Something Old, Something New, Something Tattooed

Source: Tätowierung im japanischen Stil (Irezumi) auf dem linken Oberarm / Wikimedia Commons

Rites of passage are markers that indicate the transformation from the world of the child to the world of the adult. In ancient times and in more tribally-oriented societies, experiences such as fasting, the sacrifice of a body part like a finger or testicle, burnings, the knocking out of teeth, participation in a hunt, and other such happenings clearly delineated moving from one stage of life to another. In contemporary times, events such as getting a license to drive and having one’s first alcoholic drink also mark such changes, but they pale in comparison. Getting an iPhone and killing a lion with a spear doesn't quite seem to be on the same level. Of course, there are experiences shared in all eras and civilizations: puberty, childbirth, and marriage, for example. Another experience is getting a tattoo.

More traditional—and tattoos in many ways are traditional—meanings of a tattoo include indicators of status and rank, enhancers of fertility and sexuality, statements of group membership and tribal affiliations, listings of age and profession, declarations of love, medals for bravery, granters of protection, and symbols of religious and spiritual beliefs. Now, we might ask someone what they do (i.e., how much money do you make and what is your education level) or ask for identification or a social security number. In olden times, one’s tattoo might have sufficed and contained all needed information. In addition to these meanings, current meanings also include portraits as remembrance of friends, family members, and pets; markers of important dates; or recordings of memorable sayings, phrases, lines of poetry, or single words.

There are a number of historical precedents for the idea of the tattoo as an imprint of the abnormal or inhumane. Prisoners of Nazi concentration camps were forcibly tattooed with numbers and sometimes a letter and/or symbol to identify them. China has a particularly harsh relationship with tattooing as prisoners and slaves were marked or punished with facial tattoos. In Japan, where there is a rich history of tattooing (Irezumi), there remains a link between tattoos and the Yakuza, or Japanese organized crime. Roman soldiers were required by law to have their hands tattooed in order to make abandoning the military difficult. In the nineteenth century, American convicts and British army deserters were marked with tattoos. In Neal Stephenson’s 1992 Snow Crash, dangerous criminals have warnings such as "Poor Impulse Control" tattooed on their foreheads to alert others to their potential misbehavior. Thus, the connection between tattooing and criminality, deviance, or desertion on some part has always been strong and the stigma persists. And, of course, there has always been the feeling that tattooing is a pagan, savage practice desecrating the body, a strange act of self-mutilation. In short, people with tattoos don’t quite fit in with the mainstream.

However, while tattooing has become more of a widespread and socially acceptable practice, especially in America, it’s not the first time. Consider for example, that at one point a set of perfect teeth did not mean one was a member of the upper classes. Precisely the opposite. Only the rich could afford sugar in Britain and thus their blackened and rotting teeth were evidence of their wealth. By the 1870s, some members of the British upper class including royalty got tattooed. The same trend occurred in America between the Civil War and World War I. Tattooing was a difficult, lengthy, and expensive procedure. Therefore, tattooing was an act that primarily the wealthy had the leisure and means to pursue (Polynesian tattooing took three to four months to complete, was excruciating, and those who did not finish were considered cowards and the unfinished tattoo symbolized their failure). That changed with the invention of the electric tattoo machine, which made tattooing more affordable and accessible to all classes. The wealthy lost interest in the tattoo and its association reverted back to those of rebels, savages, criminals, and outcasts.

While it’s still not quite a common practice and facial tattoos, for example, are still seen as extreme—interestingly, only Polynesians with enough social standing were permitted to have their faces tattooed—the popularity of tattooing continues to rise as evidenced by various tattoo shows on television and the increase in celebrity tattooing that was once reserved for rock stars. Prior to 1930 and the arrival of Christian missionaries, virtually all Samoan males were tattooed between the ages of 14 to 18, when their physical growth stopped. Currently, there is a revival of tattooing throughout Polynesia and they consider it a representation of their cultural identity. Similarly, American culture has also experienced an increase in tattooing which might be related to the increased importance that we have placed on self-expression and individualism; consider how much Americans love to customize, personalize, and modify.

Finally, let’s consider tattoo as not just a word or an act, but an image. When we look at tattoo, we see the three ts, like a tattooing needle moving over bare skin, the a the flowing curve of the body, and the oo an infinity symbol turned on its side. The desire for something that will endure and last at least as long as ourselves is a common longing. In this context, what is more natural than a tattoo?