Acceptance of Tattoos in Society

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Acceptance of Tattoos In Today’s Society As far back as recorded human civilization goes, man has looked for means by which to differentiate himself from others of his kind and by this, create a unique identity for himself. Various means have been used to accomplish this most notably of which is tattooing. Tattoos offer to assist man in his ambition to achieve self-identity and expression by providing him with the means through which he can demonstrate his uniqueness and difference from the others. They also give a person a platform on which he/she can show his affiliations to a certain group. In recent times, tattooing as an art form has experienced monumental changes from the earlier years where it was the exclusive premise of sailors and prisoners to being widely acceptable and even fashionable to the general population today (Ricci 1). With its prevalence in contemporary society, the social acceptability of tattoos has advanced greatly. This change in perception of tattoos among the general population has resulted in the fashionably of tattoos. Tattoos which in the past were a social taboo reserved for the outcasts have evolved to become socially acceptable and even hugely fashionably amongst some people. To reinforce this point, the author shall provide a brief history of tattoos and proceed to highlight the changes that have occurred in the perception of tattoos by the society. Schildkrout defines Tattooing as the "insertion of ink or other pigments through the outer layer of skin, the epidermis, and into the dermis, the deeper skin" (4). The very word "tattoo" is suggested to have come from the Tahitian word "tatau" which means, "marking the skin with pigments" (Goldstein 418). This form of body art is implemented by use of a sharp object to puncture the skin therefore making a permanent mark. Tattooing has a long history and it is regarded as

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