Mutilation Or Art

Whether it is perceived as self mutilation, or as an expression of oneself, body art, such as tattoos and piercings, have been part of culture throughout history. Over the years peoples reasons for getting tattoos and piercings have changed, but the initial root of the reasoning has stayed the same. It is usually used as a form of identifying someone, or identifying something that is important to them. Pop culture today is many different things, but somewhere on that list of the current fads, is body art.

Popular culture is not necessarily the same as “high culture.” Unless someone is in a rock band, they normally don’t have their septum pierced and tattoo’s sleeves all up their arms. Pop culture has adopted piercings and tattoos because of recent TV shows like Miami Ink or Inked. Most of the time, more high class culture doesn’t include having facial, or other body piercings other then the more traditional ear piercing, showing that popular culture and high class culture doesn’t go hand in hand.

Although high class doesn’t usually accept tattoos all over the body, facial and other very noticeable tattoos have been considered a tradition for a long time. Ancient Asians and Africans have been found to have tattoos, quite literally, all over their bodies sometimes. Some examples of what they were used for were different religious ceremonies, for forms of identification and social class in tribes and as pledges of love. Also, from way back when, there have been mummies found with gauged piercings, or proof of people and tribes with their nipples pierced, and it was really popular in India for women to have their nose pierced. There were even nose rings mentioned in the bible.

Today the reasons for having tattoos, or something pierced, branch out from those original ideas. They have also expanded and grown into something that tends to have negative feelings associated with it, especially amongst the more traditional and habitual population of today’s culture. Today’s more common reasons for having tattoos is to remember a family member or friend that has passed away, to fit into a group, or maybe a gang, or to stand out from everyone else.

The concept of having a tattoo or piercing is sometimes taken way overboard. Even though it is a longstanding tradition for some cultures to have them, it isn’t necessarily fitting perfectly into the puzzle that is American culture. Pop culture is always changing and tomorrow what was popular today will not automatically be cool tomorrow. Just because it’s considered the “in” thing to have a tattoo of a sparrow across on the shoulder blades and to have lip rings, doesn’t mean that it is accepted across all of American culture. I’m sure Prince Harry won’t be seen tomorrow with his labret pierced, but there will, most likely, be someone walking down the streets of Seattle with that done.

Body art challenges the traditions of what might be called “bible thumpers,” and others that are in that group, or maybe even groups that are not that extreme. Although there were even nose rings mentioned in the bible, it is not always acceptable to have pierced body parts because of the “if God wanted holes in your body, he would have put them there in the first place” kind of idea. Today, even little kids are targeted by media to try to get them liking tattoos early. Some cereal boxes have temporary tattoos in them, or quarter machines outside of grocery stores, and they are of all of the ‘cool’ super heroes and other popular little kid icons. This is also causing a sort of problem among parents who don’t agree with tattoos, even if it is just a temporary tattoo. Some parents may think that once they get one, they will want a real one, which will lead to pierced faces and body parts. Next thing they know, their child will start doing drugs and riding in motorcycle gangs. A lot of different stereo-types are associated with tattoos, be it a motorcyclist, a stripper, or just a day-to-day freak.

Even though tattoos and piercings tend to be a kind of divider in today’s culture, they can also be a connector. They have been used as such in the past, and today are used similarly with gangs, for example. The popular tear drop tattoo signifies the amount of that person’s victims that have not survived. Tattoos of these kinds tend to be popular in the jail settings.
In Byrd and Tharp’s The Rituals Of Black Hair Culture, they say “Culture is a sticky subject and can be interpreted in many ways.” Today’s population might not fully agree on whether or not tattoos can be considered to be an accepted part of culture. Either way, it was once used for more cultural purposes, and like all pop culture, has just changed throughout the years and years of new fads and styles and will keep changing.