How does society view tattoos?

In today's society, are tattoos considered stigma or status? In most cases tattoos are considered to be out of the norm. It is assumed true in Koch et al’s study when he states:



Neo-Nazi Skinhead Prisoner

“We use sub-cultural identity theory to propose that individuals with increasing evidence of body art procurement will also report higher levels of deviant behavior in order to maintain and/or increase social distance from the mainstream.” (151)



BIKER, GANG, PRISON TATTOOS

Koch et al means that usually people with more body art tends to report routine negative behavior to separate them from society. In his study Koch et al measures deviance in terms of behavior that is legal, but contrary to social norms, as well as behavior that is overtly illegal (155).
But are tattoos really connected to deviant behavior? Well, most would think so considering those who claimed to of had tattoos  first were drunken sailors, bikers and convicts. It can easily be assumed that anyone with tattoos could be connected to those discourses even though they could be far from that. Tattoos could stir up a lot of controversy especially when it comes down to the "old school" vs. "new" tattoos. A lot of "old school" tattooed people would say that these new tattoo wearers are "posers". It appears the old-school types want to remain distinct; their tattoos are, for them, signs of separation from the mainstream (Koch et al 152). The tattooed people usually get tattoos to identify themselves from others (crews, gangs, etc.) just like if they were to wear a certain shirt or bandana. Koch et al describes how “members also typically showcase extreme body art, utilizing vivid and highly visible symbols of racial and ethnic hate” (154), much like KKK, white supremacy, Bloods, Crips and more. The way tattoos are used here are probably why tattoos got a bad rap. Even in cartoons people with tattoos are portrayed to be violent and dangerous (DeMello 747).
How tattoos are portrayed make a big impact on what kind of jobs tattooed people could obtain. Most people would get tattoos were they are easily concealed especially due to the fact that most jobs do not want their employees to show that they have them at all. Why? Well, its as simple as that it is bad for business. Again, in todays society, tattoos are viewed negatively. What about those who do have tattoos visible to society? With the increasing mainstream presence of visible tattoos and piercings among entertainers, athletes, and even in corporate boardrooms, we wonder the extent to which long-time enthusiasts and collectors regard the phenomenon as encroachment (Koch et al 151). DeMello
talks about the "new" tattoos that are being done today:

"All three discourses-aesthetics, individuality, and personal growth and spirituality-are extremely common in most popular readings of American tattooing today, and can be contrasted with the unspoken, but nevertheless understood, reasons for why people used to get tattooed, i.e., they were drunk, it’s a macho thing, to fit in with the crowd, or even worse, for no real reason at all" (42).

What he is suggesting is that most tattoos nowadays don't seem to have a legitimate reason to even get a tattoo in the first place. Yet there is also another aspect to tattooing as we know it. DeMello simply states in his same work that:

“ All were organized and attended by individuals eager to portray a new culture of tattooing, one that includes, not bikers and other “low lives,” but educated professionals, and which is based upon sophisticated, fine art designs by professional artists, which are again distinguished from the more “primitive” designs of old” (38).

I would assume that most people nowadays just want to have this beautiful artwork permanently on their body to express themselves as individuals in today's society. Even though there is still a lot of gangs or groups that have tattoos to identify themselves as a whole it is still a sense of self-identity just like the "new". The "new" tattoos might not seem as important to the "old school" and it may seem "poserish" but this is a new time and it is becoming more common and more popular whether society accepts it now or not. Its an uncontrollable change that keeps reoccurring. Its seems as though that people get tattoos more and more claiming that it makes them feel sexier or even stronger as a person. Even if society feels that there isn't a real reason behind tattoos they are totally incorrect. Every tattoo has its own meaning and own story behind it. From a tattoo that is tribal to a tattoo that is a beauty mark, it is all the same but with different levels of severity. So, why does society see tattoos as a stigma, I feel its almost like a status symbol. Look at some of the famous tattooed celebrities out there that we all love and idealize. I guess society doesn't really seem to look at them the same way they look at other (common) people who may have the same exact tattoos.

JAPANESE TATTOOS

I think the real question is why do we see it as a stigma now when the origins of tattoos see it as status.Bikers, sailors and convicts might say that they were the original tattooees but they were by far not the first ones to get tattooed. Some cultures today have tattoos for traditional purposes dating back hundreds even thousands of years ago. Their tattoos are different than ours due to the fact that tattoos are seen as a right of passage to certain culture while we see ours as fashion. Also in other cultures they would put tattoos on their body for luck and protection, strength and faith. People of those kinds of cultures see their tattoos as a guard or shield over their body protecting them against darkness. Old practices of tattoos are considered to be vanishing more and more each year, probably because tattoos nowadays are becoming less traditional and more of a fashion.
I presume that no one can agree that tattoos are strictly either stigma or status. There is just too much to them than what the eye lets on to be. It is more than just ink under the skin, it is more than a showcase, it is even more than tradition, it is a part of each individual who wears it on their skin. Now, ask yourself this: with the rate tattoos are becoming more common, how will society see tattoos in the next century or even decade? I know my answer.

 

References

J.R. Koch et al. / The Social Science Journal 47 (2010) 151–161

 Margo DeMello “Not Just For Bikers Anymore” Popular Representations of American Tattooing

http://youtu.be/S3E_9Z_cLnkhttp://youtu.be/uYab_TNHzqg

http://youtu.be/uYab_TNHzqg