Apr

Got ink?

Tattoos are not just for bad boys anymore; they have moved from the backroom to the boardroom. Tattooing has evolved from a dubious, scandalous, anti-social subculture to part of mainstream culture. Images of rock stars, models and actors sporting ink have edged out those of drunken sailors and outlaw bikers. Whether people love or hate them, tattoos have become a lot more visible.

Some Tattoo History

A Maori woman proudly shows off her tattoo.

Tattooing is ancient. It has been a Eurasian practice since Neolithic times. The oldest example of tattoos were found on “Ötzi the Iceman,” who lived about 5,000 years ago and had 57 tattoos, a cross and numerous straight lines, on the inside of his left knee, above his kidneys and on his legs and ankles. Because of their nature and placement, it is theorized that the tattoos were therapeutic—perhaps for the treatment of arthritis.

Ancient Egyptians, Peruvians, Japanese, Britons and many other cultures marked their bodies with tattoos, which have depicted declarations of love, remembrance, religious beliefs, protection, self-expression and adornment. Ancient Egyptian tattoos seemed to be exclusively a female practice, and for ancient Britons they were apparently marks of high status.

Japanese tattoos are colorful and elaborately symbolic.

The word tattoo is derived from the Polynesian words, “tatatau” or “taattau”; James Cook’s 1769 expedition to Tahiti brought the term to the West. Sailors started returning from the South Pacific with tattoos, and tattoo shops appeared at many ports.

Although associated with rowdy sailors in Europe, tattoos appealed to aristocrats and members of Europe’s royal families. In the early 1900s, the future Marchioness of Londonderry tattooed a snake, a star and a coat of arms on her leg, and the future King George V got a tattoo of the “Cross of Jerusalem” in 1892. During a visit to Japan he had Hori Chiyo, an acclaimed tattoo master, tattoo a dragon on his forearm.

Ch-ch-changes: The Modern Tattoo

The tattoo parlors of 50 to 60 years ago, with their limited number of designs in three or four colors and machines that had been, at best, rinsed off after use, have morphed into shops where artists’ portfolios are available, often online, with an array of ink colors (some vegan-friendly) and gloved artists using sanitized equipment.

Classic "Sailor Jerry" old-school tattoo flash (Image via Zimbio.com)

After World War II, the popularity of tattooing subsided. By the late ’60s, however, the era’s emphasis on counterculture and individuality played a part in its resurgence. In the late ’70s and early ’80s, tattoo magazines and conventions enabled artists to share ideas, and there were improvement in tattooing technique. An expanding group of artists combined fine art disciplines with fantasy motifs modeled on the highly detailed tattooing style of the Japanese. The art of tattooing was steadily elevating—very different from the simple pen scratchings that had characterized World War II-era tattooing. “What was formerly considered a sleazy perversion…became just another form of self-expression and style,” reported the Wall Street Journal in 1986.

"The Tattoo Artist" by Norman Rockwell. Saturday Evening Post, March 4, 1944

Celebrities, models, professional athletes and television had a lot to do with mainstreaming tattoos. According to a 1995 Sports Illustrated article, “Tattoos have become the sport’s world’s most flaunted form of self-expression. Ten years ago, only boxers or wrestlers had visible tattoos; today, they are everywhere, in every sport.”

The Internet has connected artists and clients around the world, and reality shows about tattoo shops give TV audiences an opportunity to see how tattooing is done, the various designs offered and the artists’ individual styles. Even haute couture has embraced tattoos. The fashion powerhouse Chanel featured temporary tattoos on its models in its spring 2010 show; the tattoos are available to retail customers.

Temporary tattoos were worn by models at the Spring 2010 show. (Image via StarStyleInc.com)

Shops have come a long way from the parlors in the “seedy” of town. The tattoo industry is a hot property and growing, and high-end studios are emerging. Tattooing is available in a spa and salon in the Flatiron district of New York—clients can get a massage beforehand and, because of the tattoo artist’s partnership with a doctor, anesthesia or even a Vicodin to help with the pain. New York magazine described the shop as providing “Elegant, almost ethereal tattoos, catering to a clientele of corporate professionals.” In Paris, the Horror Picture Tea shop opened in January 2011. It is part luxury dessert shop, music venue, urban art gallery and tattoo parlor—the owner wanted to mix luxurious gastronomy and urban style. Additional shops are planned for Los Angeles and Barcelona.

Soccer star David Beckham of L.A. Galaxy. Image via FameCrawler.com

Tattoo You?

Tattoos are clearly not for everyone, but a 2008 Harris poll showed that nearly one is seven U.S. adults has a tattoo, and a 2006 Pew survey said nearly 40 percent of Americans under age 40 had one. Women get inked at least as often as men: the single fastest growing demographic group seeking tattoo services is middle-class, suburban women. Tattooing has evolved. “It’s an intellectual and upscale phenomena,” said Ina Saltz, who photographed tattoos for her books, Body Type and Body Type 2. “People are choosing to get tattooed who are professionals. Every kind of profession you can imagine has a tattoo.”

Share the story of your own ink in the comments! What does your tattoo mean to you? Would you do it again?