Along with being a working class symbol, tattoos have ostracized many foreign cultures from modern societies (Atkinson, 2004). For hundreds of years, continuing into today's world, scholarly views of tattooing have labeled the practice as deviant, abnormal, and anti-social, (Atkinson, 2004). Many Europeans and Americans frowned upon tattoos as being symbols of primitivism and heathenism. Also, tattoos have been used in prisons and in criminal organizations as marking devices. The Yakuza in Japan use full body pieces to identify gang members with their associations and accomplishments within the criminal underground. Prison tattoos have also been negatively associated with the process in Europe and the Americas. The prison tattoos of Russia are prime signifiers of criminal background and activity. American prison tattoos also represent a dark association, far outside the world of normal society.
However, despite the long standing negative associations with such ideas of tattooing, the practice has recently begun to make a comeback in the United States and in Europe. Margo Demello, in her amazing work Bodies of Inscription: A Cultural History of the Modern Tattoo Community, explores over twelve years of research within the tattoo world to describe the important changes which are bringing it back into mainstream accepted practice. Beginning in the 1980s, Demello has studied the tattoo community as it went through some of its most important changes. In her work, she explains that tattoos have transcended class divisions in the past twenty to thirty years. The original associations were with sailors, primitives, and prisoners; tattoos were widely associated with the lower and working classes. However, beginning in the 1970's and early 1980's, tattoos became increasingly popular with the white middle class. With this appropriation, the practice has become more socially acceptable in many countries all over the world.
Also in the 1970's, tattooing in the United States and in Europe became more of an artistic medium than the connotations of earlier generations. Fine artists became major figures within the tattoo community. With this development, artists looked back to the exotic roots of the practice, bringing in complex Eastern and tribal elements in designs and structure. This further distances the practice from its working class backgrounds. Also in the United States and Europe, due to the newfound complexity available, the narratives behind the act of tattooing have once again become more complex. Rather than simple symbols associated with the working class,...
Tattoo Shoppe Case -- Liability for Wrong Tattoo Questions Presented Is Tattoo Shoppe liable for the wrong tattoo performed by its owner on Lydia's lower back? If yes, how much money is the tattoo parlor liable for and how can such liability be prevented in the future? Short Answer Even though liability for tattoos that go wrong varies across the state, the tattoo artist is primarily liable while the tattoo parlor has only a
Tattoo Removal The history of tattooing is a long and varied one. "A tattoo is a permanent mark or design made on the body when pigment is inserted into the dermal layer of the skin through ruptures in the skin's top layer." ("How Tattoo Removal Works," 2004). A more recent development in this area, however, is the issue of tattoo removal. Only recently have advances in technology made it possible to
The focus can be taken into the direction of the introduction and utilization of more secure inks that will have a compatibility with the laser technologies available currently (Adatto, 2004). Conclusion: The appliance and removal of tattoos is not a new phenomenon. The methods though have drastically changed with the passage of time and the advent and advancement of technology. The laser technology has drastically changed the whole scenario of tattoo
Regulating Tattoo and Body Piercing Shops In the United States, only 11 states have regulations and laws governing tattoo and body piercing licenses and training, while South Carolina and Oklahoma have banned tattooing in their states. Regulations help promote professionalism, and discourage "scratchers." This is important when considering disease transmission - HIV and Hepatitis B in particular (Westbrook, 2003). States that have regulations promote not only professionalism but can guarantee to
multiple tattoos and body piercings isn't a requirement to be served at Cafe V. However, if you don't exude the desired aura of hipster cool, be prepared to wait for ten or fifteen minutes at the door, until the bored waitress finishes her conversation, shows you to a tiny table and finally gives you a menu. The cafe is dark, and only after using the light of our cellphones
Although tattoos have become normalized in popular culture and body art in general is trendy in the general population, tattoos have traditionally served a central purpose in gang life. Gangs, including the Bloods, Crips, Latin Kings, MS13, Black Gangster Disciples, Aryan Nation, Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs, White Supremacists, Vice Lords, Yakuza, and Radical Islamists have all used tattoos for various reasons. This review of literature shows how criminal gangs use tattoos
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