I personally feel that our perceptions are shaped by the environment that we live in. This includes the friends and family around us, the culture in which we are exposed to as well as the society's acceptance.
Firstly, Tattoos used to be perceived as individuals associated to gangs. Like in Japan, all yakuza members are marked with tattoos to depict their clan's crest.
I would like to "utter" about tattoos today. Basically, the perceptions of people having tattoos.
Firstly, Tattoos used to be perceived as individuals associated to gangs. Like in Japan, all yakuza members are marked with tattoos to depict their clan's crest. Some yakuza members tattoo a black ring around their arm for each crime they have committed. Basically, these tattoos were a mark of strength and it marks them as a group of people who are unwilling to accommodate themselves into societies, rules and norms.
Although tattoos have now become mainstream in Japan, many onsen (Japanese baths places) and some capsule hotels still do not admit people with tattoos. They would often place a sign at their entrance to indicate that people with tattoos are not allowed to permit. This shows that these owners still continue to have a perception that whoever who is marked with tattoos are associated to being a yakuza member and they are afraid of having anything related to the yakuza.
Like the yakuza who marked their body with tattoos, many 
tribes too has tattoos which act as a tribal identification.
In these tribes, tattoos are perceived to be a symbolism which marks a person's passage into adulthood. In some tribes, girls are expected to undergo tattooing because if a girl cannot endure the pain brought by tattooing, she is considered weak and cannot bear the pain of labour during child birth, thus, making her unmarriageable. On the other hand, if the boy cannot take the pain of tattooing, he would be considered a coward. He may then be segregated from the rest of the tribesman and will never be considered a warrior.
However, in modern days, tattoos are considered as a form of art. The tattoo may symbolise many different meanings. Some may represent as a memory of a love one, others just marks as an individual's love of art or even to distinguish himself/herself among others.
Although there are still societies who do not accept that tattoos are another form of expressing oneself, many societies have come to the fact that tattoos are no longer associated to being a part of a gang.
Shows such as Miami Ink, LA Ink and many others allows the society to learn that there are many individuals who inked themselves with tattoo because they want a permanant marking on their body to constantly remind them something. For example, in one episode, this father wanted a tattoo of his daughter on his chest because she who was diagnosed with a illness and he knew that she would depart the world before him. And so, he just wanted to leave a permanent mark on him to remind him of his beautiful daughter. The tattoo lives an image that his daughter is sleeping peacefully on his chest.
I hoped that these shows continue to influence the society and change the perceptions of many viewers that tattoos nowadays represent many different meanings and that it should no longer classify individuals with tattoos as a gang member.
hmmm. now then i realise the history of tattoos! haha. to me, tattoos are really cool if it portrays certain meaning, reason or story for the person.
ReplyDeleteperhaps i'll get one when the right reason comes. (:
i think tatts are not indicative of one's character, good or bad, as society is wont to suscribe to. if character judgment has to be cast, maybe we should start viewing tattoo-inscription as a test of physical endurance here too. lord knows it's a lot more accurate than some of the other pain threshold indices we have now ;)
ReplyDeletenice write-up.. shows the progression of tattoos.. from being used as an indicator of maturity, to symbolizing gang affiliation, to visual stories, depicting one's life.
ReplyDeletewhatever the case, tattoos have always had underlying meanings. and i believe that the perception of tattoos nowadays has been heavily influenced by the shows you mentioned. gone are the days where people believed tattoos=gang members.
Tattoos do have many different meanings behind it. I think it also based on the culture you are in. Like for example, in Japan, tattoos are linked to the Yakuza while in Russia, tattoos often indicates the type of crimes you have committed.
ReplyDeleteMy mom have come to realized that tattoos have many other meanings behind them other than relating back to a society of gangsters. However, she told me that she would rather me not get a tattoo.
I strongly feel that most people who have a tattoo didn't just do it for fun, but to inscribe a remembrance, an experience, a perception of his/her individual views on things or something that he/she would like others to view.
ReplyDeleteTattoos are also like an expression instead of scribbling in words, writing a story or a journal. It's something more expressive, an art where others who view it may have a total different perception on the design inked on your skin. So, people may/may not get the idea in which your tattoo represents. Like to some, a butterfly tattoo may just be a pretty design, something feminine, but perhaps to the individual who inked himself/herself with the butterfly tattoo, it may mean something like a process on the different stages in life where he/she grew to become wiser, etc.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with longlong on the shows, which I have mentioned gaining in the change on perception of tattoos. But I still feel that these shows need to increase and project to more viewers because there are still older generations who still continue to view individuals with tattoos to being rebellious. An example would be my mom. She said that she'd disown me if I ever get a tattoo. Basically, her perception has yet to change.
ReplyDeletegreat write up on tattoos. (: so wad are your perceptions on tattoos? i think many singaporeans in the older generations still perceive tattoos to be a part of gangsterism. however, i perceive tattoos to something which the "cool" and "brave" people has since it's quite painful to get one.
ReplyDeleteOh, my perceptions on tattoos are that I believe there are deep meaning underlying these tattoos. (: So sometimes, when I have closer friends who has tattoos, I'll ask them if there's any significant meaning to the tattoo.
ReplyDeleteThen again, not all people who owns a tattoo did it because there is a significant meaning behind it. Some just does it for the fun of it, others think it puts them in the "cool" category, while the rest just did it out of peak and regret after awhile having realize they've done something permanent on their skin.
ReplyDeleteI'm really thinking of getting a tattoo. But some things I'm still considering is probably the money issue and most of all the design of the tattoo. I'm thinking of getting a religious tattoo, like something to do with christ.
ReplyDeleteGET ONE TATTOO NOW.
ReplyDeleteOnce you get the first tattoo,chances are you never stop!
ReplyDelete