On Being a Tattooed Person
Various analysts see being tattooed as indicating a penchant for violence (Newman, 1982), a tendency toward self-destructive behavior (Burma, 1965; Kurtzberg et al., 1967; Taylor, 1970), a pathological need for attention (Haines and Huffman, 1958), or a tendency to engage in certain forms of property crime (Haines and Huffman, 1958; Orten and Bell, 1974).Customizing the Body: The Art and Culture of Tattooing
How should a tattooed person react to a statement like that? Each source was published between 1958-1982. Has so much changed since then? If I go down the list, I can check off the afflictions that I feel safe saying aren't mine:
- A penchant for violence: I don't have this. I was in a fight once, in kindergarten. I punched a boy named Brad because I thought his name sounded dumb. I have never punched anyone again. (But I still don't have any friends named Brad)
- A tendency toward self destructive behavior: I guess this depends on how 'self-destructive behavior' is defined. Do I cut myself? No. Do my feet hurt from running 25 miles a week? Sure. Do I dance in the middle of the freeway? No. Have I ever been hopelessly romantic? Yep.
- A pathological need for attention: OK, this is dumb. Anyone born after the early eighties who has access to the internet is a completely narcissistic self-broadcasting robot. I'm not sure there's any correlation to the tattoos.
- A tendency to engage in certain forms of property crime: I was disciplined for silly teenage graffiti once - it wasn't serious, and happened years before I had any tattoos. Now that I have my own property to destroy, drawing on other people's isn't as thrilling. I'm not a vandal, and don't know any other tattooed people who are.
Are tattoos still taboo?Sure, there are reality TV shows about them, but being on TV isn't always complementary. Many films still depict the 'bad guy' as a tattooed person. Workplaces still enforce dress codes which prohibit visible tattoos - a petition on Change.org is calling for Starbucks to lift its ban on tattooed baristas.According to a Fox Business article, tattoo removal procedures have increased by 32% since 2011, with many people citing 'employment reasons' as their motivation. I have personally had removal sessions on a tattoo, which I haven't seen through to complete disappearance. The process is very unpleasant, but when opinions about workplace appearance show the kind of ignorance in the following quote, even the most committed to tattoos have second thoughts:
In sum, tattoos send a message to corporate America that you are ignorant, low-income, that you have have bad taste, and worst of all, that you may have a criminal record.http://www.dba-oracle.com/dress_code_tattoos.htm
I've listened to snarky remarks about tattoos, witnessed haughty reactions, and ignored jokes to avoid arguments. Despite the negative perceptions, I still don't believe that being tattooed makes a person any less a productive member of society, an excellent employee, or a great friend. I hope that many others, tattooed or not, share my sentiment.