As a generality, which means that it's NOT ALWAYS the case, people stereotype those with tattoos as being bikers, gang members, druggies, or someone who just got out of prison. All of which have a less than affable reputation in modern society. Maybe their attitude was fed from watching too many episodes of "Cops" where the perpetrator has more than a couple of homemade tattoos that were obviously scrawled on his arms/back/chest in the bathroom by his cousin Jimmy Ray Pothead for a 6-pack of Falstaff. Perhaps it was etched into their mind by misinterpreting passages from the Bible that make mention of this practice. For whatever reason, people have their own opinions concerning tattoos.
There are as many reasons for getting a tattoo as there are ideas for whatever the tattoo design will be. In other words, the person who decides to have a college mascot inked into them will have a different reason from their classmates who decides to have the same design. Person 'A' may do it because they played on the football team, Person 'B' may do it simply because of a drunken bet, while Person 'C' may do it because they're commemorating themselves being the third family generation to attend that college. You can't just look at a person with a certain type of tattoo and know why they got it to begin with. Sure, you may not like the design or the artwork, but everyone has their own tastes that appeal to them. Personally, I'm not particularly fond of the 'Tribal' or 'Celtic' designs. To me, they're just squiggly lines that are trendy among American youth. Same thing with Americans getting foreign language symbols put on. Oooo, it's Kanji...wow. Maybe if you're Japanese, study martial arts, or you were stationed over there, it would have meaning. Other than that, why would you put Japanese symbols on yourself?? Whatever...but I guess if you want to be cool by having the Chinese character for "strength" on your ankle, or shell out the bucks and pretend you're in some sort of pseudo-ancestral tribal society, then by all means feel free to do so. Unless you're going out to catch dinner with spears and blow darts, only to cook your kill around the campfire and feed your village...chances are you're not really that tribal. See, even I have my prejudices, and am probably crossing that fine line of tattoo hypocrisy. I like to see artwork that doesn't just come off the wall of a tattoo parlor. The best work that I've seen, is that which comes from the collaboration between the ideas of the customer and the skill of the artist.
Tattoo Links:
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Cat Spencer's site. This is the guy that has done most of my work. Nice guy, and amazing work. A true artist. |
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Paul Booth's site. If dark and morbid body art is your forte, it gets no finer than this. I would best describe his work as "Tattoos that nightmares are made of." |
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