Tattooing the Body

Tattooing the Body, Marking Culture

Jill A. Fisher

Literature on American tattooing appears in varied forms, from the scholarly journals of anthropology, history and sociology to newspaper stand magazines that can be construed as ‘soft’ pornography. What this spectrum of literary forms has in common is a relative marginalization in which American tattooing is perceived as part of a deviant subculture and not a topic of serious intellectual interest. Academics involved in this research have referred to colleagues’ attitudes about research on tattooing as a deviant interest in deviance. In addition, many academics have an agenda of legitimating the practice of tattooing by explicating its social and cultural patterns. Although much of this work is important scholarly investigation, I have found that many authors romanticize the practice of tattooing in ways that often do not correspond with their analyses. This article will, in part, respond to the tensions between analyzing and romanticizing tattooing as cultural practice(s). The purpose of this article is to explore the complex relationship between power and the physical and social practices of tattooing in the late capitalist state. Beginning with the history of tattooing as a cultural practice – from ancient Greece through the colonial period to contemporary USA – I will highlight the temporal and geographical changes in the practices and perceptions of tattooing. My hope is that its history in Western civilization will offer insights into the ways in which tattooing is practiced in the late 20th-century USA. In addition to creating a historical narrative, I will also situate the sociocultural practice of tattooing the body for the tattooist and the ‘tattooee’. This investigation into body inscription will serve as a means to elucidate the contemporary practice of tattooing as one that is simultaneously physical and social, with multiple levels of constructed meaning.

 And finally, I will explore the ways in which tattooing acts
Body & Society © 2002 SAGE Publications (London, Thousand Oaks and New Delhi), Vol. 8(4): 91–107 [1357–034X(200212)8:4;91–107;028513] as a cultural signifier in the late 20th-century USA. I will attempt to show how tattooing as a form of body modification can be analyzed as a form of resistance to or a symptom of a culture that has commodified the body.

Tattoos in antiquity

The reasons for which one might tattoo his body are varied. Currently, the most
popular explanation is decoration. The tattoos themselves come in a myriad of different
forms, colors, and subjects. These may range from religious icons to a portrait of a
favorite pet. Since there is a certain bond among those who are tattooed, group
identification may be a major motivation for tattooing. As a testament to this fact, prison
tattoos are widely practiced as a method by which convicts associate themselves publicly
with a gang. Tattoos bind outcasts together, partially because the practice is still regarded
as socially unacceptable.
This same social disapproval was present in Greco-Roman times. Authors such
as Herodotus, Xenophon, and Lysias describe tribes outside their personal social confines
as employing tattoos to their fullest extent, in the form of full-body suits. These authors
always express surprise that tattoos denoted high social status in these other societies.

Tattoo, tattoos

The popularity of the wrist tattoo is on the rise as shown by the number of top celebritiesgetting them. There are many types of wrist tattoos including stars, words, and wrist bands.The wrist is a great location for a tattoo that you can hide or show off as you choose. What an ideal spot for your favorite saying or symbol.Types Of Wrist Tattoo DesignsThe most common location is the inside of the wrist. They are very popular because it iseasier to hide an inner wrist tattoo. Some folks like to have their wrist tattoo on top of theirwrist in combination with a tattoo sleeve or hand tattoos. Even more daring is a tattoo thatencircles the wrist like a bracelet. A tattoo of this type is just like an armband tattoo but muchlower. Pink has "What Goes Around Comes Around" and "TRU LUV" circling her right wrist.Peaches Geldof has a crucifix tattoo around her left wrist.Nautical stars and words are probably the most used wrist tattoos. Wrist band tattoos areusually celtic knots or barbed wire. In addition to english words both kanji and sanskrit areoften used. Women sometimes get flowers, hearts, or kissing lips tattoos.Getting A Wrist TattooAre they painful to get?

TAHITI TATTOOS

 Traditionally, tattooing in Tahiti has always been a privilege of the more eminent social classes. Social ranking allowed tattoos corresponding to the wearer's position in the community under the supervision of the Ari'i.
Men often had tattoos all over their body, including on the neck and ears. Only the face was left untattooed except for the occasional warrior or priest who might wear a special emblem on his forehead or lips.
Tattoos for the men fall into four categories; those belonging to the social class of gods, priests and Ari'i, which were hereditary and restricted to their descendants; tattoos of the Hui Ari'i class, Arioi'i, exclusively for chiefs (male and female); tattoos of the Hui To'a, Hui Ra'atira, Ia To'ai class, reserved for leaders of war parties, warriors, and so on; and Menehune class tattoos, for individual with no pedigree or an unremarkable family history.

The supernatural origin of tattooing was attributed to the sons of the god Ta'aroa (Tangaroa or Tangaloa), the principal Tahitian divinities. They taught the art to mortals who found it extremely attractive to be tattooed and used it widely. The two sons of the god Ta'aroa were Mata Mata Arahu and Tu Ra'i Po' who became the patron spirits of the art. They were always invoked before a tattooing session began so that the operation would be successful, the scars will heal quickly, and the patterns will be pleasing to the eye.
As a reminder of this legend, images of the two gods were conserved in the Marae of the Tahu'a, the skilled practitioners of the art. This particular form of traditional culture has been handed down from one generation to the next and no outside influence has been able to alter the methods used or the way in which designs are applied to the skin.

In ancient Tahitian society all women were tattooed. Young girls were tattooed at a very young age with marks on the inside of their arms to show that they were free from food tabus.
Until that time they could only accept food prepared by their mothers - no-one else. There are no illustrations of these marks, just a few descriptions. Young women were again tattooed and they began to wear clothes as they reached puberty. These tattoos are often described as heavy black patches on their posteriors, and were absolutely required before a woman was permitted to engage in intercourse. As a young woman grew slightly older, the smaller designs in arch shapes across the top were added. As a sign that they were sexually mature and desired a man, women were reported to lift their bark cloth skirts showing their tattoos. Quite often this was directed at the Europeans who were surprised, if not shocked, particularly the missionaries.
One early observer reported:

"The young females are more remarkable for bearing [tattooing] than the Males tho they
cannot suffer more than one side to be done at a time and the other may remain perhaps for a
Twelvemonth after before it is finished, till which time they never Conceive themselves
Company for Women - being only Counted as Children till they have their tattooing done."
(Morrison 1935:221).
The artists of the Captain Cook voyages can again be credited with the first illustrations of Tahitian tattooing. In a sketch by Parkinson, we see the typical women's tattoo as described by so many of the early explorers.

requirements and criteria for the safety of tattoos and permanent make-up

Resolution ResAP(2008)1
on requirements and criteria for the safety of tattoos and permanent make-up (superseding
Resolution ResAP(2003)2 on tattoos and permanent make-up)
(Adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 20 February 2008
at the 1018th meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies)
The Committee of Ministers, in its composition restricted to the representatives of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,
Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland and the United Kingdom, member states of the Partial Agreement in the Social and Public
Health Field,
Recalling Resolution (59) 23 of 16 November 1959, on the extension of the activities of the Council of
Europe in the social and cultural fields;
Having regard to Resolution (96) 35 of 2 October 1996 revising the above-mentioned partial agreement,
whereby it revised the structures of the Partial Agreement and resolved to continue, on the basis of revised
rules replacing those set out in Resolution (59) 23, the activities hitherto carried out and developed by virtue
of that resolution, these being aimed in particular at:

Stigma Hyper V2

The Hyper V2 is a semi-rotary machine using swashplate technology and a vertically placed motor for low vibration and quiet operation. Perfectly CNC machined from a solid block of aircraft aluminum (alloy 7075) and weighing only 115 grams (3.7 oz.), the Hyper V2 rotary tattoo machine is ergonomic and well balanced allowing for easy handling and flexibility. The Hyper V2 features an adjustable “give” screw on the top of the armature. This screw allows for the machine to be fine tuned for lining, shading and coloring applications. To adjust the machine on the fly, simply turn the control screw clockwise for less give and counterclockwise for more give. Less give will provide a firmer hit, preferable for lining and single pass applications. More give will provide a softer hit, making it perfect for shading and multi-pass applications. The available stroke length of the Stigma Hyper V2 tattoo machine is also determined by the position of the “give” screw. When the adjustment screw is turned all the way out to its softest setting, the machine has a 4.7mm stroke length. When the adjustment screw is turned all the way in to its firmest setting, stroke length is 3.5mm. Machine speed is set by increasing or decreasing the voltage at the power supply. The Hyper V2’s operational voltage range is 7-12 volts, providing an approximate speed range of 50 to 166 cycles per second (CPS). Note: the speed and duty cycle of electric motor powered machines is not currently measurable with an Eikon EMS Power Supply. With the technology behind Stigma rotary tattoo machines, you can work much longer, with more comfort and less noise. Switching to a Hyper V2 is easy – they come standard with connections for either a clipcord or a RCA connector cord. They are also designed to use all the same needles, tubes, grips and other accessories as coil machines. The Hyper V2 is compatible with the EMS300 (using rotary mode) and ES 200 tattoo power supplies. Please note that the tube, tip, and other  accessories shown in the photo are sold separately and do not come with the machine.