A university thesis (summerized): composed for Anthropology 101, 2000
At A Glance Author Krys Contact [email protected] IAM krystyna When N/A Location Vancouver My main goal of research was to determine whether or not tattooing has become part of the mainstream and, if it has, does it greatly impact why people choose to become tattooed. With the aid of several tattoo artists, I formed some answers.
*Side note: Although names of the artists and clients were used in the original paper, as permission was granted at that time. As I have not sought out permission for this article, fake names for both artists and clients will be utilized simply for purposes of simplification.
The Mainstream. This is the big question. Has tattooing finally become a part of mainstream society? The response is a eunanymous 'yes' between both artists and clients. But the professionals do not believe that this acceptance is permanent. Joe, a tattoo artist, summerized this trend perfectly: "Tattooing moves in a cycle. It's part of the mainstream, then it's not. It's a part of it, then it's not again. Since it's such a big part of the mainstream now, it'll die out very soon". This cycle is clearly illustrated in tattooing's history. It was popular until banned by the Catholic church in the 11th century, in the 18th century it became popular again, and then once again shunned in the 20th century, and finally brought back in the 1960's. "Right now, the industry is in a renaissance and tattoos are very popular" stated Sam, of a highly popular vancouver studio. Tattoos have been popular now for many years and the industry is due for a depression. With the historical eviden ce (a history component was part of the original paper) and what the artists see in their studios, it is logical to believe that the popularity of tattooing is going to die down.
Since tattooing has become part of the popular, current, and "in fashion" idea, what has caused this? One artist stated that "tattoos are being accepted because society is more accepting and tolerating that it was before". Many "taboos" are becoming less of an issue, take homosexuality for example. Tattooing is one of the taboos that society has conquered because it has become more liberated and accepts what was once considered as taboo.
Clearly, tattooing has become mainstream, especially in metropolitan cities like Vancouver. Whether it has to do with a more acceptable nature or the influence on media and tattooed celebrities is unclear, but I believe it to be a combination of both. The media has allowed tattoos to be portrayed positively, not as something only held by bikers, sailors and common degenerates.
The Mainstream and Clients. Similar to most mainstream phenomenas, the sudden popularity of tattooing creates clients who only want to jump on the bandwagon. Just as millions of North American women rushed into salons to get the "Rachel" haircut, people are flocking into studios to get that desired etching. While almost all clients deny their desire to be tattooed solely on popularity, artists tend to agree: "You can tell when someone is getting a tattoo just to be cool or whatever because they spend little to no time deciding what i should permanently put on their skin. They walk into the studio, pick a piece of flash, and want me to put it on them. They all get the same small, easily hidden design. It's pathetic. These people create the future of tattoo removal. They get them for totally wrong reasons and tattoos are not for everyone." Another artist stated: "It's good for me because I get more money. But it cheapens the industry. People need to get tattooed because they want to. Saying that you want a tattoo to be cool is bullshit. It's not a reason".
On the other hand, some artists believe that the popularity of tattooing doesn't hurt the business. "It's what gets clients in the door in the first place."
No one would admit to getting tattooed because of it's popularity, out of the clients I interviewed, not one admitted to this, even though it was highly evident that they were. About 75% of them walked into the studio where I did most of my work, picked a piece of flash, paid, sat in the chair for twenty minutes and left. The artist at aforementioned studio had this to say: "I really don't know why these people come in here. This is a custom studio and more than half my clients either pick a piece of flash or bring in a picture from a magazine. They tell me their stories of the intense want of a tattoo and then give me a ridiculous design that's been done a thousand times".
However, I did find several people who received tattoos for genuine reasons. It is a documented fact that one out of five clients get tattooed for personal reasons. For their privacy, I will not go into the details of their interviews or tattoos. Just let it be known that they are out there.
The Future of Tattooing. Can the popularity of tattooing be good for its future? The common answer is no. Many agree that the popularity will lead to a depression, as mentioned in the cycle talked about earlier. One artist had this to say: "Right now the industry is in a renaissance and tattoos are very popular. But the same goes for tattooing as a supply and demand economy. Right now tattoos are in heavy demand. It can be seen here in Vancouver. Tatoo artists are a dime a dozen; the industry has become completely saturated, and this coincides with it becoming mainstream. But like all things that are so heavy in demand, it's going to die out eventually. Everything does." Another artist stated: "Western civilization has made tattooing such a convenience. Tattooing here is nothing compared to what it is in Japan; it's almost a religious experience there. Of course, it's not mainstream there and the industry isn't saturated. Tattooing has the potential to lose all meaning beca use of the mainstream."
The future of tattooing, then, looks quite bleak to me. Looking back through history, tattooing is one of the oldest art forms still being practiced. In the past, the significance of tattooing remained even though it was unpopular and looked down upon, but the incredible popularity we have given to tattooing has created a mass of uneducated clients and tattoo artists, which, in turn, will give birth to even more uneducated clients and tattoo artists. However happy I am that I can be accepted by society and find a decent job and walk down the street without stares, I am worried that we will lose this pivotal part of culture. Perhaps education is the key, or perhaps just a general respect of the past: of something our ancestors created for us, of something that is so sacred, of something that ties us to the dawn of man - our desire to modify our bodies.
Feel free to e-mail me with any comments :)