History of Tattoos and Body Piercing They come in all shapes and sizes ranging from the delicate to the outrageous! Why do people in so many disparate cultures permanently ink their skin with symbols and unique designs? What is the allure of tattoos and body piercing? Tattoos and body piercing date back in history more than 5,000 years. They most likely began as cultural rituals.
Metal rings and bars hang from eyebrows, noses, nipples, lips, chins, cheeks, navels, and for that coveted neo-frankenstein look from the side of the neck” (Leo, 160). Those who choose to go this route, moreover, include people of all ages and races. Although tattoos are controversial they are a beautiful form of self-expression that has been embraced by humans for almost as long as they have been around. Tattoos should inspire more admiration and less criticism! Opposition to tattoos and piercings While the markings and pieces of metal are sometimes subtle and well concealed, some are so garish to suggest a competition to see who can be the most extreme.
You’ll find tattoos in accounting and lawyers and every straight-up job. It isn’t just alternative people.” (Finlo Rohrer) 2007 Humanity has decorated their bodies with tattoos for many centuries. In the beginning mostly men received tattoos. In this age you see men and women of all ages, races, religions and social groups with tattoos. The once taboo subject is no longer as unaccepted as in past decades.
There is an art form that many of us know about today, we see it everywhere, and on many different walks of life. People get this art for many different reasons; some people display their artwork proudly while others chose to keep theirs in places where only they may ever see. Many people have them, maybe even you have one. Tattoos are a way to express yourself, to let others know about you and who you are. This form of artwork has survived for thousands of years, and over those years tools used to make this artwork have evolved.
The Samoan, Maori, Borneo, African, North American Aboriginal cultures are just a few that have used the tattoo as a way to tell a story of Transition into maturity. Before there was writing with words to identify a person, we used pictures. Many of the cultures used the tattoo to tell the status of an individual in society. The Maori of New Zealand used Tattooing starting at puberty, accompanied by many rites and rituals. In addition to making a warrior attractive to women, the tattoo practice marked both rites of passage and important events in a person's life.
I. To show how tattoos’ were used other than as art on your body, lets go in depth as to how they were also important in the community and among other tribes. A. Tattooing has been a Eurasian practice since Neolithic times “Otzi the Iceman”, dated circa 3300 BC, bore 57 separate tattoo’s ranging from possible therapeutic tattoos, which we will go a little more in depth about later on, to religious tattoos which we will also go in more detail about later on. The history of tattoos. (2010).
Tattoos have been used for centuries to reflect changes in life status, whether passage into adulthood or induction into a group like the military or a gang. In recent years, tattoos have also become a fashion accessory, a trend fueled by basketball players, bands and celebrities. A report by the Food and Drug Administration estimated that as many as 45 million Americans have tattoos. There are also those regrets and a tattoo that cost several hundred dollars to apply could require several thousand dollars and many laser sessions to remove. Another trend in tattooing has begun and looks to be the next big thing.
They have been used for various reasons. As time changed, so did the use of tattoos. In today’s world, most people get tattoos for fun, and some get them for other purposes or beliefs. Throughout history tattooing has served many purposes. Tattooing has been around since the earliest civilizations.
Body Suspension Since the dawn of mankind the people from different areas and regions of our earth have marked themselves in different ways as part of their culture. Culture and religion have had much influence to the way people interact and conduct their bodies and lives. One thing that has become popular in our culture in the last ten years is body modification, the act of changing the look or appearance of one’s body(“Body Suspension”). Body suspension, a type of body modification, is the act of suspending one’s body from hooks that are attached to the skin as temporary piercings. Although this act seems new to most it has been around for some time, but has been traced back to the times of the Mandan tribe in the United States, located on the banks of the Missouri river, and to the Hindu culture for thousands of years in Asia and the Middle East.
It may seem like an odd idea that getting a tattoo can do all these very different things, but what a tattoo does is express one’s appreciation for one of the world’s oldest forms of artistic expression. Society’s views on tattoos are as varied as the different styles of tattoos themselves. Different regions, cultures, religions, and eras all have had an opinion on how they viewed the art of permanently marking the body. For example, before the days of the now established organized religions it is thought that tattoos were believed to have spiritual or “magical” healing and protective powers if placed in the appropriate place. Probably one of the most well known examples is The Iceman, “Oetzi”.