Running head: Tattoos 1

Tattoos, would you get One?

Katherine Regotti

Arizona State University

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Abstract

When people first started getting tattoos, society never really accepted it since people

who usually got them were either considered rebellious punks. As years passed, they started

becoming more and more accepted since more people started getting them for different reasons.

There are still some parts of society who havent accepted it, and then there are others who either

embrace them, or dont mind if someone has a tattoo.

Keywords: tattoo, decision, older generation, younger generation, accepting of change

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Tattoos, would you get one?

When you see someone walking down the street with some sort tattoo or tattoo

combinations, what comes to your mind? Do you like the style, do you like the art, the message,

or do you think it looks ridiculous, ugly, and only think about how that person is going to have

that on their skin forever? Nowadays, tattoos are more accepted into society then they were 50

years ago. Back when tattoos were first started being created, no one liked the thought or sight of

them, they only people who liked them were people who had a tattoo. Tattoos were thought to be

repulsive, not useful, a waste of money, something that is stuck on that person for their whole

life, etc. Things started to change when generation X started getting tattoos. An example is when

young men started getting tattoos in the marines or army or any branch military around the

1940s. These boys started getting inked since they were going off to war and wanted a memory

to take with them, a good luck charm, even recognition. Even though they had to be hidden and

not seen while on duty, they still wanted to express themselves (LaRue,WWII Ink). Now, when

these men started coming home, some parents didnt really approve, and it is still like that to this

day. Kids leave their home to go to college, go into the military, or maybe just leave for a night

out and decide to get tattoos.

Now, from what my parents drilled into my head when I was growing up, is that I am

never supposed to get a tattoo. This is for the reason my parents seem to think that I may not like

my tattoo when I am older. They go off of what other people have said, that they regret it, or

dont like their tattoo anymore, and it is permanent so you cant really erase it. What I say to this

is that first off, you can remove it but it will cost more than getting the actual tattoo, and second,

if I get a tattoo I would want to get something that I know I wont get tired of. I have cousins,
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grandparents, uncles, and aunts all with tattoos, some more than others. Even though some of my

relatives regret a tattoo or two, they dont regret all of them. I feel as if a person thinking about

getting at tattoo and had enough time to think about a certain design, and they liked the same

concept for a couple years, then they should get it if they still really want. It is a way to express

yourself and show off who you are.

Some reasons as to why people want to get tattoos is to show off a good memory, cover

up bad ones, connect us to our loved ones, and for the art. Out of all the reasons I have heard

from different people, the three main reasons as to why people get tattoos is because of love,

memories, and the love of the art (Melody Bang, Choosing to get a Tattoo). A tattoo should

never be thought of as a drunken night around the town, or as a bad mistake. They should be

thought of as more of a specific memory that the person cherishes. When someone gets a tattoo

out of love, it is more or less to keep in mind of a loved one. Sometimes its for the ones we lost,

others its to show off children, anything you love enough to get a tattoo of. Tattoos about a

certain memory can tie up in the idea of a loved one. Memories are remembered in different

ways, as a picture in our mind, an inside joke, a lyric of a song, a symbolic symbol. To ink it on

your body shows how special that memory can be. They want to remember it of the art form of a

tattoo. People love tattoos for different reasons but everyone who gets a tattoo loves the art form

it shows. If you get a tattoo, you want to get it professionally done and at a known tattoo parlor.

This way it can be seen in a beautiful way, and not as a mistake, the next day. A good artist can

show use of the vibrant colors, and the intrinsic lines of the tattoo, to give it shape. An unskilled

tattoo artist blends everything together and you may not get what you pictured. The love of the

art should show in what you pick and also the artist. If the artist themselves dont care about

drawing on people, then they wont do that good of a job. Getting a tattoo is just something
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overall special, to show off, and to keep close. You should never get it drunkenly, because there

should always be meaning behind it.

The other reasons as to why people get tattoos is to cover up bad memories. This could be

because of a bad scar or to cover up a tattoo not worth remembering anymore (Bischler, Good

Reasons). When you have a scar, it is never from something good. Weather from self-harm, or a

big surgery, or even from something more devastating. Some people want to cover up it up so

bystanders stop asking about it, so you arent reminded about it anymore. This is a segway for a

reason to get a tattoo to turn a bad memory into a good one. This can help a scar into a happy

meaning with a better meaning, rather than an unwanted reminder. On the other hand of covering

things up, some people also want to cover up an unwanted tattoo with another tattoo. This could

be for any reason, the person doesnt like the tattoo anymore, wants to cover up that meaning

with a different meaning, or maybe they dont want to pay to remove the tattoo that they dont

like, so they want to just cover it up with another. Covering up a tattoo or a scar can be for many

different reasons, but they all tie into the fact that the person wants to exchange the bad memory

with a good one.

Now, on the other note, some people hate tattoos because of many reasons. They think

that it looks ugly, that its a waste of money and time, that it could cause an infection and you

would have to pay to fix it, and many more reasons. The biggest reason that I heard was that it

just doesnt look good on people (Davis, Smart Reasons to Not get a Tattoo). They think that

tattoos degrade you, that a foreign substance should not be placed on your body permanently.

For this reason, others tag along with that but also say that the ink could cause infection and

other irritable reactions to your skin. Another reason as to why some people dont like tattoos, is

that its a waste of money. For example, my parents. They dont like tattoos because they think
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its a waste of money, and they always those people will regret getting one. Then they say that

the money adds up if you decided to get it removed at a tattoo removal clinic, since you have to

pay for each visit you have to remove the tattoo (E, Evolution Removal). They make a good

point into that it does save money to not get at tattoo in the first place, and many others agree.

Another reasons as to why tattoos are not liked in some communities is that they say that

tattoos are out of fashion now, they say it doesnt make you cool or edgy anymore, that you

might regret them, and they think that the tattoo world is embarrassingly overexposed (Davis,

Smart Reasons to Not get a Tattoo). When people say tattoos are out of fashion, they think that

the time has passed to when people should have gotten tattoos verse now. When saying this,

some think that there was a time for tattoos, when they only looked good, but since the time has

passed, it doesnt make you edgy or cool anymore. Other people think that later one once you

get a tattoo, that you will regret it. This is because some many people get tattoos without

thinking about what they really want, or even if they really want a tattoo. This can come bite

them in the butt later since they might not like rainbows in their later years, or maybe the name

they got inked on them isnt their favorite person anymore. There are so many reasons as to why

people might regret them, but these can always be countered with just not getting that tattoo.

When some people say that they think the world of tattoos is overexposed, they are referring to

the people who are celebrities who have ruined the word and world of tattoos. This is because

they are inspirations for their fans and so when they get a tattoo and then remove it, it shows that

tattoos dont mean much too them. The celebrities who get tattoos give them a bad name since

they are used for fame and maybe not so much for themselves.

Tattoos can either be loved or hated. They can be seen as a memory, as art, or just a

picture. Sometimes they are seen as expensive, non-removable art that can be a mistake. Me
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personally, I think they look amazing, if done correctly. I have always wanted a tattoo to explain

who I am and show what I represent. I have always been hesitant since it is permanent and

expensive, but I have taken the time to think about wanting this specific combined image. That is

what really can determine a good tattoo from a bad tattoo, the time to think about what to get and

what message you want to represent. One thing to take away from is to stay open minded about

tattoos, to think hard about what the message really is and not just the art.
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References

AZ, %. T., CAROLINA, T., & AZ, R. (n.d.). Arizona's Number One. Retrieved October 14, 2017,
from http://goldenruletattoo.com/

Davis, R. (2017, October 15). 7 Reasons Smart People Shouldn'T Get Tattoos. Retrieved October 16,
2017, from http://www.rebelsmarket.com/blog/posts/7-reasons-smart-people-shouldn-t-get-tattoos

Bang, M. (2014, March 21). 3 Excellent Reasons Why People Choose To Get Tattoos. Retrieved October
16, 2017, from https://thoughtcatalog.com/melody-bang/2014/03/3-excellent-reasons-why-people-choose-
to-get-tattoos

Bischler, L. (2017, August 28). 5 Reasons Tattoos Are A Good Thing. Retrieved October 09, 2017, from
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/5-reasons-tattoos-good

LaRue, E., D., A., & Orellana, E. (2012, June 18). 1940's US Servicemen and Tattoos - WWII Ink The
1940's 1940-1949 Fashion History Movies Music. Retrieved November 20, 2017, from
http://1940s.org/1940s-us-servicemen-tattoos-wwii-ink

E. (n.d.). Blog Archives. Retrieved October 12, 2017, from

http://www.evolvetattooremoval.com/category/blog/