Dirty.
Rebellious. Cute?
Once considered a symbol of defiance, the tattoo has evolved from the skulls and bones on a roughneck biker's arms to the butterflies and flowers on a high school girl's back. In the past 50 years the tattoo industry has slowly entered the mainstream, losing much of the negative stigma it once brought to those who yielded them.
Ranked the sixth-fastest growing retail venture in the 1990s, the tattoo industry continues to grow as body art becomes more acceptable in American culture, according to a U.S. News & World Report article. A Harris Poll conducted in 2003 estimates 16 percent of Americans currently have one or more tattoos.
About 25 to 30 percent of college students have tattoos, pointing to an increase in popularity among younger generations according to Clinton Sanders, a sociology professor and author of "Customizing the Body: The Art and Culture of Tattooing." Sanders said body art has reached new heights and lost much of its negative connotations as people who never considered getting tattooed are now walking into shops looking for one to call their own. "When you begin to see the guy that is selling you insurance has a tattoo and a cop has a piercing then it becomes more acceptable and less deviant," Sanders said. The popularity of tattoos is fueled by people's desires to be individuals and define themselves, said Joe Kozlowski, a 5th-semester environmental economics and policies major.
"I got a tattoo to express my wild side," Kozlowski said. "Tattoos are really an expression of who you are and what you've done. They really help people express themselves because you can say something with a tattoo that you can't say with words."
John Buck, co-owner of Lucky Ink 13 Tattoo Shop on Route 44, has been in the business long enough to watch the industry rise from taboo to mainstream. He said the meaning of body art has evolved with time and has lost much of its tribal appeal.
"College kids aren't doing it to show a certain pose or belong to a group, they just like the idea of it and the personalization," Buck said.
Buck has "130-something tattoos, but not quite 140" and by looking at his arms it is easy to see how the tattoo industry has changed. His arms are covered with an array of pieces, but they are unlike the sleeve tattoos that are popular today, he has many separate small to midsized tattoos, all which represent different stages and moments in his life.
"There's a symbolic reference to it," Buck said. "If you get into tattoos they can remind you of a certain time or a certain period in your life."
A tattoo on his shoulder represents his brother's death while a burning angel on his stomach represents the end of a relationship.
In the 1960s tattoos were commonly found on sailors, bikers and outlaws. Today many people get tattoos as artwork-some get one scene on their entire back. This is different from the tattoo ideology of the 1960s, Buck said. He said he believes tattoos are now completely acceptable, but will continue to "raise an eyebrow."
"In the [1960s,] if you got a tattoo you were put in a specific camp," Buck said. "You were not going to get into a bank job, maybe construction, but we were apart from establishment. When I got mine it was a commitment. I could cut my hair off anytime, but this is permanent - this was a commitment to a different way of life than my father's."
Part of the reason tattoos are becoming more acceptable is due to increased media exposure, according to Jill Bassett, a 9th-semester management information systems and communication dual major.
"I got mine because I wanted to decorate my body," she said. "It has that bad girl image and I like that. But I think it's becoming a huge trend and you can see it on TV all the time, and more and more people are seeing tattoos and start thinking about getting one."
Shows like "Miami Ink" and "Inked" educate the public about the culture behind body art while actors, musicians and professional athletes have become free advertising for the industry by simply appearing on television bearing their ink, Bassett said.
Buck said he feels tattoos have lost a lot of their original meaning with the growth of the industry. He described one incident that bothered him after the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004. A female came into his shop and got a Red Sox logo tattooed on her chest. This would be unheard of in the 1960s, Buck said.
Brian Hutchinson, a Lucky Ink 13 tattoo artist, said he agrees and feels though the tattoo industry is growing; it may not necessarily be good.
"Tattoos have always been the way of saying `f*** you.' Now it's more like `yo, check out my tattoo'," Hutchinson said. "[There are] kids that come in and look around and pick the first thing they see off the wall and it breaks my heart. They don't realize the opportunity they have to put some really good artwork on their bodies."
Tattoos have always been a way to rebel against society and the norm, but as more people get them they may lose that aspect of their appeal, according to Sanders. Because tattoos are so prominent in the mainstream, people are going to new lengths to personalize their bodies. Other forms of body modification-such as large earrings, branding, scarification, tongue splitting, transdermal implants and subdermal implants-are slowly gaining popularity.
But according to Lucky Ink 13 tattoo artist Tanin McCooe, tattoos will always be a part of our culture.
"I don't think people will ever stop getting tattoos," McCooe said. "There will only be a change in the clients we get - different types of people that wouldn't get one before will get them now."
Though the methods of tattooing have become more sanitary and regulated, Joleen Nevers, health education coordinator for Student Health Services, said people are still at risk of having various health problems with their tattoos.
Various infections can occur along with allergic reactions to specific types of inks that can develop years after getting a tattoo. Though they are uncommon, people can also develop Keloids when an abnormal growth of fibrous scar tissue heals over the affected area, according to Nevers. People looking to get work may also contract Hepatitis or HIV, but according to Sanders there have been no documented cases of anyone getting HIV from a tattoo.
"I don't tell people to do it or not to do it, I just want them to make the best decision because it is a life decision," Nevers said.
Talking to your tattoo artist and getting to know their style is best before you get a tattoo, according to Nevers. People should know the shop they are entering is reputable and the artist has the right style to fit the tattoo they seek.
According to Sanders innovation has been lacking in the industry. Tattoos have been placed the same way since the 1920s. As the industry continues to grow and new shops open almost everyday, Buck said the future of tattoos is open for new tools and techniques. Though illegal, fluorescent ink that glows in the dark is available but not quite safe, according to Buck.
Tattoo machines, needles and inks keep improving with time and tattoo artists keep refining their skills, Buck said. The industry, like its client base, will continue to change leaving the future of tattoos open to infinite possibilities.
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