The Stories Behind Tattoos
Tattoos are more than skin deep...
Every tattoo has a story behind it, but the stories can only be truly told be the person who got the tattoo.
One of the more obvious forms of writing on the body appears in the form of tattoos, the permanent words or graphics etched into the skin. For every person with a tattoo, each of their designs represents something about that person. Each design has a story behind it. The story could be one of a traumatic experience, commemorating the survival of a tough time; or it could be that of a drunken night with friends, spontaneously deciding to get tattoos. Either of these reasons reveals something about the person.
The emphasis in this last claim was on the reason for the design, not the design itself. The actual design may not be easily connected with a particular incident. For example, the Browns helmet tattoo that was brought up in class. The person with that tattoo may be a strong fan of that team, or, as was suggested, may have been a fan of an opposing team who lost a wager. Someone who only saw the tattoo would not be able to know the story for sure until they asked the person. At this point, I should probably have a real life example of the stories behind someone’s tattoos. However, I don’t know anyone who has a tattoo, so I can’t really ask.
One of the consequences of this uncertainty about the designs and meaning of tattoos is the stereotyping of people who have tattoos. I admit that I am guilty of this as well. If I see someone who has much of their visible skin covered with ink designs, I will, more likely than not, avoid talking to that person, under the assumption that they are a “punk” or “biker”, and therefore uncouth and not worth my attention. As happened in several cases, after talking to the person, I realized that my assumptions were wrong and the person was no different than I.
Part of the prejudice against tattoos comes from a traditional upbringing. No one in my immediate family has a tattoo, and I have never even considered getting one myself. I have always thought of tattoos as the symbol of a wild and crazy lifestyle, that I never wanted for myself. However, now I can see that many people with tattoos have deeper reasons for getting the tattoos than just to be different.
Each tattoo has a specific story behind it, and these reasons offer insight into the personality of the person with the tattoos. Thus, tattoos can be considered as autobiographical, but they do not stand alone. That is, you cannot always read someone’s beliefs and life story from their tattoos. Instead, the tattoos serve as an encoded story that only the person themselves can truly read.
Comments
Posted by: Dugu
Posted on: September 23, 2007 10:54 AM
I would tattoo myself if I had the chance :) tattoos are sexy