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IM A Student
Professor Barbara Gerber
WRA 125
15 October 2009
What Where You Inking!?!
The human body is considered by some to be a sacred temple, whose purpose is to host the soul
and serve as an instrument to fulfill the journey humans have on Earth. Regardless of religion,
traditions or principles, tattooing is a clear contradiction to the belief that the body must remain
pure or as close to its natural state as possible, to say the least.
Contrary to what others may assume, this form of creative expression has been around long
before human civilization stroke. According to the World Book Encyclopedia, “caves paintings
date it to at least about 8000 B.C” (Govenar). Its use and significance varied as it made its way
through different cultures. In Greek and Roman cultures slaves and criminals were tattooed as a
punishment, opposite to the Marquesas Islands where tattoos were portrayed as signs of honor
and as in New Guinea, where they embodied beauty (Govenar). As time progresses the
significance of tattoos changes drastically and we find its meaning at present undefined.
Going against Nature
Tattoos have forced their way into an acceptance mode in today’s cultures. It is practically
impossible to go out and not come across, at least one person who has a tattoo, despite its
visibility, size, color or location on the body. Hence, tattoos are everywhere and it is inevitable
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but they have appealed to a younger audience. The main issue remains, should the decision to get
a tattoo be justified by age or maturity?
Though age and maturity are frequently tied together they are completely different terms and do
not always go hand in hand. Has it not been acknowledged that some people are too mature for
their age? Maturity is based on the wisdom that is gathered by life experiences and past events,
separately from age. It is accompanied by serenity, strength, character and the ability to analyze
any given situation and consider both the positive and negative aspects of such. That being said,
prohibitions on tattooing should be based on maturity and not age given that it takes an extreme
amount of thought and commitment to getting permanent marks on the skin of one’s body.
Rules, rules, rules…
The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) states that “at least 38 states have laws
prohibiting minors from getting tattoos” and “twenty-eight states have laws that prohibit both
body piercing and tattooing on minors without parental permission”. Eight of these states stand
on a firm no for teenagers under the age of eighteen to get a tattoo. Eleven states have no law
regarding tattoos whatsoever (Tattoos and Body Piercing for Minors).
It is safe to say that the majority of these laws are based on the principal that a minor is
considered to be someone under the age of eighteen. Exceptions in some states may be found, as
is the case of Idaho, South Carolina and Tennessee. All three states declare a different age for a
teenager to be considered eligible to get tattooed (Tattoos and Body Piercing for Minors). After
reviewing these laws I cannot help but wonder, why is it an issue to define and accord on the
appropriate age to get a tattoo? How did this matter become a priority to lawmakers?
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Whether or not we are willing to acknowledge it, laws and restrictions do not seem to make a
difference, for most cases, in a teenager’s decision to get tattooed. "Adolescents who want a
tattoo will obtain one, regardless of money, regulations or risks" (Blair 4). The real crisis is
having amateurs tattoo teenagers, consequently putting their health at risk because the money
factor is more important than meeting the sanitary and safety regulations required to perform
such a practice. "That's why I think the state laws should be 16, to keep kids from doing
[tattooing] themselves and going to underground dungeons and getting some disease," Joe
Kaplan, president of the Professional Tattoo Artist Guild, told The Cincinnati Enquirer
(McCollum 5).
Adolescence is a time of self-discovery and of constant struggle to find one’s identity. For
parental or authority figures this is often misconstrued as a time of rebellion and stubbornness.
“For the adolescent, tattoos may be seen as personal and beautifying statements, while parents
may construe them as oppositional and enraging affronts to their authority” (Martin 4). The
conviction authority figures grasp about the reason teenagers desire a tattoo is merely to fit into a
specific social group. Michael Atkinson,
author of Tattooed: The Sociogenesis of a
Body Art, states the true significance when
affirming that, “By justifying the practice
with personally significant motivations,
Fig. 1 A tattoo by Slim-Shader pays tribute to
September 11th 2001.
(Atkinson 207) (See Figure 1).
enthusiasts often portray their body projects as
deeply meaningful cultural expressions”
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Who is to blame?
It is seemingly complex to define the significance of tattoos in modern day. Needless to say it is
even more complicated to settle the question of who has the right to get tattooed. This is due to
the many speculations society and old-fashioned traditions have shed on the affair. Nikki
Sullivan, author of Tattooed Bodies: Subjectivity, Textuality, Ethics and Pleasure, declares that
theorists suggest that a tattoo is “a signifier of anti-authoritarian disdain for social conventions,”
and “an apocalyptic attempt to asset power over the enemy.” She later goes on to describe that
what surfaces from these theories is “a disturbing vision of the social milieu as battleground, in
which the only option is to exercise power to detriment others, or become victim of it, to kill or
be killed” (Sullivan 53).
Atkinson also points out the erroneous assumptions about tattooing that have evolved in society
by addressing:
In deciphering how sensibilities about tattooing progress over time, we need to
examine the conditions under which culture-specific prohibitions against body
experimentation are relaxed or reinforced. Those investigating the sociological
significance of tattooing have not sufficiently traced the development of cultural
attitudes about tattooing over time, and as a result, our knowledge about the
practice is needlessly fragmented and underdeveloped. (Atkinson 24)
Thus, society restricts teenagers from getting a tattoo on the wrong grounds. They do so to
remind the youth how powerless they are against authority; for better lack of words: who is the
boss. However, it is already known that in the case of tattooing some adolescents will test
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authority by going against all odds and eventually achieving what they set out for; by all the
wrong means. Given this, one must question the effectiveness laws and regulations have on
tattooing for minors. Is the focus of the issue coming from the wrong direction?
The turnover
Rather than abiding by society’s definition of ethics when it comes to tattoos and focusing on
how to prevent the young form obtaining them, light must be shed on the real apprehension;
safety. For teenagers and authorities the time has come to listen and consider each other, and
eventually compromise instead of working against one another. Lorrie Blair, author of Tattoos &
Teenagers: An Art Educator's Response, proposes that tattoos be incorporated into education by
asserting that, “the study of tattoos as a form of visual culture can provide a rich component to an
interdisciplinary/integrated curriculum” (Blair 13). Blair ends her article by addressing
professors and educators when she concludes, “We may not be able to prevent our students from
getting tattoos they may later regret, but we can help them recognize that tattoos carry multiple
messages and that wearing one involves social responsibility” (Blair 24).
Of course there are health risks involved in getting tattooed. The most common risk being
Hepatitis C which “infects and estimated four million Americans” who get tattooed under
unsanitary conditions (Lloyd 68). If it decreases the chances of infections and health risks, is it
not preferable to have a professional tattoo a minor? “If a young person is responsible and
informed about body art, then he or she should be taken seriously and should be able to get it
done safely” (McCollum 8). Permanent is a long time, and teens who are mature enough to
understand the responsibility a tattoo brings should at least have the right to be heard.
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Although tattooing at a young age is highly unadvised because of the changes the body
experiences while developing, a mature young adult should consider these factors before making
an informed decision. If they are willing to commit to the aftercare a tattoo requires, such as
regular cleaning and disinfection, and have enough discipline to do so, they should not be denied
the possibility of getting a tattoo. “Tattoos and piercing can offer a concrete and readily available
solution for many of the identity crises and conflicts normative to adolescent development”
(Martin 6).
“Language itself is the most compelling of metaphors, and at one level nothing seems more
natural than modeling cultural upon linguistic difference. The point can merely be made that in
the case of tattooing- or rather that of a tattoo- sits uneasily within these terms” (Thomas 225).
When evaluating the principals of getting tattooed the question is not when is old enough,
enough? It’s a question of maturity and the ability to understand the powerful message a tattoo
carries. Tattoos symbolize diverse cultural meaning and personal significance independently
from social factors such as age. Attempting to define a tattoo should not be done by debating its
appropriateness or by stereotyping. Prejudice is the key word when declaring that certain images
only suit certain people. Yes, there is a time and a place for everything, but something as
passionate as creative expression should not be questioned. It’s not about the tattoo someone has;
it’s what they make of it.
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Work Cited
Atkinson, Michael. Tattooed: The Sociogenesis of a Body Art. Canada: University of Toronto P,
2003.
Blair, Lorrie. "Tattoos & Teenagers: An Art Educator's Response." Art Education
60.5 (2007): 39-44. Education Module, ProQuest. Web. 12 Oct. 2009. < http://p2047ezproxy.msu.edu.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/
pqdweb?did=1401053331&sid=4&Fmt=3&clientId=3552&RQT=309&VName=PQD>.
Govenar, Allen. World Book Encyclopedia: Volume 19. Tattooing. Chicago: World Book Inc.
2001.
Lloyd, J.D., ed. Body Piercing and Tattoos: Examining Pop Culture. Farmington: Greenhaven,
2003.
Martin, Andres. "On teenagers and tattoos." Reclaiming Children and Youth 9.3 (2000): 143
145. Health Module, ProQuest. Web. 12 Oct. 2009. < http://p2047ezproxy.msu.edu.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com.proxy2.cl.msu.
edu/pqdweb?did=64863299&sid=2&Fmt=4&clientId=3552&RQT=309&VName=PQD>
McCollum Sean. "Tattoos and Piercings: How Old Is Old Enough?" Literary Cavalcade
1 Nov. 2004: Children's Module, ProQuest. Web. 12 Oct. 2009. < http://p2047ezproxy.msu.edu.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com.proxy2.cl.msu.
edu/pqdweb?did=726211211&sid=5&Fmt=4&clientId=3552&RQT=309&VName=PQ>.
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Sullivan, Nikki. Tattooed Bodies: Subjectivity, Textuality, Ethics and Pleasure. Westport:
Praeger, 2001.
Thomas, Nicholas, eds. Tattoo: Bodies, Art, and Exchange in the Pacific and the West. Durham:
Duke UP, 2005.
United States. National Conference of State Legislation. Tattoos and Body Piercing for Minors.
12 Oct. 2009. < http://www.ncsl.org/IssuesResearch/Health/TattooingandBodyPiercing/
tabid/14393/Default.aspx >.