TATTOOS. TURN ON or TURN OFF ?

Tattoos. 

Turn On or Turn Off? 

Whilly Bermudez - Host / Commentator

Tattoos have been part of uncivilized and civilized society for ages. Some of the first cavemen had already developed the process of penetrating the skin with colored ink.  Believe it or not, some scientists say that certain marks on the skin of the Iceman, a mummified human body dating from about 3300 B.C., are tattoos.  If that’s true, these markings represent the earliest known evidence of the practice.  Tattoos found on Egyptian and Nubian mummies date back from about 2000 B.C. and classical authors mention the use of tattoos in connection with Greeks, ancient Germans, Gauls, Thracians and ancient Britons.

Tattooing was rediscovered by Europeans when exploration brought them into contact with Polynesians and American Indians.  The word tattoo comes from the Tahitian word tattau, which means "to mark," and was first mentioned in explorer James Cook’s records from his 1769 expedition to the South Pacific.  Because tattoos were considered so exotic in European and U.S. societies, tattooed Indians and Polynesians drew crowds at circuses and fairs during the 18th and 19th centuries.  But, this is 2010 and Tattoos remain common in our current society.  They are kept famous by celebrities that wear them and reality television shows like Miami Ink and LA Ink.

Reasoning

The number of people having drawings on their bodies is increasing which leads to a rising question.  Why do so many people get tattoos?  What could the reasons be for altering their bodies and injecting themselves with ink even when it is done in a painful manner?  What could their reason be for approaching someone they do not even know and allowing him to place artwork permanently on their bodies?  Each person may have his own reason and this may be different from that of another person. Below are just some of the common motivations for why people get tattoos.

-Some people get tattoos as a form of self-expression and rebellion against the society.

-Tattoos show affiliations and connections.

-Love is another reason why people get tattoos. (They want to show and let the whole world know what they feel.)                                                                   

-Religion or religious belief.

-Some choose to have tattoos to show what happened to them and their lives.  This is their way of recalling what happened to them.  Examples of these people are prisoners who have their bodies filled with stories.  For some, those without tattoos are said to have never existed.

Stereotypes

A research conducted by Hawaii University revealed that 85% agree that having visible tattoos limit or hurt your chances of being employed.  At the University of Western Australia, they studied how children stereotype people with tattoos.  They discovered that children between 6 and 10 years of age were prone to negatively stereotyping tattooed men.  The forensic implications of this are pretty obvious.  Little kids will always think of the tattooed guy as the ‘bad guy,’ even if he didn’t commit the crime. 

Since we were children, some of us have been taught that tattoos are for “low class” people or criminals.  People and families of wealth and stature normally express great discontent for tattoos and those that bear them. 

I believe that like everything else in life, people should be evaluated on their merit and not necessarily because of the tattoo on his/her person. However, let me be clear... I'm talking about a small/average sized- 1 or two tattoos. Anything more is a whole different level which I will only somewhat understand if its a singer/performer that were talking about. Any average folk with an excess is most definitely overkill. The best practice is probably getting  a tattoo in an area of your body that is not easily visible when your wearing work clothes. 

I can attest to the fact that people with tattoos are easily judged and sometimes treated differently. When I was running for office, I would wear a polo shirt which caused my tribal tattoo to sometimes show a little bit. Well, some of the voters I would visit would stare at it and have a look of disappointment on their face. Who knows what as running through their minds.

Deciding Factors
If your'e thinking about your first one or another one, I would consider (2) main things:


1. Do you think you will still be ok with them on your body in the next 20,30,40, or 50 years? *None of my grand parents ever had one, so I cant picture too many elderly folks with tattoos. 


2. What are your future professional and career oriented goals? Would body art help or hurt your journey to success? 

So why did I get 2 of them?

I was 20 years old, I went for my first small dragon tattoo on the top of my right shoulder. I just happened to be walking by a tattoo shop in Miami Beach with a girl I was dating.  It was a decision that I made in a split second.  Several years later for reasons that I cannot recall today, I got a tribal tattoo on my right bicep.  Several months later I regretted getting it (them).

Today, I am older, wiser, and see the world in a much different light.  As a result, not only do I regret my two tattoos I think that there is nothing sexier or more attractive than a woman's bare body.  My preference is no tattoos at all.  However, if that cannot be, then 1 or 2 small ones in places not so visible is acceptable to my taste. How about for you?  If they are large, too visible, and exaggerated it diminishes the allure for me. However, for others it may be a plus for what they consider a "Turn on".

I would like to close by saying that there is a significant difference between overkill and self expression, part of what I feel is the decay of society is that we don't have any boundaries anymore. All lines are blurred and almost anything goes. We need to learn that sometimes less is more and embrace moderation. People shouldn't be so quick to judge another, but we shouldn't make it so easy for them either. A tattoo doesn't tell the whole story. 

Thank you for reading,

Whilly Bermudez






After Thought By

Miss La Rosa - Host / Commentator

Whilly,             

These topics keep getting more and more interesting as we go.  I happen to love this topic.  Again, as in all my blogs I will continue emphasizing individuality.  I like that you mention the different reasons why someone would want to get a tattoo.  I think that is the core of it all, the reason behind the decision of getting that tattoo.

I think we all want to remember or embrace certain moments in our lives.  Marking our bodies or getting a tattoo is a form of expression.  Humans act more on emotions.  At the moment, we wanted to show the passion for a passed loved one, a special memento in our life, or something so significant that led us to have it marked on our body.  Do I agree?  I agree that we all go through passionate moments whether good or bad and we should be able to express it however our individual, independent human mind lets us.  For some it is said that it serves as a healing process for something catastrophic. 

I do believe that our bodies will end up disintegrated and that the biggest tattoos are the ones we carry in our heart and souls.  Whether you decide to express it on your body or not is very personal.  I love your explanation on the history of tattoos but we've come a long way (I hope).   

Besides, nowadays, if you regret getting one, you can easily have it removed.  Either way our lives are full of experiences lived that nothing will erase.  Funny thing here is that you have two and I have none.   In time perhaps I'll get one.  I can never say never.  I DO know I won't do it just because it is a trend and therefore I won't regret it.

Thank you,

Miss La Rosa