Tattoos – antagonistic, creative or self-expression?

Whatever your opinion of them, tattoos are everywhere.

The history of tattoos is not overly clear, however they’ve been found on corpses dating back thousands of years and all over the world.  One of the oldest dates from the Bronze Age and the tattoos were thought to have been used  for therapeutic reasons – possibly to relieve the effects of arthritis.

Gang Membership



Circus 'Freak' Show Act

Traditional Maori Tattoo

Tattoos are clearly forms of communication, expressing something about you and your beliefs.  Early forms of branding were to identify cattle ownership; the Nazis used letters, numbers and symbols to identify prisoners in the 2^nd World War; Tribal tattoos are used to express rank and title, pagan worship, spiritual powers; Sailors typically used tattoos to show where they’d travelled; Circus tattoos manifested as freak shows;  In prison they were an expression of identity; The ultimate display of commitment to gang membership.

 

 

 

Which leads us to their arrival in modern day, celebrity culture - a once individual expression to set you apart from the crowd has now become mainstream – a competition to have the most unique, outrageous, unusual or personal.  From David Beckham to Cheryl Cole, Angelina Jolie to Harry Styles, many a beautiful body has been permanently altered and I question what psychological motives may be hiding their need to adorn their bodies.

 

 

 

More positive uses can bring psychological benefits because we respond to the images we see in the mirror.  Some people are finding permanent and semi-permanent make-up after illness, e.g. tattooing areola following breast cancer surgery, to be transformative. 

Aside from the cosmetic medical uses, tattoos can be polarising.  Love them or hate them, they evoke an emotional response which is why we categorise them as an ‘antagonistic form of dress’.  If you want to elicit the best response from someone, minimise the visuals you send out which may trigger a negative response and increase those which will cause people to warm to you. 

The purpose of Colour and Style and Personal Branding is for people to notice you, the person.  Anything you wear should serve the purpose of pushing you forward so you are ‘seen’ as who you are.  For many, tattoos support them in their self-expression.  For others it undermines an otherwise positive impression!  Do we notice the person or the tattoo?

Recently, the media reports that while there are many laws regarding hygiene practices, the inks may be toxic, highlighting a disturbing lack of regulation on them, the fact that carcinogenic chemicals in 13 out of 21 commonly used tattoo inks used in Europe is frankly frightening.  One of the best sources of information on all kinds of tattoo inks dates from Germany in June this year as FAQs.

As with any industry, crusaders exist who want to change the regulations and make it safe for people as there also seems to be an alarming rise in self-tattooing in schools and of underage children.   We so often see the beautiful results of this creative artwork, rarely the ugly or hideous side effects.

Ultimately, as with anything we put on our bodies it is our own choice in most cases.  As an Image Consultant it is not my position to judge, merely to alert people to think carefully before choosing something so permanent.  Positioning them so that they can be covered up is a good idea but also consider whether you might still like them when you are in your later years?

Break the rules knowingly and accept all consequences, positive and negative; given how long tattoos have been around, they are here to stay.  Make sure, if you start this journey, that your eyes are wide open.