Tattoos have become increasingly popular among people of all ages in the last few decades. In September 2017, the American Academy of Pediatrics released a study regarding the presence of tattoos in people aged 18 to 29. It said that 38 percent of people in this age group have at least one tattoo. (Newman, 2017) People get tattoos for a host of reasons: self-expression, spiritual motivation, tribute to a loved one, even drunken decisions. As the tattoo industry has progressed, so has a person’s ability to design a personal tattoo that can go anywhere on their body—literally, anywhere. However, it is all too easy to dismiss the class and gender politics from which the practice of tattooing gained popularity, and its former existence as a type of counterculture for those who resisted the status quo. Although tattoos are commonplace today, only after significant political and societal struggles have they been brought from the niche “other” into the mainstream.
In America during the early 1900s, those who had tattoos were automatically branded under the category of “freak.” They were circus performers, sailors, and prisoners. Their tattoos symbolized freedom of expression, defiance, and, for the sailors, a documentation of where in the world they had been. (Crum, 2017) Whatever the case, those with tattoos were otherized by a society that refused to accept the permanent recognition of self that body ink offers. Feminist author Andi Zeisler writes that “pop culture grew out ot low culture” and from “people assumed to be ill educated and unworthy or ‘real’ art.” (Zeisler, 2008, p. 1) Tattoos have since been brought into the mainstream, but in America they originated from members of lower social classes who were stereotyped as unsophisticated and undeserving, as Zeisler outlines. This community of “others” represents a group that was often marginalized by those in power.
Additionally, tattoos have played a significant role in creating a counterculture that worked to resist certain political decisions and societal norms. In the 1960s, cause-specific tattoos emerged as a way for individuals to protest and advocate for various movements. Countercultures such as the civil rights movement and the opposition to the Vietnam War rejected cultural standards of the time and pushed for progressive, social change. During this time period, the tattoo industry reflected the defiant tone of the decade. Requests for patriotic tattoos declined remarkably, and a new design gained prominence: the peace sign tattoo. (Inkbox, 2017) Tattoos were clear political indicators, and a person’s alliance to these movements was evident based on their particular choice of body ink. Through the art of tattooing, the popularity of the countercultures of the 60s soared.
Although women have felt empowered through the tattoo industry, the artform has also been used to label them as inferior to their male counterparts. This was especially prominent in biker gangs during the 50s and 60s, when men would strongly encourage their girlfriends or wives to brand themselves with tattoos that symbolized a submissiveness to the men in the gang, such as “Property of Alan.” (Crum, 2017) It wasn’t until the 1970s that women began using tattoos for their own empowerment, and only in the 90s did feminine tattoos have a notable boost in popularity as women began to transform mastectomy scars into artwork through tattooing. (Inkbox, 2017) Tattoos once objectified women, but now they can be a tool for empowerment.
Like so many other things, we can attribute the rise in the popularity of tattoos to the sudden interest in the industry from something we all know and love—even if we won’t admit it—reality television. Shows like Inked and Miami Ink debuted in the early 2000s and gave viewers a behind the scenes look into the daily occurrences of a tattoo parlor. (Preston, 2018) These programs showed audiences that no, not all tattoo clients were lower class, delinquent teens as the classic stereotype portrayed them to be; they came from all economic backgrounds and were of all ages. The shows also reduced the stigma around tattoo parlors that labeled them as seedy or unsanitary. Reality television made the tattoo industry more transparent and desirable to the public.
Tattoo influencers have become prominent in recent years through their effective usage of social media. One such artist is Ryan Ashley Malarkey. Malarkey became famous after winning the reality TV show Ink Master in 2016, and to this day is still the only woman to have won. Since then, she has appeared many times on the Inked YouTube page, where she uses the platform to discuss her experiences as a woman in a male-dominated industry. (Mae, 2019) By relating her own struggles as a female tattoo artist, Malarkey creates a perceived interconnectedness with her audience. Author Crystal Abidin writes that “Perceived interconnectedness is co-constructed by influencers and followers, and primarily engages in intimacy strategies to sustain itself.” (Crystal, 2015, p. 11) This special connection is only successful when Malarkey’s viewers believe that she is portraying an honest depiction of her life as a tattoo artist. Emotionally driven stories such as the ones she shares through YouTube represent the “intimacy strategies” she employs to achieve a desired connectedness with her followers. The power of tattoo influencers via social media has been a driving force behind
society’s obsession with the artform.
society’s obsession with the artform.
While tattoos have been integrated into popular culture through the rise of reality television and the power of influencers, in order to fully understand the tattoo industry today, we must appreciate the societal obstacles it has overcome in America. Women relied on tattoos to embrace their femininity; lower, often marginalized social classes got tattoos for freedom of expression; countercultural movements used them to forward their cause. Tattoos have had significant cultural implications in our country, and these are just some things to take into account if you are considering getting a tattoo.
Bibliography:
Abidin, C. (2015). Communicative <3 intimacies: Influencers and perceived interconnectedness. Ada: A Journal of Gender, New Media, & Technology 8. Retrieved from: http://adanewmedia.org/2015/11/issue8-abidin/
Crum, M. (2017, December 7). The Prickly History Of Tattooing In America. Retrieved from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/america-tattoo-history_n_7690424
Inkbox. (2017, September 15). How Tattoos Have Changed Decade to Decade - inkbox™ Blog. Retrieved from https://inkbox.com/blog/post/how-tattoos-have-changed-decade-to-decade.
Mae, E. (2019, June 1). Top 5 Influencers to Follow in the Tattoo Community. Retrieved from https://medium.com/@ememory/top-5-influencers-to-follow-in-the-tattoo-community-5ea0af728768.
Newman, M. (2017, September 20). Report: More young people have tattoos and piercings than ever before. Retrieved from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/09/20/young-people-tattoos-and-piercings-report/686360001/.
Preston, D. (2018, December 14). 16 Canceled Tattoo TV Shows You Should Binge Watch This Weekend. Retrieved from https://www.inkedmag.com/tattoo-artists/16-canceled-tattoo-tv-shows-
you-should-binge-watch-this-weekend.
Zeisler, A. (2008). Feminism and pop culture. New York, NY: Seal Press. Pp. 1-21
Great blog post Anya! I found your analysis of the meaning of tattoos as a popular culture artifact through various decades very interesting and well-formed. I did not know that tattoos originated as a form of resistance and never put it together that many prisoners, sailors, and circus workers were the first to get and have tattoos. Your discussion regarding tattoos as a form of counterculture was especially intriguing because in a decade of extreme protest, the popularism of tattoos makes perfect sense. I personally know many people who have gotten tattoos as both a symbol of remembrance for loved ones that were lost, but as a form of resistance as well. For example, I have seen various tattoos with guns turned into hearts or the words, such as peace or love. Your statement regarding the rise of feminist tattoos and the use of tattoos after women receive mastectomies was also intriguing because I have heard of that before, but never thought about the feminist approach and implications of that. On top of everything that you discussed in your blog post, I also find the use of tattoos during genocides, such as the holocaust, to label people interesting. This labeling during the holocaust with this modern form of popular culture would have been interesting to Adorno and Horkheimer due to their upbringing and experiences in their lives. Overall, your blog post was excellently formed and well- written and I enjoyed reading it. I will definitely never think of tattoos the same again.
ReplyDelete- Drew Schwartz
Anya, I really enjoyed reading your blog post! I think similar to a lot of the other topics people chose to write about, I was pleasantly surprised to read about tattoos within an educational and intellectual context. It’s interesting because I remember growing up always thinking that tattoos were “bad” because I never met someone with tattoos, and then I slowly saw that perspective evolve as I grew older. Similar to how my perception of tattoos progressed over time, I thought it was really interesting to read when you outlined the historical background to tattoos and to see how their meaning and perception in society progressed over time. I never considered the historical aspect to tattoos before. Your paragraph regarding tattoos and countercultures was particularly intriguing. We have touched on this idea in class before where artifacts or ideas within pop culture have transitioned from the margins to the mainstream—for example when we talked about Susan Sontag and Camp—and how this niche existence often exists as counterculture and slowly transitions to mainstream as a part of pop culture. I think that this also feeds into Fiske’s idea where pop culture is a form of resistance. Your example of the Vietnam War not only ties in this idea of growth as counterculture that we saw with Camp and Susan Sontag but also Fiske’s perception of pop culture. I thought that the duality to this part of tattoos’ history was particularly interesting. You spoke on how during this time, the tattoo industry merely mirrored the defiant environment and atmosphere of the decade. Getting peace sign tattoos during this time, as you note, was a political statement for one’s stance on the Vietnam War. And along that same train of thought, when you mentioned that people’s requests for patriotic tattoos were declining remarkably and instead people were requesting these peace sign tattoos, it reminded me of one of Storey’s six definitions of pop culture where he says that pop culture is culture which originates from the people and authentic of the people. In getting these new tattoo designs, people were able to create this new cultural phenomenon of tattoos that aimed to resist the political situation at the time. I thought that was an interesting idea to note as well. Overall, I really enjoyed reading your blog post, particularly regarding the more historical aspect to tattoos and how that would fit into the various scholars we have talked about in class. Not only did I find it extremely insightful, it was also interesting to see how beyond just the interesting connections you made to scholars we had talked about, it is clear to see that there is even more overlap between the tattoo industry and other scholars we have studied.
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job in the blog, and I really enjoyed reading it! Your whole writing is very informative and reflective. As a Chinese, it is quite eye-opening for me to realize that tattoos and people who have tattoos were positioned in a marginalized place in early 1900s-- I thought that tattoo has always been popular and attractive for young people. I was surprised to see the extent of gender politics of tattoos in America when I was reading your post. The fact that in the 1950s and 60s men encouraged their wives and girlfriends to brand themselves with tattoos to symbolize their submissiveness remind me of the concept “male gaze” that intend to objectify female bodies to not only visually appeal to men but also serve to stroke men’s ego. In this case, even though tattoos that branding women did not sexualize female bodies, it indeed uses a visual way to appeal to male and their ego. Different from the American society, the mainstream of the Chinese society continues to view tattoos as a taboo and a sign of rebellion that should not be encouraged. Although Chinese people today are more empowered by their education and higher wages, it is still very risky to show one’s personality and thoughts through tattoos. When I was reading your post, I kept thinking about who decides on the connotation of having tattoos, why such connotation have to be continued, and what are the ways that such negative connotations of tattoos could be removed or overcome so that people could enjoy a greater extent of freedom. I do not have answers for those questions now, but thank you for inspiring me to reflect upon those questions.
ReplyDelete--Lu Yin
Hi Anya!
ReplyDeleteI loved your blog post on tattoos! Before reading your post, I had no idea how common tattoos were in the 18 to 29 age group. I also did not previously know the class and gender politics that came from the increased popularity of tattooing. The way you connected the formation of the counterculture movement in the 1960s and tattooing was very interesting as well. When I was reading your post, I noticed that you cited Inkbox, a semi-permanent tattoo ink company. This made me think of Inkbox in terms of this class and Adorno and Horkheimer’s idea of pseudo-individuality. For reference, Adorno and Horkheimer essentially explain that consumers buy into this simulation of individuality through aspects of cultural products being designed for personalization. The cultural industry adds specific attributes to make products seem unique but these personalizations are calculated and standardized (Horkheimer, 1944). Inkbox has an option that allows you to customize your own tattoo. You can upload your own image or you can browse their customization options they have available on their website. When using their customization options, you can choose from a variety of different fonts and pre-set graphics to create a custom tattoo. This connects to the idea of pseudo-individuality because the pre-set options make the consumer feel like they are creating a truly unique and personalized tattoo design.
Thank you so much for your post! It was super interesting and really connected well to the material from class! I have not previously watched or followed tattoo influencers but I will definitely now after reading your post!
The above post about Inkbox is by Lauren Shulman
Delete