The rising popularity of body art along students and professionals has led not only to changes in where people commonly choose to place their tattoos but to changes in the type of typical tattoo designs people choose. In the mid-twentieth century, neither tattoo clients nor tattoo artists were concerned with tattooing an artistic or aesthetically pleasing piece. The types of tattoos requested were either “Americana” types, ranging from eagles to anchors, or “vow tattoos, tattoos of a person’s name, typically a girlfriend’s name or “Mom.” The designs were made using thick black outlines filled in with solid blocks of color and had little detail. The tattoos were normally chosen from flash, sets of pictures drawn by artists that are reproduced and distributed to tattoo studios.

A typical client today wants a more detailed and artistic tattoo than those of the past. According to Clinton Sanders, author of Customizing the Body: The Art of the Culture of Tattooing, “Coming from a higher socioeconomic back ground than the traditional tattooee, the new client commonly has more disposable income, emphasizes the decorative/aesthetic function of the tattoo over its affiliative/self-definitional function, and shares the tattoo artist’s interest in the production of a uniquely creative and innovative custom-designed image.” In particular, custom designs of Japanese, tribal, and Chicano tattoos, all of which require detailed work, have become popular.

Japanese tattoos are large, often full-body, tattoos using bright colors. These tattoos are typically of heroic images from Japanese myths, such as samurai, dragons, and the phoenix. Tribal tattoos originated in areas such as Samon and Hawaii. Their characteristics include heavy black lines and shading of geometric designs. Chicano tattoos are fine lined, having little color, and are highly detailed. They include photo-realistic portraits of people.

Posted in Art

The controversies surrounding permanent body art have affected where people place tattoos and piercings on their bodies. Many students and professionals who get body art adorn themselves in areas that can be covered up by clothing. This allows them the freedom to get a tattoo or piercing yet avoid any issues in school or at the workplace.

Rodney Robinson, an executive at an international consulting company, has a tattoo of an archangel on his upper arm. He believes that tattoos are no longer automatically considered a detriment to a person’s career. “Having a tattoo is viewed differently now,” Robinson stated. “It is more acceptable and not considered outside of the norm.” How ever, Robinson acknowledges that body art can have a negative impact in the workplace if it becomes a distraction to others. For this reason, he chose to place his tattoo on his upper arm, which is typically covered by his shirtsleeve.

Decades ago, the most popular locations for men’s tattoos were the front or back of the forearm. Today, men like Robinson often choose the upper arm or chest for tattoo locations because these areas are easier to cover with clothing. Women often ask that tattoos be placed on their ankles, hips, or lower backs, locations that can be concealed with clothing or are not immediately visible to other people. For example, at age twenty, Debra Knickerbocker got her tattoo, a white-sided angelfish, on her hip. “I specifically got it in an area that would rarely if ever be seen,” Knickerbocker said. “I can even wear bathing suits that don’t show it. I wanted to have the ability to hide if from my grand kids. I also didn’t want my tattoo showing at my wedding.”

Many people who decided to get pierced in places other than the ear also take into consideration potential controversies. As with tattoos, people often choose to get pierced in areas that can be covered up with clothing. According to a survey reported in the November 2001 issue of Clinical Nursing Research, after the ear, the most popular body piercing locations are the tongue, nipple, and navel, all of which can either be covered up or are not immediately visible to others.

Posted in Articles

As body art has become more popular among different segments of the population, a variety of issues and conflicts have resulted. Many of these controversies are specifically associated with teenage use of body art. Such controversies range from yearbook displays to dress code policies.

In 2004, for example, the yearbook for Crothersville Junior-Senior High School in Crothesville, Indiana featured a two-page, full-color spread titled “Body Decorations.” The spread contained photos of both students’ and teachers’ tattoos and navel and tongue piercings. Many parents and school officials were upset by the photos. They believed that displaying the tattoos and body piercings was in poor taste and a disruption to the classroom; for those reasons, they felt the pictures should not be featured in the yearbook.

School officials were quick to react. Ralph Hillenburg, a Crothersville school trustee who received calls from people upset about the photos, stated that the photos should not have been allowed in the yearbook because such images violated the school dress code. Although the dress code did not ban facial piercings or tattoos, it did ban students from showing their navels at school.

Tom Judd, the principal of Crothersville Junior-Senior High School, said that he would review all yearbook pages in the future and that a yearbook spread like “Body Decorations” would not happen again. Other schools throughout the United States have dealt with similar controversies.

Dress Codes

One such issue is whether students should be allowed to have tattoos and body piercings at all. Another is what to do if a dress code forbidding body art is violated. These questions arose in 2004 in Henry County, Georgia.

On September 21 of that year, his second day at Dutchtown High School, fifteen year old Corey Rager was placed on in-school suspension for wearing eyebrow, nose, chin, and tongue piercings to school. The school’s policy is that body piercing on any visible part of the body other than the ear, including the tongue is prohibited. School officials believe the piercings disrupt school and are unsafe to its students.

A first offense of the dress code policy can lead to a one day in-school suspension, in which a student comes to school but is placed in an isolated setting under supervision and is not allowed to attend his or her regular classes. A second offense results in a three-day suspension, but students can return to class if they remove the piercing. If they continue to violate the policy, they can receive an extended in-school suspension for over a month, until his mother, Kati Monahan, decided to teach him at home.

Parents like Monahan believe that the decision to allow their children to wear piercings and tattoos should be up to them, not school officials. Several schools agree with Monahan’s viewpoint and allow their students to wear visible piercings and tattoos. For example, in Fayette County, Georgia, high school students are allowed to wear multiple piercings provided they do not disrupt the learning process.

Posted in Articles

As body piercing and tattoos became more mainstream, they began to appear in advertisements. For example, tattoos are seen in Marlboro and Silk cut cigarette ads. Sony and coca-cola use tattoos in their print and television advertising. A large financial institution ran billboards that showed an arm with a tattoo of Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan.

Tattoos have become so prevalent in ads that tattoo artists are commissioned by well-known companies to work on their advertising campaigns. New Jersey tattooist Shotsie Gorman received a commission from Absolut vodka to paint a full-body tattoo on a man yet leave a large blank space in the middle of his back in the shape of the Absolut Restraint bottle. The painted man’s body was photographed and used as a print ad for Absolut Restraint.

Joe Tamargo has taken advertising and tattoos a step further. In 2005 Tamargo started selling advertisers the opportunity to tattoo their ads on his body. His first two customers were a California pharmaceutical company and a fan group of Martha Stewart. Each paid Tamargo to tattoo messages supporting their groups on his arm. By March 2005 he had nine sponsored tattoos, which earned him a total of $13,110.

Body Art Products

While some companies have used body art in advertising, others have manufactured products specifically related to tattoos and body piercings. These items are often intended for children. For example, in 1999 Mattel produced the Butterfly Art Tattoo Barbie and the Generation Girls. The Butterfly Art tattoo Barbie doll’s stomach was decorated with a nose ring. Many parents argued that these products led to increased interest in tattoos and piercings among children. As a result of parental concern that these dolls could be a bad influence, in June 1999 Mattel Corporation stopped production of the Butterfly Art line.

Despite parental concern, the popularity of toys associated with tattoos and body piercings has grown. Temporary tattoos are bought and worn by children all over the world. Children can purchase items such as Crystal Tattoos and Jewelry by Natural Science Industry Limited, which includes temporary tattoos made of peel-and-stick rhinestones that firmly adhere to the skin. Although the Butterfly Art Tattoo Barbie is no longer available,, parents can still buy their children dolls that are pierced or tattooed. Mattel recently produced the Cali Girl ear piercing doll, a Barbie doll that comes with a pretend ear piercer to pierce the doll’s ears.

Posted in Articles

Tattoos and body piercings continued to be considered deviant activities in the United States until the 1960s, when both tattoos and body piercing began to cross over from the working class, bikers, prisoners, and military personnel to a younger, hipper audience. This crossover began with the hippies.

The hippies were a youth subculture who advocated universal love and peace and were associated with long hair, drugs, rock music, and political protests. The hippie culture embraced tattoos as a way to show the world their beliefs. They choose to get spiritual and political tattoos, such as ying and yang and peace signs. In addition, British youths who visited India during the 1960s adopted the Indian practice of piercing their noses. Piercing was adopted by the punk movement in the 1970s as a symbol of rebellion.

Tattoos and body piercing began to spread from rebellious youths to more mainstream society in the 1970s. This was due, in part, to the increasing professionalization of both industries. For example, Lyle Tuttle, a famous tattooist in San Francisco, realized that to attract new types of customers, tattooing had to lose its reputation for unhygienic practices. Tuttle was instrumental in getting new health regulations passed for tattoo studios. Because these regulations made getting a tattoo safer, more middle-class clients became interested in tattoos.

Body piercing also became more accessible to the public in the 1970s. Jim ward opened the Gauntlet, the first U.S. body piercing studio. People could now get pierced by a professional rather than doing it themselves or having friends do it. And in 1989 the publication of Modern Primitives, a book featuring interviews with several people who had gotten piercings and tattoos, brought awareness of body piercing to readers throughout the United States.

In the years that followed, body piercing and tattooing continued to gain popularity among new groups of people. Many well-known artists, actors, musicians, and fashion designers adopted tattooing and piercing. The public followed this celebrity trend. By the end of the twentieth century both practices had become wildly popular.

Posted in History

In the past three decades, body piercing and tattooing have become increasingly popular among Americans from all walks of life and of all ages. For example, Kathryn, a seventy five year old woman, recently decided to get a tattoo while vacationing in Hawaii. She picked a small rose because it symbolizes her hometown of Portland, Oregon, known as the “City of Roses.” Kathryn had the rose tattooed on her ankle.

Just fifty years ago, most Americans would have considered Kathryn’s act an unconventional activity practiced only by rebels such as prisoners and bikers. However, today many people accept tattooing and piercing as fashionable ways to decorate the body. Most of Kathryn’s friends complimented her on her tattoo. “When I got back home,” she said, “everybody at my retirement complex thought it was absolutely fantastic! Except for one person; she thought it was just horrible.”

Although tattooing and body piercing may seem like recent trends, the practice of getting permanent body art actually dates back to prehistoric times. Tattooed mummies have been found all over the world, from central Asia to western Europe. The oldest tattooed mummy was discovered in the Otztaler Alps between Austria and Italy and is estimated to be fifty-three hundred years old. This mummy had a tattooed band of stripes on his lower back, a cross behind his left knee, and more stripes on his ankle. Prehistoric people practiced tattooing by puncturing the skin with crude tools dipped in pigment.

Evidence also shows that people pierced their bodies thousands of years ago. Archaeologists discovered a five thousand year old female figurine from Iran with multiple ear piercings. Another piece of evidence was found in Cyprus. There, archaeologists discovered a pair of gold earrings more than twenty-two hundred years old.

People all over the world practiced tattooing and body piercing. Tattooing was a common practice among tribes in the Pacific Islands. For example, the Maori of New Zealand decorated their faces with tattoos, and Samoan men tattooed areas from their waist to just below the knees. In other regions, such as Africa and Central America, piercing become more popular. To decorate their bodies, tribes such as the Dogon of Mali and the Nuba of Ethiopia practiced lip piercing. The ancient Aztec and Maya of Central America pierced their tongues.

Posted in History

If you are thinking about getting tattoos, the great way is to start with a small tattoo. It may also have a significant meaning or none at all.

There are a lot of different reasons for getting a small tattoo, but once an individual has decided to get one, they are making a commitment.

Benefits of getting a small tattoo

• It is easier to remove, in case you decide to later on
• It takes less time and is not as painful when you get it.
• It is easier to cover.
• It is less expensive
• It can make for an ideal scar cover up
• You should absolutely work with a very good and well known artist who has very steady hands.

Before becoming a question of esthetics, tattooing is also a big health question.

It is recommended that you look for a professional of proven ability when you decide to apply a beautiful tattoo on your body. The professional must care for the health of the customer so that no contamination occurs.

The professional must sterilize all the machines that he or she uses.  It is also necessary that the tattoo artist uses masks, gloves, and disposable needles in the procedure. The environment must also be clean and well ventilated.

Small tattoos have a considerable amount of demand for several reasons. They are recommended for the first timers and many people choose to have one just to mask a bad looking scar. The small tattoos can usually be finished in less than an hour; they are very easily hidden and because of this are perfect for people who work for strict companies.

You need to know the size that you want before you go ahead and decide where you going to place it. Small tattoos appear smaller or larger; depending on the location you put it.  For example, same 2 inch tattoo may be unnoticeable on a shoulder blade; however it can be very attractive and noticeable on the ankle.
There are also a bunch of large tattoo designs that may be downsized, such as: stars, butterflies, roses, sunbursts, crosses, dolphins, skulls and geometric tattoos.

When you get small tattoos on your back, chest, shoulder, and waist you can successfully hide it when you are working. This way you will not jeopardize yourself from receiving a promotion or any other success in your career.

Think about where you have your small tattoo. You don’t want to risk anything in your future, so make sure it is in an appropriate place.

After you have gotten the tattoo, be sure to take care of it even after the skin heals. You must be sure to use a sunscreen with the biggest factor of protection possible.

Tips before getting a small tattoo

1. Look for a professional that really practices under a clean place and uses only sterilized instruments.
2. Choose the design well. Search sufficiently and give look in specialized magazines.
3. Prefer a professional known by your colleagues or friends. With this, you will know what kind of service the artist offers.
4. Verify if the place where the service of tattooing will be done is hygienic. The material needs to be completely sterilized and also disposable.

Posted in Articles