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Tattoos

When Did Tattoos Become the “IN” Thing?

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Following a trip back through America’s past, Tattoos first started showing up on more and more men in the US during the late 50s. Originally, tattoos were fancied by sailors and marines, and military personnel during the many, many wars our country fought over the years, namely World Wars. Since the 20s, military people have been getting their ranks, or unit, faction, etc. tattooed on their bodies, generally on their shoulders, as a sign of loyalty and pride. Back in the day, if you had a tat, it either meant you just got out of the military or you just were released from prison.

For historical definition, there are tattoo machines that date back all the way to the late 1800s.

There was this taboo association with tattoos that caused people to react. Ink on your skin, “Oh no, that person must be a ruffian!” In the early 1960s, in New York City, tattoo parlors enjoyed a brief period of popularity, until the City Health Department linked outbreaks of blood-borne hepatitis to them and shut many of them down. Shortly thereafter, the state of New York would outlaw tattoos, something that wouldn’t be repealed for a few decades.

In the 60s, Janis Joplin got one of her famous tattoos by Lyle Tuttle, something that would ultimately represent the nomenclature of tattoos as they transcended to 70s rockers and dead heads. By the time the 80s was in full force, tattoos were not nearly as taboo as they used to be. Many major cities had tattoo shops on street corners, and even those who were of higher education were getting inked.

Perhaps the popularity of MTV made tattoos more recognizable and mainstream during the 80s, a trend that would continue into the early 90s—when popular culture cemented tattoos as something that was not only acceptable, but that was hip, in and no longer taboo; never to be again.

While the 90s truly cemented a place for body art, most tattoo artists concur that it was the 80s that really made it hip. Things like MTV made it more mainstream, popular and desirable for many. This fad crossed over into the 90s, and into the 2000s. Growing more and more as time passed, up to the present day; where you see tattoos nearly everywhere you look, and on people from all walks of life.

What to Expect When Getting a Tattoo

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Being the neophyte and protagonist that I am for amazing body art, like the full sleeve tattoos that I enjoy brandishing on both of my arms, I always get asked many questions about my tattoos by numerous people that approach me who have never gotten one. This has prompted me, after quite literally being asked hundreds of questions regarding the subject matter, to write an article about tattoos and just what you can expect when you are getting one. Some things to keep in mind here—stuff that you more than likely already know—are that tattoos are not only art, they are a permanent fixture upon your body. So having a great tattoo and knowing what to expect and where to get one is pivotal to you being satisfied with your ink, and knowing that you are getting tatted in a safe, clean and legal environment. Perhaps these few tips can greatly aid you if you decide to get under the ink gun and add a crazy-cool tattoo to your body!

1. It usually is going to be painful. There are some places of your body that you will never feel any pain, and there are others that will seem like a hot knife is scraping across your body; like the inside of the arm, or the ditch of the arm. So to easily answer this question: be prepared for pain. But no pain means no gain! That’s the price you pay for a great tattoo!
2. Look around at tattoo parlors before you get inked. I am unable to emphasize or stress this point enough. Take your time when you are selecting a tattoo parlor, and the artist for that matter. Look around the shop: is it clean and nice, or grungy and scary? Check out their portfolio of tattoos as well; do they really appeal to you, or do you think you could find better work?
3. You get what you pay for. Some places may charge less for tattoos than others, but in the end you get what you pay for. The key is in finding an artist and tattoo parlor that you like, that charges a decently fair price, and that offers first rate work. This way you can keep going back there once you get hooked on the body inking process!

Tattoos Are In!

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If you take a gander to the upper left, you can see yours truly (me) – and I am sure that you will notice some things right from the get-go. Hopefully it is not my ugly mug; which I think is not so ugly, but then again my opinion is obviously biased as I am talking about myself while not trying to come off as some egotistical and overly eccentric, self-infatuated clot. But there are several reasons as to why I have chosen to brandish my image on this post and sacrifice the realm of personal privacy for the sheer devotion to always keeping you all on the up-and-up. This time around, I am talking about tattoos—and how much of a permanent fashion staple that they truly are!

Getting back on track here, if you do look at good old happy me to the upper left, chances are that one of the first things that caught your eyes was the full sleeve tattoos that I have on my left and right arms. There is a story behind these tattoos for me – and most people that I have ever met that have tats usually offer some form of personal significance that they mean to them. For me, although hard to tell from the picture, they are dragons that are three-dimensional and are eating my arms as they breath fire down one side and ice down the other; the altruistic ‘fire and ice’ that runs wild in the spirit of humanity. The personal meaning of my tattoos: They are actually a two-headed dragon that covers my entire back and chest that is coyly named Fragor from a fantasy novel I recently penned that has been published (I won’t divulge the name of the novel because I am not writing this article to try and sell books).

But my main point is that a tattoo, although typically a permanent fixture upon your person, can have lasting fashion suaveness. In fact, I see people all over the place that have different tattoos, and who come from all walks of life. I generally get approached by them on a daily basis because my tats are rather extensive. So I suppose the point and case that I am making here is that if you are wise with your tat decision, you can enjoy a piece of body art that you will have and cherish forever!

Do they hurt to get? Heck yes! Mine sure did!

But then again, as the old saying goes: “No Pain, No Gain!”