem surprised when a good teacher or a successful businessman has gone under a tattoo gun or sat through a nose piercing. There are so many stigmas and myths about tattoos and piercings that can make it difficult to comprehend what's true or not. That's why I chose to write about this topic and bring some light into what people don’t know and the

Tattoo’s are often perceived as something unprofessional and as a negative thing to have. The reality is tattoo’s are much more than just ink on skin. They are works of art with a meaning that may be deeper than the eye can see. Many people have tattoo’s these days and with a rising rate of a tattooed population, it is safe to say that tattoo’s are a growing trend. Tattoo’s show a sense of uniqueness, individuality, and are a truly beautiful work of art. Not only are they unique, but they often hold a deep meaning for the person who got tattooed. Furthermore, a tattoo doesn’t change who you are on the inside or your ability to do different activities. It’s a great thing to express yourself and show who you