"My body is a journal in a way. It's like what sailors used to do, where every tattoo meant something, a specific time in your life when you make a mark on yourself, whether you do it yourself with a knife or with a professional tattoo artist." ~Johnny Depp
Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, Theodore Roosevelt and George Orwell. Words that may come to your mind when describing these men may include influential, inspiring and powerful. They are prominent figures that stand out in history as important role models, and are no doubt exactly what you would want your child to grow up to be. The fact that these men were incredibly successful is widely known, but what isn’t, is the fact that each of these men have tattoos.
This blog post, unlike the previous heated rant about tattoos is a lot more thought out and researched. This time, I'm writing about the stigmas associated with people who chose to adorn their bodies with tattoo art, and about how having ink on your skin is in no way a judgment of intelligence, character or capabilities.
A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change its pigment. The earliest electric tattoo gun was invented by Albert Einstein. He used it to tattoo important symbols on his arm. Long before the tattoo gun, the first historical reference to tattoo’s was made by Joseph Banks, a Naturalist on board of Captain cooks ship The HMS Endeavor. Speaking of the ship’s native crew he had quoted in his journal "I shall now mention the way they mark themselves indelibly, each of them is so marked by their humor or disposition". With this, he acknowledges how tattoos are an important form of expression, and a proclamation of individuality.
From a young age, we are taught not to judge. Whether it be for ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, beliefs or disabilities. Following this theory, every person should have the right to freedom of expression, of choice, and to do so by any means possible, as long as those means aren't vulgar or harmful to those around them. They should have the right to do this without being treated unfairly or being judged. Why is society so quick to judge those who decide to adorn their bodies with tattoos?
This blog post, unlike the previous heated rant about tattoos is a lot more thought out and researched. This time, I'm writing about the stigmas associated with people who chose to adorn their bodies with tattoo art, and about how having ink on your skin is in no way a judgment of intelligence, character or capabilities.
A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change its pigment. The earliest electric tattoo gun was invented by Albert Einstein. He used it to tattoo important symbols on his arm. Long before the tattoo gun, the first historical reference to tattoo’s was made by Joseph Banks, a Naturalist on board of Captain cooks ship The HMS Endeavor. Speaking of the ship’s native crew he had quoted in his journal "I shall now mention the way they mark themselves indelibly, each of them is so marked by their humor or disposition". With this, he acknowledges how tattoos are an important form of expression, and a proclamation of individuality.
From a young age, we are taught not to judge. Whether it be for ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, beliefs or disabilities. Following this theory, every person should have the right to freedom of expression, of choice, and to do so by any means possible, as long as those means aren't vulgar or harmful to those around them. They should have the right to do this without being treated unfairly or being judged. Why is society so quick to judge those who decide to adorn their bodies with tattoos?
The stereotype that it’s always biker gangs, delinquents and drug addicts who sport body art is getting old. Tattoos have evolved from being confined inside prison walls into mainstream society. Today, 36 percent of 18-29 year olds, and 40% of 26-40 year olds have at least one tattoo, and that number is on the rise. If the stigmas were true, that would mean that almost half of the world’s population are criminals or drug addicts, and we know that this isn’t a likely scenario. Today, tattoos don’t have to be associated with acts of rebellion or drug addiction. Tattoo’s today are often rites of passage, symbols of religious devotion, pledges of love, marks of bravery or personal memorials to help sufferers cope with the death of a loved one. They are very strongly tied to a sense of identity, what you value and who you are as a person. If they’re not in any way offensive to the general public, then why does the public judge them so harshly?
We like to think in today’s modern society that discrimination based on superficial things like visual appearances doesn’t happen, but reality tells a different story. Many members of society stand by their beliefs that if somebody has a tattoo, they are not as educated as somebody who doesn’t. That they have a lower income, are more likely to participate in criminal activity, have bad judgment and therefore aren’t capable of holding a white collar job. In my opinion, these are some large assumptions to make about a person’s character based on something as simple as voluntary skin pigmentation. An example of this judgment is Karl Groves, a successful web designer from New York who has an above average income and a successful business. He also happens to have a tattoo sleeve. He was visiting an art gallery with his son, and one of the pieces caught his eye. He asked an employee at the gallery how much the piece would be to purchase. Having no data to go on other than Karl’s visual appearance, he rudely said ‘Oh, you can’t afford that one.’ The employee assumed that because Karl was covered in tattoos, he must lack the funds to purchase from his gallery. After posting about his encounter on his equally successful web blog, he received thousands of comments from others who had experienced similar situations. This scenario isn’t an isolated one. Thousands of tattooed people from across the globe are bringing their stories of discrimination to the light.
We like to think in today’s modern society that discrimination based on superficial things like visual appearances doesn’t happen, but reality tells a different story. Many members of society stand by their beliefs that if somebody has a tattoo, they are not as educated as somebody who doesn’t. That they have a lower income, are more likely to participate in criminal activity, have bad judgment and therefore aren’t capable of holding a white collar job. In my opinion, these are some large assumptions to make about a person’s character based on something as simple as voluntary skin pigmentation. An example of this judgment is Karl Groves, a successful web designer from New York who has an above average income and a successful business. He also happens to have a tattoo sleeve. He was visiting an art gallery with his son, and one of the pieces caught his eye. He asked an employee at the gallery how much the piece would be to purchase. Having no data to go on other than Karl’s visual appearance, he rudely said ‘Oh, you can’t afford that one.’ The employee assumed that because Karl was covered in tattoos, he must lack the funds to purchase from his gallery. After posting about his encounter on his equally successful web blog, he received thousands of comments from others who had experienced similar situations. This scenario isn’t an isolated one. Thousands of tattooed people from across the globe are bringing their stories of discrimination to the light.
Tattooed people are also being discriminated against in the workforce, and I don’t believe that this is fair. Employers do have the right to impose a strict dress code, making everybody look the same, and this isn’t usually a problem with tattooed employees, as there are many forms of makeup and clothing that can temporarily cover tattoos for work. This is similar to companies not allowing employees to wear colorful ties. It isn’t a direct form of discrimination, but a way for workers to be equal. When tattoo discrimination at work does become a problem, is when employers refuse to hire tattooed individuals in the first place, even though they are more than qualified for the job and are willing to comply with the dress code. When employer’s judge reliability and trustfulness based on one’s body art, then highly educated professionals are turned away solely because of their colorful skin.
Personally, I would much rather have tattooed individuals workings for my company. To me, it would mean that this individual is a creative thinker, that they aren’t afraid of judgment and aren’t afraid of being themselves.
As long as tattoos aren’t offensive or vulgar, they shouldn’t be frowned upon with offensive glares and vulgar remarks. If you wouldn’t think twice when seeing somebody with a meaningful design on their tee-shirt, then why would having the same meaningful design on their skin be any different? Some say that your body is a temple, and it should be honored as such. But how long can you live in the same house without redecorating?
As long as tattoos aren’t offensive or vulgar, they shouldn’t be frowned upon with offensive glares and vulgar remarks. If you wouldn’t think twice when seeing somebody with a meaningful design on their tee-shirt, then why would having the same meaningful design on their skin be any different? Some say that your body is a temple, and it should be honored as such. But how long can you live in the same house without redecorating?
Thankfully, as time passes, the stigmas associated with tattoos are slowly fading. Recently, many television shows are being aired about tattooing such as New York ink, L.A ink and Ink Masters which bring body art into the light to be viewed more closely under the public eye. This gives society a better understanding of how they work, and what types of people opt to get inked. People from all walks of life get body art, from doctors to rappers to Winston Churchill. Tattoo culture is becoming more prominent in Hollywood and within the workforce, and this is causing people to slowly become more accepting of them, but until the day that society fully accepts people with tattoos, there will only be one difference between tattooed people and non-tattooed people. Tattooed people don’t judge you for not having a tattoo.
No comments:
Post a Comment