mariskak-blog1

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My research throughout gathering information for my blog has shown the importance that tattoos hold in society. Tattoo artists and tattoo removal specialists rely on people with tattoos in order for their businesses to stay in afloat. The rapid increase in individuals with tattoos over the past few decades has boosted the tattoo economy, as well as challenged the stereotype of tattoos. My view on tattoos is that they are a form of expression, with a particular meaning to that individual. Rarely do i meet people that say, “yeah i got this tattoo just ‘cause”, usually there is some form of meaning for why they got it. Regardless of the meaning however, i believe a tattoo is just as much of a form of expression as cutting your hair. I think that in this life, the only one we have, we should be able to live it how we want, and only by the standards of our own. The stereotypes attached to tattoos are not accurate when describing the individual, and they only prevent opportunities in the workplace, which can have the potential to hinder innovation. In other cultures, writings on the skin and body are seen as beautiful and precious, holding deep meanings about their lives to those people. Why is it so different here? I think that Americans are scared of not only change, but of being the same as other nations. I believe that the stereotyping and stigma attached to tattoos is because of this fear, and that the only way for it to change is with time. Already, the idea has challenged society, and i think it is a matter of time before it becomes apart of our freedom.  

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In this short documentary by Simeon Yakubu. He begins by explaining the historical background of tattoos, with the word coming from the word “ta” meaning “striking something” and the Tahitian word “ta tow” meaning “to mark something”. When the tattoo machine was invented in 1890, more people began to get them. However, the tattoos were seen as only acceptable for criminals and dangerous individuals. Simeon focus on his research has a religious aspect to contradict the stigma, and he questions “should Christians have tattoos?” He collects data by interviewing various people on the street to gain different opinions on the matter. In conclusion, he found that the main reasoning behind getting tattoos was for its meaning, and that the religious aspect of it is solely up to the individual's personal ties to the tattoo. I think that this is an interesting approach to understanding the sociology of tattoos, and that it provides a different perspective on the matter in comparison to mine.  

[mariskak-blog1]

According to recent studies, the numbers of Americans with tattoos has increased rapidly within past decades. Now, one in five Americans have a tattoo, including thirty percent of college graduates. The stereotype for years was that people with tattoos had lower paying jobs and lived lower class lives. The market is defying all stereotypes for tattoos, with people of all ages and professions having them, from doctors to politicians. Thirty-six percent of people aging from eighteen to twenty-seven years old have tattoos, as well as forty percent of people aging from twenty-eight to forty years old. This shows how the influence of the older generation with tattoos will eventually affect the new generations to come, with their parents having tattoos and with the idea of them being acceptable implanted into their minds. The quantitative data shown is from Astanza laser company, with all of their statistical observations and data coming from their own encounters with tattooed people and people who have the tattoos removed over a long period of time. Despite the facts shown in this picture, the stigma attached to tattoos, especially in the workplace, remains. It is important to understand that the tattoos themselves do not define the person as “bad” or “criminal”, but that it is society that places these stigmas upon those individuals. It is interesting to see the rise in people getting tattoos, but not so much of a decline in stereotyping against it. In order to understand the sociology of tattoos, one must first realize the growing magnitude of people with tattoos from all walks of life, and their historical significance.

[mariskak-blog1]

The topic of this blog is the sociology of tattoos, and its economic impact on the society. I grew up with the idea that tattoos were unclassy and bad, because they made someone look “unprofessional” or “uneducated”, or that they were criminals or gang members. These were the only reasons my mother and father gave me for why i should be so against them. Growing up in the central valley of California, I never saw a lot of people that i knew with tattoos, so I assumed the taboo my parents had implanted into my head was true.  As I have grown, and as I have lived in a city as diverse as San Francisco, I have adapted to very different views than what I grew up with, tattoos being one of the major ones. Not only have I seen more people with them, but i’ve seen what you would call “professionals” or “high class” people with them as well. My experience in work places here versus back home regarding tattoos has been very different as well. Here, they are more accepting, whereas back home they are against it and advocate for you to cover it with clothing. In past decades, the number of people with tattoos has risen immensely, creating a major economic impact as well. More tattoos means not only more money for the artists, but more money for the tattoo removal industry as well. Tattoos originated as a form of expression to differentiate individuals, and I believe that this meaning has not changed. In fact, last semester I got my own tattoo. It is the Greek delta, meaning change. The corner is open, meaning “open to change”. This is in memory of when my father passed in 2012, and how my world changed instantly. To me, it is a constant reminder to stay strong and keep moving forward, and to adapt to the changes that life brings.