The Tattoo Fad And Where It Comes From

ClassicRockr

ClassicRockr

Well-known Member
A lot of NBA players have them up and down both arms, and some, even on their neck. A lot of NFL players, same thing. WWE and Cage Fighter's, all over. Rappers, all over. Heavy metal bands, pretty much all over. Guess PGA players, and perhaps P.B.A., don't go for the "tattooed" look. And, of course, from taking a look at a program about inmates and pit bulls, men and women in prison have lots and lots of them. One cable program was about Guards at a pre-trial holding area and it looked like every inmate had dozens of tattoos.

So, is the above why tattoos have become such a fad with the younger generation? From all the tattoos that sports figures have gotten, as well as many Hollywood Celebs and others, it would seem like many tattoo artists would be making more money than an Engineer, doctor or other high professional. Living in Beverly Hills or some other very "up-scale" neighborhood in America.

Remember when the "look" use to be only a few? Now, today...…..​
 

Tattooing has been practiced across the globe since at least Neolithic times, as evidenced by mummified preserved skin, ancient art and the archaeological record.[1] Both ancient art and archaeological finds of possible tattoo tools suggest tattooing was practiced by the Upper Paleolithic period in Europe. However, direct evidence for tattooing on mummified human skin extends only to the 4th millennium BC.

The oldest discovery of tattooed human skin to date is found on the body of Ötzi the Iceman, dating to between 3370 and 3100 BC.[2] Other tattooed mummies have been recovered from at least 49 archaeological sites, including locations in Greenland, Alaska, Siberia, Mongolia, western China, Egypt, Sudan, the Philippines and the Andes.[3] These include Amunet, Priestess of the Goddess Hathor from ancient Egypt (c. 2134–1991 BC), multiple mummies from Siberia including the Pazyryk culture of Russia and from several cultures throughout Pre-Columbian South America.[2]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_tattooing
 
170124-tattoo-exhibition-01.jpg

From the Seaport Museum Exhibition: Augustus “Gus” Wagner, Self-Portrait, Tattoo Flash, ca. 1910-1930.
 
Not talking about the history of, or how far back they go, but the quantity young people have put on themselves today. To me it looks absolutely ridiculous, but that’s me. To a point, they all look like a bunch of gang bangers.

Another sport, that I was involved in myself, where tats were not a thing to do, or have, is rodeo. I knew a steer wrestler who had them, and some piercings, and was constantly teased about it, even by rodeo announcers.
 
I also remember going to carnivals and the state fairs and actually paying money at the "freak shows"(Squatting Dog is correct, they were called that) to see the man and/or woman who had the most tattoos in the world. I think seeing the woman covered in tattoos had the most shock value at that time and one time there was a midget (little person) covered in tattoos too.

I think my frustration comes about when someone says they can't pay their rent or utilities but they will turn around and spend hundreds of dollars to get tattoos. Those things are kind of pricey, at least around here.

I don't have any, never really had any urge to get one. I don't really understand why people want full body tattoos that cover everything other than they try to emulate what they see in public figures. Does it make them feel tough, does it get them noticed, does it make them feel important? Who knows.
 
dkay said:
I think my frustration comes about when someone says they can't pay their rent or utilities but they will turn around and spend hundreds of dollars to get tattoos. Those things are kind of pricey, at least around here.
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I so agree. Just like spending on cigarettes, liquor, lotto tickets, expensive anything they don't need other than rent/utilities.
 
Everyone to their own of course, my own daughter to my dismay has them, but fortunately nowhere , where they can't be covered up if necessary...

I have never wanted one, and I will never have one. My current husband has one on his arm , my ex husband who was in the Navy had several.. and even my grandfather who was born in the late 1800's had a few.. so they've been around a long time.
 
My 2 grandson's who are in college have a lot of tattoo's and they love them. I think they are really something and I am happy that they haven't had any put on their necks. All of them can be covered if they are in suits and working. My Son and most of my nephews have them and even some nieces. As long as they can be covered up when necessary They are ok with me.
 
What I’m wondering is, what started the “all over the arms, legs, chest, back and lately face and neck” thing with the young folks? Just who did they see, where they got the idea “that looks really, really cool!” Whereas to many it looks ugly and even “freaky”, like the Sideshows.

AND, they can make a young person look like a gang member.
 
Sassycakes said:
My 2 grandson's who are in college have a lot of tattoo's and they love them. I think they are really something and I am happy that they haven't had any put on their necks. All of them can be covered if they are in suits and working. My Son and most of my nephews have them and even some nieces. As long as they can be covered up when necessary They are ok with me.
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A Liberal grandma. That’s what many grandkids would love and want.
 
ClassicRockr said:
AND, they can make a young person look like a gang member.
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For some, it's merely decoration (flowers, butterflies etc). For some it's remembrance (military service tattoos, artistic pics of children lost in car accidents etc.). For some it's definitely affiliation with gangs, fringe groups. It takes a long time to get those full body tattoos especially if they are colorized. Perhaps it's increasing in popularity because they are safer to obtain now without fear of getting hepatitis etc.
 
People who get tats don't get them so they can look at them. They obviously get them for the public to see.

In other words "Attention Whores".

You were born with beautiful skin. Why ruin it with something?

Adolph Hitler had all the Jewish people tattooed so they could be identified as such.
 
To me, it's just one of many personal choices that all of us make during our life only this choice is relatively permanent and often times visible.

If a person chooses tattoos, piercings, etc... it's fine with me.

I don't have to like a person's choices I only have to accept them and move on.
 
Just read online that the Millennials generation started the craze. Read that there are celebs that now wish they had never got as many, or as big, as they’ve got.

There are also surgeons now that will remove tattoos for a rather high cost. A young lady in Los Angeles had this done, because a company offered her a large starting salary and bonus (Outside Sales Executive), if she had two visible tattoos removed. Her parents paid to have them removed. The young lady was totally pleased and said, “I have a great job now and look better without them.”
 
The way I see it tattoos are only for dopers, sailors, hardcore bikers, gang members and cheap hookers.

Hmm let's see......I'm not a doper, not real fond of ships, I sold my last motorcycle a few years ago and I haven't been in any sort of gang since my teens.

OMG !!......I guess that would make me a cheap hooker.
 
As the former founder, owner and operator of the first licensed tattoo shop in the State of Texas, I can tell you there is too much misinformation, here, to begin addressing the bulk of it. Tattoos have been around for thousands of years. The craze in the US hit into high gear in the mid-80's, as better/safer "inks" were developed, along with precision tattoo machines that could do the job without overloading the skin with inks that would blob over time, giving that "old guy with the blobby tattoo" look, years down the line. Single needle work became more popular, and artists capable of putting on photo realistic pieces began to gain in popularity. In part, with my advice, and my lobbying efforts in the Texas House, laws were drawn up to protect tattoo clients, and make sure shops followed procedures to protect everyone involved in the tattoo process.

People get tattoos for as many reasons as there are people with tattoos. Very, very few whom I met, in my fifteen years of pushing ink, got their pieces to draw attention. Most tattooed folks, at least the ones I knew who gave serious thought to getting their high quality work for high quality prices, had no agenda, other than to wear a piece they liked, a piece that meant something to them. I tattooed world-class musicians, billionaires, and Oscar winning actors. All were cool, all were highly intelligent.

Tattooists made great money, for many years. Some, at the very top, still do. However, many tattooists never gave much thought to non-competition clauses when they took on apprentices. As a result, shops started popping up on every corner, in the mid to late 90's. When I opened my shop, I was the third shop in town. When I called it quits, I was one of forty-seven shops, above and underground. You can only slice the pie so thin before it's not worth eating it.
 
I vaguely recall reading a study that suggested that folks who talk all the time about how much they hate tats are actually over compensating for secret sexual fantasies about, well, we can't go there on here. Overcompensating is apparently a very common coping mechanism. It was several years ago so I don't have a link. Sorry


*disclaimer* This does not apply to posters on here, of course.
 
treeguy64 said:
As the former founder, owner and operator of the first licensed tattoo shop in the State of Texas, I can tell you there is too much misinformation, here, to begin addressing the bulk of it. Tattoos have been around for thousands of years. The craze in the US hit into high gear in the mid-80's, as better/safer "inks" were developed, along with precision tattoo machines that could do the job without overloading the skin with inks that would blob over time, giving that "old guy with the blobby tattoo" look, years down the line. Single needle work became more popular, and artists capable of putting on photo realistic pieces began to gain in popularity. In part, with my advice, and my lobbying efforts in the Texas House, laws were drawn up to protect tattoo clients, and make sure shops followed procedures to protect everyone involved in the tattoo process.

People get tattoos for as many reasons as there are people with tattoos. Very, very few whom I met, in my fifteen years of pushing ink, got their pieces to draw attention. Most tattooed folks, at least the ones I knew who gave serious thought to getting their high quality work for high quality prices, had no agenda, other than to wear a piece they liked, a piece that meant something to them. I tattooed world-class musicians, billionaires, and Oscar winning actors. All were cool, all were highly intelligent.

Tattooists made great money, for many years. Some, at the very top, still do. However, many tattooists never gave much thought to non-competition clauses when they took on apprentices. As a result, shops started popping up on every corner, in the mid to late 90's. When I opened my shop, I was the third shop in town. When I called it quits, I was one of forty-seven shops, above and underground. You can only slice the pie so thin before it's not worth eating it.
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Are you going to follow in the footsteps of "Sailor Jerry" and start selling your own line of Rum, t-shirts, etc., on line? He was pretty far sighted for a guy who died in 1973...
 
Wouldn't doubt it, Hootie. Being obsessed about anything is a little weird anyway, imo, whether its tats, shoes, cowboy hats, money.... being obsessed is a stressful way to live, I think.
 
RadishRose said:
Wouldn't doubt it, Hootie. Being obsessed about anything is a little weird anyway, imo, whether its tats, shoes, cowboy hats, money.... being obsessed is a stressful way to live, I think.
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Well, cowboy hats aren’t an obsession. Just ask any rodeo contestant or rancher.

Money is an obsession either, especially when people have enough to make their life and health good. Not having to worry about money is a nice thing.
 
Hoot N Annie said:
Are you going to follow in the footsteps of "Sailor Jerry" and start selling your own line of Rum, t-shirts, etc., on line? He was pretty far sighted for a guy who died in 1973...
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I have one of his machines, actually, the Bulldog. I received great pointers from the guy who bought his shop, when Sailor Jerry passed. That guy, Mike Malone (Rollo Banks), is no longer with us, unfortunately.
 

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