Is mostly in hot summer days that you realize how many people carry around tattooed bodies. Having (fortunately) enjoyed the Roger Waters' concert in Hyde park last Saturday, I was surprised to see lots of tattoos in all kind of people. Forget about fashion trends.. these were the real tattoo-lovers… bikers, older ladies, some faded shades and not-very attractive designs… So, why do we tattoo ourselves? To distinguish ourselves from the crowd? It is interesting to see the varied connotations that a tattoo has, but mostly negative as a mark of rebellion and is mostly disapproved by our actual society. Even though this last trend meant that very young and posh kids have undergone the buzzing needle, truth is that tattoos have existed forever and if so, cannot we learn to accept them as pure decoration, like earrings, necklaces or ties? Sailors, prisoners, lovers or trend-setters… rock stars, surfers, yacuzas, footballers, movie stars, romantics or soldiers.. Do some of them regret it at some point? Specially under the sun? when they cannot hide them? A tattoo is a mark made by inserting pigment into the skin: in technical terms, tattooing is micro-pigment implantation. The word "tattoo" is traced to the Tahitian tatu or tatau, meaning to mark or strike (the latter referring to traditional methods of applying the designs). It was introduced to us by captain Cook (who not only mapped NZ, but also taught us the word “taboo”). In Japanese the word used for traditional designs or those that are applied using traditional methods is irezumi ("insertion of ink"), while "tattoo" is used for non-Japanese designs. Tattooing has been a Eurasian practice since Neolithic times!! "Ötzi the Iceman", dated circa 3300 BC, exhibits possible therapeutic tattoos* - interesting huh? The fact that tattoos existed in different cultures that didn't get access to each other means that it has been part of men evolution. From Germany to Japan, China to Greece, there is evidence of their existence from the beginning of times. My mother (Japanese) told me once that if I ever got tattooed, she’d personally tear my skin with her bare hands - yes, she is a scary lady but I cannot help it, I love her. Pity that the fear she inculcated on me with the image of being a skinless girl made me never consider ornate my body with some kind of self-design drawing. Anyway, back to facts: Reintroduction in the Western world Between 1766 and 1779, Captain James Cook made three voyages to the South Pacific, the last trip ending with Cook's death in Hawaii in February, 1779. When Cook and his men returned home to Europe from their voyages to Polynesia, they told tales of the 'tattooed savages' they had seen. Cook's Science Officer and Expedition Botanist, Sir Joseph Banks, returned to England with a tattoo. Banks was a highly regarded member of the English aristocracy and had acquired his position with Cook by putting up what was at the time the princely sum of some ten thousand pounds in the expedition. In turn, Cook brought back with him a tattooed Tahitian chief, whom he presented to King George and the English Court. Many of Cook's men, ordinary seamen and sailors, came back with tattoos, a tradition that would soon become associated with men of the sea in the public's mind and the press of the day. In the process sailors and seamen re-introduced the practice of tattooing in Europe and it spread rapidly to seaports around the globe. |
The British Royal
Court must have been fascinated with the Tahitian chief's tattoos,
because the future King George V had himself inked with the 'Cross
of Jerusalem' when he traveled to the Middle East in 1892. He also
received a dragon on the forearm from the needles of an acclaimed
tattoo master during a visit to Japan. George's sons, The Duke of
Clarence and The Duke of York were also tattooed in Japan while serving
in the British Admiralty, solidifying what would become a family tradition. Taking their sartorial lead from the British Court, where Edward VII followed George V's lead in getting tattooed; King Frederick IX of Denmark, the King of Romania, Kaiser Wilhelm II, King Alexander of Yugoslavia and even Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, all sported tattoos, many of them elaborate and ornate renditions of the Royal Coat of Arms or the Royal Family Crest. King Alfonso of modern Spain also had a tattoo. Tattooing spread among the upper classes all over Europe in the nineteenth century, but particularly in Britain where it was estimated in Harmsworth Magazine in 1898 that as many as one in five members of the gentry were tattooed. There, it was not uncommon for members of the social elite to gather in the drawing rooms and libraries of the great country estate homes after dinner and partially disrobe in order to show off their tattoos. Aside from her consort Prince Albert, there are persistent rumours that Queen Victoria had a small tattoo in an undisclosed 'intimate' location; Denmark's king Frederick was filmed showing his tattoos taken as a young sailor. Winston Churchill's mother (!!), Lady Randolph Churchill, not only had a tattoo of a snake around her wrist, which she covered when the need arose with a specially crafted diamond bracelet, but had her nipples pierced as well. Carrying on the family tradition, Winston Churchill was himself tattooed.* I found this very interesting.. so getting tattooed was a sign of higher class for a while… even Queen Victoria!! But still, some Jews, Christians and Muslims don't approve and forbid them… whilst is common knowledge that certain Muslim women get henna tattoos that apparently are approved for not being permanent marks. (There is always double moral in everything, isn't it?) Because it requires breaking the skin barrier, tattooing may carry health risks, including infection and allergic reactions. In the United States, for example, a person who receives a tattoo will generally be prohibited from donating blood for 12 months. Infections that could be transmitted via the use of unsterilized tattoo equipment include surface infections of the skin, tetanus, staph, some forms of hepatitis, and HIV. Allergic reactions to tattoo pigments are uncommon except for certain brands of red and green. There has been concern expressed about the interaction between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) procedures and tattoo inks, some of which contain trace metals. Allegedly, the magnetic fields produced by MRI machines could interact with these metal particles, potentially causing burns or distortions in the image. So, it has its pros and cons and a very ambiguous history of acceptance, trend or rejection. Will you get one? Think about it twice if you are going to rob a bank, rape someone or have a fight in front of a club.. CCTV cameras nowadays and all CSI followers will remember any mark on you and you'll have no chance in a line up. My personal favourites are the islanders (South Pacific, Ta-moko - maori) and the Japanese ones.. any tribal design but some of the colourful flowered and busy Irezumis can be real impressive too (sorry okasan). Forget about your idols, any sun, moon, dolphin, heart, butterfly, flower, skull or your favourite brands (yes, some weirdoes go for the apple from Apple, the M (cDonald's), Nike swoosh or similars) - they are all over-used. If the point of getting tattooed is being different to everyone else, think of something distinct and personal, don't look through the saloon's catalogue! I got a friend whose wedding ring is an Indian tattoo, he'll be married to his wife till he dies (even though they are divorced now). But I think it was a very romantic thing to do. I would accept getting the name of your loved one if you do it in a cool way. (No, not like Melanie Griffith.. who designed that?! Surely it cost her a fortune). A fake tattoo is like buying a 911 diesel.. is just not the same.. or drinking Diet coke with your McMenu (if you ever dare to eat one, go on, admit it, everyone does it at least once a year!) - if you are gonna go for it, do it the RIGHT way! |
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