Although we live in a time where the most insane things are considered as art and self-will is one of the human beings most essential capacities, the taboo around piercings and tattoos is still present. This article discusses how most people with tattoos and piercings experience these times. And we also talk about the statements of someone who has stopped in time.
My body is my journal, and my tattoos are my story. – Johnny Depp
The history behind tattoos
First of all, it is essential to know where this body decoration comes from and why it has such a negative meaning. The word tattoo comes from the Tahitian word Tatu, which means ‘marks’ or ‘stripes’. In comparison to today, they used the ashes of a loved one to place them in incised wounds. By this the relatives would have black spots left as memories of the deceased. In Western Europe, it was not customary to have a tattoo as Christianity forbade this. Only criminals and slaves had tattoos. These tattoos served as a brand mark. That could be why tattoos still have a negative connotation. On the base of this information we can therefore conclude that having tattoos has caused prejudice for centuries.
What does our society experiences?
Since we were curious about how people experience prejudice around having tattoos, we asked some questions on Social Media. And the answers were quite surprising! 43% of people have received a negative comment because they have a tattoo or piercing. Although this is less than half of the people, it is still quite a shame that a person still can’t choose what to do with their own body without getting a comment. On the other hand, it was lovely to read that more than 68% don’t care if placing a piercing or tattoo would harm their career or environment, so they don’t put them in an invisible place. Yet it turned out that 74% of the votes still think that there is a negative image of people with a lot of piercings and tattoos, which is very sad.
“As our body journeys through life and life journeys on our body. Life will leave marks on us too. From the creases of our wrinkles to the birthmarks on our bodies to the tattoos, we decide to place.” – Lauren Klarfeld
A personal story
Last but not least, we discuss someone’s negative experience and how they feel about it.
“When my boyfriend said he also wanted to get a tattoo and design it himself, I thought it was a great idea. However my father-in-law didn’t share the same thoughts as me. He thinks tattoos and piercings are a disgrace and the people who have them are scum. In a very crude way he said I shouldn’t encourage his son as he would never be able to get a job that way. Indirectly, he spoke the words he had wanted to say all along about my body decoration. My anger bubbled up from my toes because I couldn’t understand how people can still be so close-minded. At that moment, I was grateful that my education was so different than this small-minded man who, although he is so many years older than me, knows nothing about how the world is currently going. “
Even though some people are against, piercings and tattoos are part of who you are. But they do not determine what you can achieve in life or what your abilities are! Be you and be proud of who you are, no matter what others say.
We hope this article has given some a little more courage to take a tattoo or piercing and others a change of opinion. And if you have any piercings or tattoos, we would love to see them! Share them with us on Social Media by tagging @Blogzine.be or #BlogzineBE.
