Why do people get tattoos? Why are they so popular in our society?

September 20, 2007 at 3:09 am | In American Culture, Pop Culture, Survey, World History | 44 Comments
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It is what is called the body art. For some people it is the love for art; and if it is in their body then it is better. People get tattoos based on things they like and see around; sometimes they are symbols of dreams, fantasies, or religion.

According to what I understand a tattoo should be meaningful; it should express significant messages that are within people.

Tattoos are often used to decorate the body but; don’t we have jewelry for that?

Sometimes it conveys sentimental purposes such as being in love with someone.  Other times, tatoos mourn the death of a beloved relative or friend.

Some tattoos can tell you someone’s life or story while others try to convey messages that you would never understand or realize by just looking at them.

But tattoos are forever; there isn’t the technology yet to remove them if you decide that you don’t want to have them anymore. They are also very painful and can damage your skin.

Tattoos started approximately 5000 years ago. It has been practice in places like Egypt, Japan, China, Polynesia, Indonesia, New Zealand, India, Thailand, Africa, ancient Greece, and Rome, The Celts (a tribe in Western Europe 700 B.C.), Central and South America; to mention some.

The Big Questions… Do you have a tattoo?  What is your reason for having a tattoo? I would like to hear from people that have a tattoo or that would like to get one. Could you let us know why would you like to get a tattoo?
Why do you think that tattoos are so popular in our current society?

44 Comments »

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  1. hey you want to kno why i think that tattoos are so popular these days? i think its because tattoos let you express things about you in art and symbols on your body where everyone can see them. Yes tattoos hurt but so dont many other things in life, some times that couple hours of pain is worth the lifetime of art and meaning. What else is beter to remember someones life or something in ur life that you want to remember for ever then to get it on your body so not only can u remember it but so other people can ask what its about and you can share the memory. tattoos arent that bad and i am glad they are becoming more popular in our culture because now you dont have to be a gang member, prisoner, or devient in order to have a tattoo.

    Comment by ryan — January 11, 2008 #

  2. I have a tattoo on my side of a mermaid sitting on top of an anchor. My two sisters also got tattoos on their sides that have anchors in them in memory of our grandfather who was in the Navy for 20 years. When he died last summer, my sisters and I knew that we wanted to get tattoos as a permanent reminder of the great man that we lost.

    Comment by Amanda — May 18, 2008 #

  3. What a question–why do people get tattoos? Some people think they look cool and/or want to look cool, but most people get a tattoo because the image has a significant meaning to them– to “wear their heart on their sleeve”, I guess.. I personally do not have tattoos yet. I do plan on getting a few tattoos, though. For-instance, one tattoo I plan to get is a sun. It sounds very typical, but people don’t realize how much the sun means to you until you live in Alaska for a few years and go without!! I miss the sun so much, you don’t even know!!

    Comment by Dill — July 14, 2008 #

  4. Im working as an english teacher in japan and we are doing a class on this subject. I thought i would leave you my opinion. I have two matching tattoos on the back of my legs above my ankles. And i adore body art. I think tattoos are amazing things..well can be .. if your amazing. and i think they add so much to a person and attract a suitable mate. if you like tattoos then you probably attract to those who have them. also tattoos are a type of scar.. why critisize a tattoo and not a scar from falling over? . tattoos is the only scar on your body you can choose.. so why not? and whats the big deal anyway..all i can say is if say twenty people stood in front of me naked…and none of them had a tattoo.. id be disappointed and bored not to see some individuality.

    Comment by nina — September 8, 2008 #

  5. eipn zaxovyt sipvz jpqow wibqmvx quzbg zbmsuyf

    Comment by ybvz jhpg — September 26, 2008 #

  6. I see most people with tattoos as individuals that need to stand out from other people but don’t really know how. I think they are attractive on some women but not all. And when I sit and think about it, that woman would be attractive without any tattoos.

    Comment by Ja y — October 3, 2008 #

  7. ima big fan of tattoos i absolutly love them im 17 and i got my first when i was 16 its a spanner with my name on it on my belly i got it because its my nickname and in the future when i look at it i will remember back to when i was younger and all the fun i had i dont think i will regret it because i will be able to remember good memorys of my childhood my next one is going to be a half sleeve with all bright colours and cupcake houses and lolly pop trees to show how i changed my life around and that the grass is actually greener on the other side i took my time thinking about it and realised this is what i really want cos i will be able to remember how i changed and that i changed for the better and not the worst as some people do
    i think tattoos show alot about a persons personality and every tattoo means something differant to differant people its a great art i love finding out all the history about tattoos and what people have and why its great
    xxxx

    Comment by Debi — October 10, 2008 #

  8. I have been getting tattoos since I was 16. My dad came with me for my first and now I have a bunch. My favorite and most meaningful tattoo is located on my side. It represeant my dad who I have been very close with since I was little. When I was smaller and we would dance I would stand on his feet and he would basically do all the moving around. At bed time, he also would sing me the song “yesterday” by the beatles, which now makes me cry everytime I listen to it. The tattoo is a picture of both of our shoes and my little ruffle dress and the title of the song on top with little music notes. He has the same one on his heart.

    Comment by Alex — November 19, 2008 #

  9. 1st. i suggest that you spell check before you post something.

    2nd. Tattoos are a symbolic piece of art that can affect you negativly and positivly. i would not be afraid of the negatives. people can view me as a hooligan for getting one it would not bother me one bit. if you always worry about what others think it will not help you along your journey in life.
    im looking to get my second tattoo in a couple of months or two. this one will run from my lower left hip up to my shoulder and connect with my arm up to my elbow. it will be of a grizzly bear signifying the strength that i have and all that thinkgs that i have been through. i also want to incorporate my mom and sister in it somehow.

    Comment by cesar — December 5, 2008 #

  10. Ahhhh…Cesar – about that spell checking. Ever heard about “people in glass houses?” Check your post:)

    Comment by Jessie — March 1, 2009 #

  11. Tattoos can be a way of expressing yourself. For instance, I myself have almost 5 large religous tattoos and don’t plan to stop. I don’t walk around the streets preaching the word of God but if someone sees my tattoos, they know that I am a spiritual man. For me, it’s a way of expressing myself to people.s
    But tattoos can be inked for many different reasons. For example, I was in the tattoo shop one day and a kid walked in all pist off at his parents. So wanting to rebel against them, he decided he would get a tattoo of “FAGGOT” written across his forhead. Thank god my artist talked him out of it haha.
    Many people get tattoos when they are moarning over loved ones who have past. I don’t recommend this though. I think you need to sit down and remember the good times you had with the person. Not get a tattoo of there name or portrait on you. You just need time to move on, and a tattoo won’t help you with that at all.

    Comment by Brandon Pumel — March 30, 2009 #

  12. im only 14 yet i really want tattoos
    i want them to be in good locations and look good because
    the things i plan to permanently place on my body are things i want permanently in my mind
    to remind me who i am
    who i was
    and what ive become
    many people will not understand my tattoos
    but to me it has a lot of meaning
    its the same way of expressing as on msn
    when people have screen names when other people dont understand them but they themselves understand why they put it there. Its a way to secretly express urself to urself
    well in my opinion

    Comment by stv — April 3, 2009 #

  13. I don’t have a tattoo, cause I don’t need it. A tattoo won’t make you any more attractive.

    Apart from that, if you do it just to be cook, then you aren’t.

    My 2 cents

    Comment by going out alone — April 16, 2009 #

  14. In my opinion, tattoos are for people seeking attention and for what of vague significance. It is a psychology issue and for people with low self-esteem and self-confidence. Why don’t they tattoo them on their forehead or on their faces but more often than not, always hide them? Adults who indulge in putting permanent inscription on their bodies are most likely freaks, wanting to show they are tough and crude but below it all, they still are still kids who need growing-up to do. Its not cool at all?

    Comment by jaja — April 18, 2009 #

  15. to me a tattoos are a way for people to seek attention many of them say they do it for some deep meaning but most of people that choose the tattoo are like “i like how this looks it would look cool” is not like most of them of them think about it with a deep thought.

    people that get tattoos truly think they are being individualistic while they are not being individualistic in any way. if you look at girls butts you always see the typical tribal tattoo if you see guys arms most of them have a skull of some sort or some kind of variation or they have tribal tattoo in arms.

    people say they get tattoos for the memories which i find kind of dumb if the person was to you important in some way you will remember them and you don’t need no tattoo to let you know how special they were.

    i hate tattoos just because of the association they have with them if you look at porn stars,white trash,criminals and all sort of scum you see that all of them have tattoos.in my experience most women that have tattoos are promiscuous in some way.

    not only the tattoos are permanent but people’s perception of things change with time so what you thought once was a cool tattoo it might not be in the long run or if you gain weight or lose weight or become old the tattoo looks messed up and many people that get tattoos in the long run most of them say they regret it. so i do not see why people insist of getting tattoos

    when you apply for jobs in some jobs you are asked if you have tattoos. which makes it harder for some people to get jobs and also it looks unprofessional if your supposed to represent somebody and you look like a criminal or some sort of prostitute if you are a woman

    Comment by stefan — April 25, 2009 #

  16. hi all ive just been reading what u all think about tattoos and thought id leave my feelings on the subject… im a young 20 summit woman and i have 11 tattoos, plus im only 4.9!!! for me tattoos started off as summit new,a rebelious stage, however i soon learnt that i enjoyed the pain and it made me feel alive and it actually relaxed me. Ive had2 names tattooed on myslef which ive had covered up and no i dont regret them as at the time they, and those people meant summit to me.
    as ive got older and found myself more and i find my reasons for tattoos have changed, i have urges to have them when i feel really happy, or sad. i will say it is an addiction nevertheless i know that i will never regret them as they make me who i am, i am planning on havin my next tattoo this week it will spiral down my leg, people may read this and think it sounds cheap and nasty but i can assure tattoos are no longer that, they are art work and i trust my tattooist more than i trust some of my family…
    will i ever stop havin them???? who knows, each tattoo is yet another stage in my life, and they make me feel alive, and i like changing myself some may beileve this is an underlining problem however i can assure u as soom as i feel that needle burnin through my skin i feel alive……

    Comment by shorty — May 12, 2009 #

  17. It is rather evident, from looking at all the responses of people who responded to this article and have tattoos, that they are fairly uneducated – as noted by their horrible grammar and mis-spellings. Most people with self confidence and a sense of self worth do not have tattoos. Why? They don’t need to “show” the world something by way of “art” on their body. You are what you do, not what you look like. Those that “do,” do not need to demonstrate to others what they are about. Their actions and deeds speak for them, not some permanent disfigurement of their body. If one has any visible tattoos in the corporate world, they will not go very far.

    Comment by Belfrey — May 16, 2009 #

  18. Belfrey, your too critical and judgmental.

    The corporate world sounds like it’s left a much deeper scar on you than any tattoo ever would.

    You sound like you just have a bad taste in your mouth about tattoos, and your too biased. I have seen MANY people in the “corporate world” who sport visible tattoos, your work ethic and resume speak louder, that is the way it should be all around the board, and it soon will be… once all you straight edge pencil pushers relax.

    and i’ve seen PLENTY of people that don’t know how to spell or use correct grammar, and none of them had tattoos.

    I have 3 visible tattoos myself, and can safely assume I make one figure more than you annually.

    Comment by the other bam — May 20, 2009 #

  19. I believe tattoos are mainly part of being Kool or a follow fashion, especially in young adults. I see some girls with tatts on the lower backs and elsewhere and when they grow older it begins to sag and difficult to read, why the F**K!!

    I would never get one and try to educate my children away from them as much as possible.

    Comment by Richard Marsh — May 30, 2009 #

  20. I think tatoos are just plain ugly. Especially when bodies are almost completely covered with vulgar,wierd tatoos. If God wanted us to have tatoos and mark up our bodies, He would have given them to us in the first place. I also think piercings, ear lobe stretchers and all those other steel balls, rings and things in peoples faces and other places are disgusting. YUCK! I think people who have an addiction to marking up their bodies with inks and steel piercings have a few issues of low self esteem that they really should deal with. Sorry, but I will NEVER submit to such stupidity!

    Comment by Tera Holme — June 28, 2009 #

  21. Tera Holme,

    Fuck you.

    Comment by Paul — July 1, 2009 #

  22. Wow since I last wrote there seem to have been quite a few opinions thrown around. nevertheless people have ceased to mention that tattoos have been around for many years it isn’t just your teenager girl with a lower back tattoo,, its tribes all over the world who mark themselves too, whether it’s with tattoos or sticks through their noses it is about marking’s and individuality or marking a particular tribe. We all have our own way of doing this some more visible then others and are people with tattoos harming any1? NO, apart from their selves. So those who hate tattoos need to take a good long hard look in the mirror and see how they try and individualise their selves, as I’m sure they do in some way or other. Im sure some smart ass will come back with something else!!!! xxxx tra for now xxxx sam xxxx

    Comment by shorty — July 1, 2009 #

  23. Tera Holme,

    Thank you. I agree with all that you’ve said, all those things are like repellent in my opinion…

    Comment by Sammy — July 15, 2009 #

  24. In May I got a IXOYE fish on my wrist to show my beliefs and this Thursday I’m getting a small butterfly on the back of my neck.

    Comment by Alison Holme — July 27, 2009 #

  25. U KOW WHAT GUYS,I WENT FOR MY 1ST TATTOO ON THE 1ST OF AGUST.AND I DID IT BEHIND MY EAR YOU CAN IMAGINE 3BEATIFUL STARS,ITS BEATIFUL TRUST ME.AN MY ARTIST WAS VERY GENTLE WITH ME.AN I AM GOING FOR MY SECOND ONE IN A MONTH.WOW BEATIFUL STAFF.

    I URGE U DO IT IF U WANT TO.AND ITS GOT A MEANING BUT WONT TELL.I VE BEEN THROUGH A LOT IN MY LIFE AN ONE NEEDS A REMINDER.

    Comment by Latty-Moore — August 5, 2009 #

  26. I have to agree that, more often than not, tattoos are favored by individuals who lack other means to stand out. . . . People who have nothing else to show off. . . . It is without a doubt a lot easier to obtain a body painting or piercing, rather then putting the effort required to learn an instrument, or a foreign language – for example. Therefore, what people lack in depth of knowledge they try to compensate with a quick body ink or a piece of skin metal. It is a rather sad state of affairs in our society today. . . .

    Comment by Dan — August 8, 2009 #

  27. Belfrey, after reading so many illiterate postings, it was refreshing to see someone else in this world feels as I do. My God, folks, most browsers already have a spell checker built into them!

    I had just done a Google search on “Why are tattoos so popular?” and this site popped up in the results. I wanted to understand why people like to mutilate themselves. I sense I am not going to get a satisfactory answer.

    Comment by TheMovieFan — August 9, 2009 #

  28. A little bit about myself. I am 20, female, I have a good job, I go to university, I have no criminal convictions and I am not (for want of a better word)a slag. Oh and I have a variety of tattoos and piercings.
    Just to clarify further, I do not have self esteem issues; I’m actually pretty happy with the way I look. I am not desperately trying to fit in and likewise I am not desperately trying to rebel. Most of all, I am not stupid.
    So why did I get my tattoos and piercings? Because I wanted to and because I like them. I can think of no better canvas for art than the human body and if I want to modify what god gave me then I have every right to. This choice does not make me stupid or desperate and it does not display a lack of individuality or self esteem.
    My tattoos and piercings have not held me back and I have not compromised myslef as a person by getting them.
    I have thought long and hard about each body modification and I am confident in the choices I have made. I am perfectly happy in the knowledge that they will be with me for life, they will grow with me and serve as reminders of my past and in the future I intend to get more.
    I think some of these comments are disgusting and show a severe lack or respect for other people and the choices that they make. We each have our own body, and it is no one elses business what we do with it. Body modification is a personal choice and even though it is not understood by everyone, it should not be a reason for a person to be respected less.

    Comment by Linsey — August 11, 2009 #

  29. “So those who hate tattoos need to take a good long hard look in the mirror and see how they try and individualise their selves”

    Without anything on us, piercing us or inked into us, we are all individuals, we all look different to begin with
    on top of that, our traits, our talents and what we do mark us out even more clearly as individuals.
    Comments like shorty’s really do validate my belief that many of the people getting tattoos are doing so from a lack of self worth and low self esteem.
    The idea that without putting ink under your skin you are simply have nothing to differentiate yourself from others is sad, that being said I am sure not all people getting tattoos are doing so for that kind of reason, but the current surge in numbers should lead us to worry about the motivation of these new people and take it as a warning sign of developing insecurities and self image issues.

    Comment by Huw — August 16, 2009 #

  30. i have 2 tattoos. i see them as popular because they are a permanant means of self expression. if you come up with the design on your own then its unique and no one else will understand what it means and it will be your own and not alot of people will have them. tattoos may represent something or tell a story. some people get them to stand out and be unique, other people just get them to get them. just know that whatever you get its permanant and i suppose thats what drew me into getting a tattoo. they are like jewelrey but its something you cant just take off and change. they are with you everywhere all the time

    Comment by wrandi — September 1, 2009 #

  31. I have a tattoo on my back of a heart with angel wings. A rose wraps the heart and barbed wire wraps the wings. Underneath is a banner with the initials of my girlfriend who died in a car accident. It also has her birthday and the date of the accident. I think getting this tattoo was one of the biggest things to help me be able to deal with her being gone. It is a permanent reminder of someone who was and is so important to me and impacted my life in such a huge way. I spent many hours with my tattoo artist working on the design and it took about 14 hours to do the whole thing. I feel it was almost like a journey through my grief, helping me to cope with it and being there to remind me of what happened forever.

    Comment by Kyle — September 14, 2009 #

  32. dersh blarrrr
    nersh

    Comment by Christa Wu-Brown — September 29, 2009 #

  33. dersh blarrr nersh!!
    NERSH!!!!
    NERSH!!!!!!
    NERSH!!!!!!
    DERSH BLAR NERSH!!!!
    NERSH!
    NERSH!

    Comment by Christa Wu-Brown — September 29, 2009 #

  34. DERSH BLAR NERSH!!!!
    NERSH!
    NERSH!dersh blarrr nersh!!
    NERSH!!!!
    NERSH!!!!!!
    NERSH!!!!!!
    DERSH BLAR NERSH!!!!
    NERSH!
    NERSH!

    Comment by Christa Wu-Brown — September 29, 2009 #

  35. I agree with Tera Holme. I think this whole tattooing/marking up your body craze has gotten totally out of hand. I don’t believe in them at all, but if you want to get something small and hidden, I guess that’s fine. But this whole trend of big, visible tattoos all over–including forearms and neck–is just plain NUTS. And “sleeves” have to be one of the UGLIEST looks in the history of man.

    Comment by JR — October 6, 2009 #

  36. I have cheers in Russian. It is litteraly translated to “for health.” There are different varations of the way they say cheers in Russian. To me I picked it to represent my Russian side of the family. I also picked it because this is not a common tattoo in the U.S. I don’t know about Russia. To me this word implies a sense of camaraderie and community. It also shows a sense of togetherness. All these things are things that I Value. I also hope that people will pick up that I have a Russian lineage. On another note it looks cool at the gym.
    Here it is in Russian cyrillic За здоровье ‘za zdorovye’
    They will aslo use ‘za vashe zdorovye’ drinking to health and ‘na zdorovye’ to health.

    Comment by Grayson Gitchell — October 9, 2009 #

  37. im doing a reserch paper on the reason why people get tattoos but im trying to find the physologial anwser. what i have translated from all the reading is that everyone fear the aging proccess and want to make sure that when they get older that they can preserve there memeriory, thoughts and feeling, loved ones, bonds ect…. some people collect pictures, most women have boxes fill with little meanfull things with each having a story attached to it, but the most common way to keep a memory alive is to tottoo it on the body. that way they can carry it around with them every where they go, it cant get lost stolen and that memory can never be taken from them.

    Comment by christina — October 16, 2009 #

  38. When someone asks me what my tattoos mean, all I can say is: They’re decorative, aesthetical upgrades to my body. Most of them are flowers or birds. The symbolic part is in ‘getting tattooed’. It’s a way for me to have control over my body, and to have something that’ll never go. I do have one banner that reads ‘Memento Mori’ (Remember you are mortal) though. This one is a memorial to loved ones I lost.

    Comment by cz — October 27, 2009 #

  39. On a side note, I don’t really see the difference between a tattoo or clothes, as an extreme example of what I mean. To that girl that said ‘god made us without tattoos’: Yeah, it also made us without clothes, and many tribes and actual cultures believe in other gods than yours. Your argument holds no value…

    If something, tattoos are vanity, but they’re not related to one’s esteem issue. Unless you get tattoos to ‘fit in’, but even then, ‘fitting in’ is part of human nature, everyone tries to do so, in a way or another.

    Comment by cz — October 27, 2009 #

  40. At the moment I have 10 tattoos, and I plan on getting more. Tattoos to me represent who I am as a person. My body is my canvas to display art that has meaning to me. I do not have low self-esteem and I am not trying to fit in anywhere. The art of tattooing has been around for thousands of years, and you can find tattooing in almost every culture around the world. In many cultures, tattoos represent that persons status or rank, and in some it signifies ownership. Romans used to use tattoos to mark criminals. Tattoos hold different meanings in all cultures and shouldn’t be seen as disfiguring their bodies. Just because you don’t like tattoos, doesn’t give you an excuse to criticize people who have tattoos. Different does not mean that it is a bad thing.

    Comment by Cherie — November 8, 2009 #

  41. I love tattoos, though hav been condemned by many.It’s just a body work.
    I had this Cross with dove on my right arm representing dove. I love it so much but some dont like it. But just do what you want to do and be happy.

    Comment by amaru tattoo — November 11, 2009 #

  42. i have 4 tatoos now. it started out that i just wanted one then my husband died and i can’t stop getting them.i have 3 of his name it is helping me deal with my feelings of his death. i will never want to remove them and i will always like them no matter what anyone says about me or them. i’m glad that some one invented them.

    Comment by gerri — November 13, 2009 #

  43. Tattoos are not just fashion accessories. They symbolize our lives and promote ownership over our body. Adolesence is when we are “contained” in the morals of society. Parents, schools and mass media try to criticize body modification as an identity crisis. This is not the case. Tattoos and piercings are the ways we express our individuality and creativity. It is not for others to see, but for ourselves to enjoy and be proud of.
    As a child and teenager I dealt with a lot. I manipulated my body to release the pain. I was in search for control over my life and the situations around me. I became aware of what I was doing to myself and stopped. I have many scars that will never go away. They symbolized the pain I felt growing up with so much responsibility.
    At a young age I knew I would get tattoos. I wanted to cover up my old self and become who I felt I was inside.
    I never got a tattoo to please someone else, or to “look cool”. My identity was always a unique person. I do not discriminate people who do not have tattoos, and I would like to not be discriminated because I have them. There are many reasons behind my tattoos. I have angel wings, an entire leg sleeve, flowers from shoulder to shoulder, sun, hearts, skulls, and more. All of these things represent what I have been through in my life. It reminds me who I am. It helps me not to get lost in the day to day life of work and school. I may be judged on the type of person I am because of these tattoos, but I believe it is better to show who you are than to hide behind the curtains. Don’t judge someone based on their appearence, it’s not appropriate. Treat others the way you want to be treated and you will be surrounded by the best of friends. Appearence is only skin deep.

    Comment by Erin — November 19, 2009 #

  44. It’s always the people without tattoos who have a problem with them. I got my tattoo when I was twenty-five and I don’t regret getting them. I have only two of them. I want more ,but I’m at that age now where I’m not sure if I really want to get anymore or not.

    Comment by Marcus — November 28, 2009 #


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