Ötzi the Iceman was tattooed. Mummies were tattooed. Theodore Roosevelt was tattooed. The stigma against tattooing seems stupid when looking at all the people who have been tattooed. Winston Churchill had an anchor, Andrew Jackson had a tomahawk, Thomas Edison had a geometric pattern and even “Mr. Conservative” Barry Goldwater had a crescent moon and four dots.
Tattoos are a form of bodily and artistic expression, but are sometimes considered negative and even repulsive. Why are tattoos considered to be so bad when the practice is as old as man himself?
The tattoo stigma often revolves around the idea that tattoos are unprofessional. However, since no one defines what makes a tattoo unprofessional, we should not group all tattoos together. That does not seem to make sense. The idea that a tattoo can make or break you is horrific.
While there are tattoos out there that relate to gang or crime affiliations, not all tattoos should be grouped together. A tattoo of 13 or related to 13 in the Mara Salvatrucha is totally different than Rihanna’s lotus flower. Tattoo culture exists within gangs, prisons and crime, but it is not the only place where tattoo culture exists.
People are also afraid of tattoos because they are afraid of how tattoos will heal and how they will age. Part of being a responsible person with a tattoo is keeping your skin and tattoos healthy. The argument of bad longevity is flawed because you can keep a nice tattoo as long as you properly take care of it. Tattoos should almost emphasize taking better care of your skin. In terms of literal healing, listen to your tattoo artist and all will be well. The tattoo artists know what they are talking about and will lead you in the right direction.
Tattoo culture exists within popular culture now. In many ways, the two co-exist and are a part of the same mass culture. Many of the most famous people have tattoos, like athletes, musicians and even politicians. The stigma seems to be slowly decreasing as more and more people have tattoos. Even known intellectuals, like Dr. Marc Lamont Hill, are tattooed, making tattoos more common within the educational field.
As tattoos become the norm rather than an anomaly, they are more accepted and looked at with kind eyes. There is still a long way to go for tattoo acceptance. At some point we need to end the stigma, because if the rate of tattooed people continues, the next generations won’t be able to get jobs just because of body art.
Miles Jordan is a 19-year-old liberal arts sophomore from New Orleans, Louisiana.
