1. style and fashion
2. body art

Tattoo culture
By Jerome johnston
1
Essential Question
What does the mainstream appropriation of
tattoos suggest about contemporary American
culture and values?
2
Tattoos are as old as man
•A part of the human experience in every time era and every culture
•Dating back to approximately 12,000 B.C.E
3
otzi the iceman
Discovered in the fall of 1991
Lived approximately 5,300 years ago
Scientists believe Otzi tattooed
4
Charles darwin on tattoos
 “Not one great country can be named, from the polar regions in the
north to New Zealand in the south, in which the aborigines do not
tattoo themselves.”
 .
5
Tattoos in ancient cultures
6
Maori
 Natives of New Zealand
Facial tattoos called moko
Signs of status and tribal belonging
7
Dyak
Natives of Borneo
Tattoos commemorated head hunting expeditions
8
Mentawai
Natives of remote village in Indonesia
Spider web designs mimic shadows and shapes of forest
Believed to anchor the soul inside the body
Believed to attract kind spirits
9
Tattoos in western culture
1769 explorer Captain James Cook encountered tattoos during his
voyage to Tahiti
Tahitians referred to body art as tataow
Eventually the term evolved into tattoo
Z: Holm Press, 2005
10
Originally associated with deviants
Tattoo population used to be made up of primarily drunken sailors,
gang members, prisoners, bikers, prostitutes, and circus freaks.
11
200 Years Later: The Big Bang of Tattooing
20,000 tattoo parlors across the country
Approximately 100 parlors in Portland
16% of all American adults have at least one tattoo
Modern American cultural phenomenon
12
Tattoos in pop culture
Celebrities have been making tattoos soar in mainstream culture.
13
primary cultural motivations for getting tattoos
Ritual
Spirituality
Empowerment
14
What is a ritual?
Ritual = act or ceremony that is often religious or a rite of passage
15
Desire for ritual
Tattoos serve Americans by establishing ritual in a culture with no
communal rites
Our culture lacks unifying traditions and rituals
16
African Dance Ritual
Sub-Saharan ritual practice
The dance celebrates festivals and funerals
Used to unite community
Teaches oral history
Tribal leader recites proverbs and poetry
17
Rituals
The process of getting tattooed is a ritualistic rite of passage.
The wearer goes through a transformation that marks a new identity
Doug Auld, owner of Pearl District Tattoo, considers tattooing a
“sacred act” due to its permanent nature
Power to alter both the body and mind
Ritual act often involves blood (blood brothers)
18
Shamanistic feel
Tattoo artist often considered shaman who performs ritual magic
Doug Auld considers himself a “guide” who helps designate a “road marker”
in his clients’ lives
19
Modern Primitivism
People try to find links to ancient cultures
People frustrated by chaos of modern technology and wish to go
back in time
Also described as a “non traditional” person responding to “primal
urges”
20
Modern Primitivism
 An interviewee of cultural anthropologist Margo DeMello:
“I designed my own tattoo and it consists of religious symbols from
around the world...I wanted to feel that I was a part of an earthtribe-clan-thing. I felt like I was connecting to more ancient
cultures.”
21
Are you a modern primitive?
What modern technology or luxuries can’t you live without?
22
Spirituality
Is not necessarily a religious practice
karma, reincarnation, enlightenment, etc.
23
spiritual beauty
Not just a fashion statement
Beauty is sacred
Many tattoos are beautiful works of art
Beauty = expression of the divine
24
Spirituality
Tattoo designs are rarely random (not flash)
Tattoos connect a person’s “inner being” and are a reflection of the
soul
Can memorialize the dead
Don’s Vietnam tattoo
25
Spiritual imagery
Creatures such as phoenixes, dragons, mermaids, unicorns, fairies,
gargoyles, valkyries, angels and demons = spiritual protectors
26
Spiritual Imagery
Lions, tigers, bears, bulls, eagles, and serpents = strength, endurance,
wisdom, & reproduction
27
Tattoos and christians
Christians originally were against tattooing
Bible says it’s “unholy” to put markings on one’s body
Some Christians today get tattoos to outwardly display love of God
28
Empowerment
Many in today’s culture don’t feel like they control their own bodies
Government restricts stem cell procedures, abortion, and death with
dignity
29
Empowering
Tattoos are a way to rebel against society’s limitation on one’s own
body
Tattooing = basic human right for body modification
30
Pain
People show inner strength by going through pain willingly
Tattooing shows people aren’t victims of suffering
The tattooed stand up to pain & conquer it
Tattoo artist Brian Crowley said, “Pain provides the vehicle for the
rite of passage”
31
Cultural impulsivity
People want immediate gratification
Lack of foresight
Tattoos fulfill many positive cultural needs, but risks are involved
THINK BEFORE YOU INK
32
Health Risks
Tattoo ink not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration
Ink actually contains the exact same industrial-grade colors
commonly used for printers and car paint
Common chemical in tattoo ink = arsenic (commonly used to kill
rats)
33
more health risks
Exposure to blood born pathogens
Allergic reactions to the ink pigment
Infectious diseases such as Hepatitis B and C and HIV (transmitted
through unsterile needles and equipment)
34
Social stigma
Job discrimination
National Association of Colleges and Employers reported 69% of
potential employers “repelled” by visible tattoos
No Walmart manager can have a visible tattoo
No Walmart employees can have visible tattoos that are “ graphic or
vulgar”
Some unions starting to fight tattoo discrimination
35
Portland tattoo Expo 2010
•Held at Portland Expo Center
•3 day event
•Over 200 artists and vendors
•More than 4,500 people attended
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
Works Cited
Allyn, Bobby. "Drawn to Ink." The Oregonian [Portland, OR] 25 Oct. 2010: B1. Print.
Auld, Doug. Personal interview. 22 Jan. 2011.
Cowley, Brian. Personal interview. 24 Oct. 2010.
DeMello, Margo. Bodies of Inscription: A Cultural History of the Modern Tattoo Community. Durham,
NC: Duke University Press, 2000. Print.
The Holy Bible Translated from the Latin Vulgate. Baltimore John Murphy Company,1914. Print.
Krakow, Amy. The Total Tattoo Book. New York, NY: Warner Books, 1994. Print.
Young, M. Agony & Alchemy. Prescott, AZ: Holm Press, 2005. Print.
44