Saturday, October 11, 2008
Tattoos as Art?
One of the things that I have noticed that have come up more than once in lecture is that everyday life can be a form of resistance. I wonder if this can be applied to tattoos? Tattoos have been around for a very long time, but not in the way that the Western world views them. Certain tribes have been known to give tattoos to their warriors as a badge of honour. It is something that they must earn. The history of tattoos is quite interesting, and is something that anyone considering a tattoo should read. I have added a link below to a site with information on different cultural meanings of tattoos.
As far as the Western world is concerned, tattoos started as something that sailors and then biker gangs had. No respectable person would ever dream of having their body mutilated in such a way. People who had tattoos were crass, uneducated, drank too much and were not upstanding members of society. As many bikers ended up in jail, they would have tattoos done while imprisoned. It started to move through the system and many non-bikers who were incarcerated would have a tattoo by the time they were released. This sub-culture of people did not bode well for tattoos becoming part of everyday life.
I'm not sure if there is a specific point that you can look back on and say "Yes, that year is when tattoos became acceptable." because, as Prof. Kalmar said, pop culture would start in the streets and then the youth would pick it up. I don't imagine a time when every American youth was rushing out to get a tattoo. It would have to be a slower transition with tattoos than it was for the ripped jeans that were so popular in the 80's. This transition did happen however and it is easy to see the thought process behind how it became so popular.
Young people, no matter what era, have a drive to rebel against society and blaze their own path. A tattoo would be an excellent way of doing this. It is a slap in the face to the idea of conformity and it allows each person to express themselves as they, and not society, see fit. The interesting thing now, of course, is that tattoos are not surrounded by the stigma that they used to be. I think they have somewhat surpassed the pop culture stage.
Looking at the tattoos people have now, it is easy to see them as being art. The intricate designs, colours and images people use are very much like art. Thought and time go into each and every one. The only difference is that instead of being hung on a wall, it is something special that you get to take with you wherever you go. Prof. Kalmar even used one in an example of the image of the Virgin Mary. With many celebrities getting tattoos and being open about them, it gives a greater drive to the masses accepting them.
The question now becomes, "Can something that is so accepted by the majority of society be seen as a form of resistance?" Something that started out on the streets and moved its way into youth culture would still be seen as a form of resistance. The thing is, tattoos have gone so much further than that now. Celebrities have been likened to being American royalty. If so many of them have tattoos, would that not show that tattoos have made the transition from pop culture to high culture? Does having a tattoo now mean conforming instead of resisting? I don't think that these two questions can be answered yet. Tattoos have not been in the social spotlight long enough. Perhaps in five years time they will be looked upon as a symbol of greatness or truly be seen as art in the Western world. The funny thing, if that holds true, is that this is how tattoos have always been seen by many other cultures.
# posted by Julia Bryan @ 2:17 PM 
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I think tattoos vary in effect according to their design.
It's one thing to have the Chinese symbol for peace tattooed on the back of your neck, but another entirely to have an anchor tattooed on your bicep.
A skinhead has a swastika tattooed on his chest. A Sixteen year old girl has a butterfly tattooed on her ankle.
I guess while tattooing is becoming 'high' culture in the sense that a wider variety of people are inscribing themselves with a wider variety of symbols, the subculture from which it all started is still going strong, and their symbols still have the same taboos associated with them now as when the phenomenon began to balloon out from warrior societies (military and organized crime).
It's one thing to have the Chinese symbol for peace tattooed on the back of your neck, but another entirely to have an anchor tattooed on your bicep.
A skinhead has a swastika tattooed on his chest. A Sixteen year old girl has a butterfly tattooed on her ankle.
I guess while tattooing is becoming 'high' culture in the sense that a wider variety of people are inscribing themselves with a wider variety of symbols, the subculture from which it all started is still going strong, and their symbols still have the same taboos associated with them now as when the phenomenon began to balloon out from warrior societies (military and organized crime).
I wouldn't feel inclined to suggest that tattoos have anything to do with high culture yet. They certainly still bear a touch of stigma. They've gotten tamer, but they're firmly popular still.
It's hard to imagine them becoming possible High Art objects of cultural snobbery just yet -- maybe if gorgeous, ultra-expensive tattooing techniques become available in a few years.
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It's hard to imagine them becoming possible High Art objects of cultural snobbery just yet -- maybe if gorgeous, ultra-expensive tattooing techniques become available in a few years.
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