History and Reasoning of Tattoos and Body Piercings

History and Reasoning of Tattoo’s and Body Piercings

Are you aware that tattoos and body piercings have an extensive history in other cultures and countries as well as the United States? Though not normally accepted in the professional world, tattoos and body piercings are becoming more popular because of religious beliefs making them less taboo.

There was a time not all that long ago, when North American culture assumed only “low lives” were tattooed or had body piercings. Most of these “low lives” were presumed to be criminals and were preconceived by society to be “dirty” and were not to be trusted, hired, or associated with.

Many places even banned tattooing and body piercing because they were widely thought to be morally wrong, not to mention the health risks that were present. Point in fact, tattooing and body piercing was illegal in New York City until 1997 (Schepens, 2003). The illegal aspect meant that the tattoos and body piercings were kept hidden or the person was facing the possibility of certain ramifications. Ramifications that included legal action, possible lose of livelihood, health issues and damage to their reputations in both their business and personal lives.

However because of anti-discrimination practices of large business in recent times, people from many walks of life are acquiring tattoos and body piercings for various reasons, such as religious and personal beliefs. Just about any public place you visit a tattoo or body piercing can be spotted in a brief period of time.

Religious beliefs also play a large part in the growing popularity of tattoos and body piercings. For example, Modern Primitivisms is a subculture that believes elaborate tattooing and piercing help them reconnect to the world and help them emphasize their own identities (Lineberry, 2007). A group called The Tribe, based in San Francisco, are considered to be the leaders of the local (to the United States) Modern Primitivism movement....