Tattoos: Consistently Leaving Marks on Society Since the Stone Age

When you think of the collective history of people in different cultures, what do you think of? Style of dress changes with the times as well as by location or region. Religion can be changed or swayed to different views depending on demographic or upbringing. Even cultural traditions have a tendency to die out due to modernization. The one practice that has been consistently documented as being present within humans' history of occupying the world, dates back as far as 6000 BC. This well known practice has a lush religious, artistic, and cultural history and is called tattooing. Through a depiction of how tattoos have developed and evolved throughout the world, a show and tell session of influential people that have had tattoos within Americas history and present times, as well as an overview of statistics showing the consistency and growth of tattoos, I hope to inform of how tattoos are an intricate part of our history as human beings.

Tattoos are not only colorful, but the history is vibrant as well. Although we have had archeological evidence of carved figures with distinct markings interpreted as tattoos dating as being from 6000 BC, there wasn't solid evidence backing this until the body of a priestess of Hathor and the body of the “Ice man” Otzi were discovered. The priestess of Hathors body, dated as being from 2000 BC, had numerous tattoos on her stomach that were thought to serve for fertility purposes. Otzi, the “Ice man”, had tattoos on the front and back of his body, primarily near joints, leading researchers to believe his tattoos were for medicinal purposes. Until the discovery of Otzi in 1991, archaeologists believed that tattoos reached as far back as 4000 years. Now since we have Otzi to refer back to, we know that they have been happening since the Stone Age. Tattoos have been seen as both negative and positive in different societies throughout the world.

Thirteenth century Japan used tattoos for marking criminals and other social outcasts. Years later during the eighteenth century, despite being forbidden by the Emperor due to the chance of being perceived as barbarians by Westerners, these tattoos called Irezumi became a regular occurrence amongst American sailors and dignitaries alike. Tattooing in Japan wasn't made legal till 1948, but due to tattoos being associated with yakuza, the Japanese mafia, persons with tattoos are still banned by some businesses. Likewise, in Polynesia, the Maori people have moko, a primitive style body adornment that was seen as an indication of rank between social groups and had status significance in the Maori culture.

Around mid 1980's moko made its way back into Maori lives from having been looked down upon in the mid twentieth century. Presently, the general non-Maori population perceives that allmoko are only efforts to make political statements instead of an individuals development of self image or self expression. Through seeing the Japanese Irezumi as well as the Maori moko circumstances within history, it becomes clear that tattoo's have the ability to spawn assumptions and prejudice among people. This in turn can also restrict lifestyles and career opportunities depending on the specific jobs policies due to discrimination.

In America, tattoos are still caught in a bad workplace romance between the inked and the not. There have been numerous lawsuits concerning claims of discrimination of religious beliefs and self expression linked to tattoos. Although the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination based on religion, this does not hold up in the court of law concerning tattoos if the employer sees that the artwork will cause hardship on business.Under the right circumstances though, a tattoo might be seen to have enough expressive intent that the First Amendment can be applied, although the court may not ultimately agree.

As the years go by, the amount people with tattoos within the workplace increases. According to government projections, by 2014, people from the generation Y are expected to account for about 36 percent of the U.S. Workforce directly resulting in the probable increase of the amount of tattoos appearing within the work place. According to a 2010 Pew Research Center study, 12 percent of people between the ages of 18 to 29 surveyed as having at least one tattoo and 26 percent sport two or more. About 7 percent have six or more tattoos. As for Generation X, one third of the individuals between the ages of 30 and 45 claimed to have at least one tattoo while only 15 percent of baby boomers between 46 and 64 have a tattoo.

Despite the lack of protection from workplace discrimination, people still have decided to express themselves through body art, sometimes drastically flipping the bill on stereotypes and prejudice.There have been influential individuals throughout Americas history that have have tattoos that did not hold them back. There are numerous political figures that have tattoos. For instance, Ronald Reagans's Secretary of State, George Shultz, has a Princeton Tiger tattooed on his butt. Franklyn D. Roosevelt, the 32^th President of our country, had his family crest tattooed on his chest. JFK Jr. had a dagger tattooed on his right arm as well as a shamrock on his foot. As well as famous inventor, Thomas Edison, who had five dots in the shape of a dice tattooed on his left forearm. There has also been individuals from different origins that have had an impact on Americas history that have had tattoos.Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the UK and Nobel Peace Prize winner, had an anchor on his arm. George Orwell, author of “Animal Farm,” had each of the knuckles on just one hand tattooed with blue spots.

Although tattoos have the ability to restrain one from receiving job opportunities due to dress code restrictions, they still have the found a home with the X and Y generations. As many stereotypes come with being tattooed, one would think the “fad” would finally die out, but it keeps growing stronger by the year. It joins cultures and generations together with one single activity. Tattoos have evolved throughout different cultures, shown up on influential individuals in American history, and is one of the oldest traditions for man kind serving as one of the more colorful parts of our history as human beings.