Gabriela Reyes
History 202
Formal proposal
March/19/2018
Tattoos
The object that I have chosen is tattoos, which contains needles being filled with ink, and is used purposely to be shot into one's body simultaneously. This results in a permanent mark on ones body that cannot be erased. One might want to go through with the procedure to express art on their bodies or have an important mark on their body that they wouldn't regret later in life, whether its a symbol, name or important date. Body modifications have been in existence for centuries and have changed in its purpose, morals and religious perspectives. Many religious perspectives have changed throughout history and has brought out the negative aspects of tattoos, they are believed to be associated with the Devil which goes against the Bible and churches, morals and standards. Tattoos have changed and evolved throughout centuries.
The art of Tattoo has been around since 12,000 years before Christ and has gone through many years of judgment by people of different races and cultures. This art form spanned many different cultures with many different meanings and is being transformed today. The outlook of tattoo turned from honorable and elegant to deviant and wrong and is now coming back as an honorable and memorable art form for the people to express their feelings about certain subjects or persons. Tattoo has been used to ward off demons and spirits in early Japan and China. In ancient times, honorable and well respected men told of unforgettable journeys, battles, and even showed memorials to lost loves with tattoo, still today men and women decorate their whole body with tattoos in the same manner.
Many correlate tattoos with having deviance behavior. In fact, when it first appeared it was used for distinguishing criminals so that they won’t escape and will be treated poorly by the public. However, this concept has changed and evolved through centuries because nowadays tattoos are used to express oneself in numerous ways. Tattoos are labeled as art that will be permanent in one's body. Tattoos were once believed to be a risky trend and are now becoming more of the norm. As we know it tattoos are not as unusual as they once were. There are many different reasons behind why people get tattoos, for example personal losses, symbolism, or just the concept of it being art. Most believe tattooing is just another medium of art and it should be respected along with the tattoo artist who give them. A lot of people differ in opinion behind what, where, and how people should get their tattoos. A strong topic to think about is what to get as a tattoo in the first place. Then there is the topic of where to get a tattoo so it will not put an individual’s professional image down the drain. Many wonder where tattoos came from, what are their origins? The basics behind tattoing are ink, tattoo machine, and an artistic mind to put it all together. As we know it today, tattoo guns are the concrete mediums used to give a tattoo. But in the past tattoos weren’t always given by an electronic machine, thousands of years ago the methods are unknown to how we find mummies today with tattoos.
The history behind the tattoo is just as fascinating as the tattoo itself. Whether flaunted or hidden, sought as art or bought out of a whim, the tattoo has left its mark on generation after generation (Krakow). The purpose of tattooing varies from culture to culture, person to person, and its place on the time line. The essay will examine the following eras: BC and tribal, 20th century, and modern. It is noted that tattooing (a Tahitian word meaning “to mark something”) has existed since 12,000 years BC. As noted in “A Brief History of Tattoos,” women in Borneo tattooed their symbols on their forearm indicating their particular skill. If a woman wore a symbol indicating she was a skilled weaver, her status as prime marriageable material was increased. In tribes, tattoos around the wrist and fingers were believed to ward away illness and bad spirits. In recorded history, the earliest tattoos can be found in Egypt during the time of the erection of the great pyramids. As the Egyptians expanded their empire, the art of tattooing spread along with it. The civilizations of Crete, Greece, Persia, and Arabia picked up and expanded the art form (“A Brief History of Tattoos). The Greeks used tattooing for communication among spies by identifying them and showing their rank. Romans marked criminals and slaves, a practice still carried on today.