Tuesday 23 April 2013

Tattoos

http://fgarfias.wordpress.com/2009/03/19/the-technological-development-of-tattoos-through-history/

How it developed

People began to explore new places and got exposed to new things; tattoos also began to spread among non-third world countries. At first only sailors, pirates and convicts had tattoos. When the Industrial Revolution began to happen, more and more people decided they wanted to get tattoos. Now it wasn’t just freaks in freak shows, exiles and military getting tattoos. Women wanted to get tattoos, teenagers and even some wealthy businessmen.  Image has begun to change mainly due to the fact that so many people are getting tattoos. Many celebrities and rock stars have tattoos and we are greatly influenced by the media. Many teenagers are getting tattoos because they think it is “cool” and want to be like their idols on television and magazines. Teenage girls get them because they are “sexy” in certain parts of the body. Men get tattoos so that they seem tough and manly. Slowly they are becoming more accepted among today’s society. Soon, the majority of a certain generation will be tattooed, and then it will become an “accepted” art form.

Kinds of tattoos

Sailor, criminality and circus. Sailors often returned to port with tattoos they received during their voyage. These usually consisted of a extremely basic or primitive styles that used minimum amounts of detail thus making the tattoos look 2 dimensional or ‘flat’. These flat tattoos, today known as ‘flash tattoos’ often give a cartoon feel. The typical motifs would consist of flowers, hearts, mermaids, ships, anchors, snakes, birds, and names or script. Prison tattoos can be quite professionally done with homemade or improvised materials. These convey, in many cases, identity. A commonly known symbol for gang members are their tattoos. Receiving permanent markings on the body is a sign of absolute loyalty. These gang tattoos often speak volumes about the wearer, what gang they are in, what their ideologies or beliefs might be, what they have done, where they have been imprisoned or lived as well as details up to and including how many individuals the member is said to have killed. Known Western gang tattoo symbols include teardrops under the eye as well as spider webs on the elbows – these are said to symbolize that the wearer has killed. The prevalence of tattooing during the late 19th and early 20th century owed much to the once popular circus. When these traveling carnivals were prevalent tattooing, in turn, prospered. For nearly 100 years all major circus acts hired numerous individuals who were completely covered in tattoos.


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