ART

HOW DID THE TATTOO BECOME SO MAINSTREAM?

the strange history of ink and skin

By Ivy Li

Zombie Boy

For the past one hundred years, tattoos have been linked with workers, criminals, sailors, and generally men. In the West, they have been looked upon as uncivilized and its wearers outside societal norms. However, in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, they have been accepted and appropriate for people of all social classes. This is due to changing notions of community and the way tattoos can signal different ideas and ways of being. Part of understanding this new flexibility in cultural status with tattoos is to understand the different kinds of tattoos and their historical significance.

Irezumi is an outdated but beautiful and intricate form of tattooing. The vivid colors and detail come from the use of metal needles and wooden handles attached to silk thread. Irezumi is not just a fashion choice, but also a way of creating a sense of self, both individual and communal. The difficulty of creating these tattoos makes sure that having one is a rare commodity and a way of identifying with a selected group of people. The process is time consuming and painful and carried out by specialists called Horishi. The Horishi often have one or more beginners working under them for a considerable period of time, and these apprentices end up becoming members of the Horishi family. The idea of mentorship is an excellent example of how tattooing is always fostering community.

This isn't easy

No matter how mainstream and easy tattooing has become, it has still retained a sense of selectivity, even when that select group numbers in the tens of millions. The history of tattoos as a form of identification dates back centuries. For example, the Maori people in New Zealand used facial tattoos, Moko, as a form of identification. When they sold their lands to Europeans, they drew their Moko as their signatures because they did not have a written language. In addition, over the years various militaries have used tattoos to identify personnel. And countries like China and Japan used to brand their criminals as a form of punishment. I imagine that created a kind of fraternity among murderers and thieves.

The Classic Old School Style

Of course, various tattoo styles develop under differing social conditions. Old School or American traditional tattoo features audacious black frameworks and a restricted color palette of red, green, yellow, and black. Purple is a more recent addition. Its designs tend to feature pin-ups, hearts, and roses among others. The unofficial founder of traditional American tattoos is Sailor Jerry, a sailor in the US Navy. He became familiar with the art of tattooing during his tours in Polynesia, where tattoos were common. Moreover, these types of tattoos, like the Irezumi, identify a person’s membership to a specific group. We begin with Sailor Jerry and the rest of the American military follows. Though Old School tattoos are easier to get than Ireziumi, this type of American tattooing signifies that its bearer belongs to a specific community, and one that has been through an extreme experience.

Folk Art tattoos are a classical example of thematic tattooing. This follows the growing acceptance of tattoos in the world of fine art. Folk Art tattoos have made the element of decorative flowery representation a greater part of mainstream tattooing. Folk Art tattoos mix decorative elements of indigenous cultures and utilitarian practices. For example, many folk artists like Coco develop tattoos from particular traditions and then help preserve those same traditions. In this way the folk art tattoos act as a bridge between Old School tattoos and New School tattoos. Coco’s work is an extension of Puerto Rican tattooing traditions, where the idea is to send a message to a friend or enemy. It is tattooing as a form of communication.

Say Something to Me

Another example of folk tattooing is Kalalo’s work. He uses batik and ikat, both of which are Indonesian tribal patterns and motifs enhanced with dots (kasih and budaya para 12). This is a clear indication of the way folk traditions find their ways into tattooing communities. Again, one of the ways that tattooing has gone mainstream is the way they have emerged from folk art traditions.

New School or Italian tattoos started appearing as early as 1970. You can clearly see the influence of Old School in their designs. New School tattooists use vivid colors, weighty outlines, and embroidered details. The New School tattoo started with California tattoo artists experimenting with new design in the 1970’s and as their cliental increased the new style gradually took on its present form. New School integrates rudiments from several tattooing traditions like Old School, Irezumi, and Folk. Like Old School tattoos, they use heavy outlines. What is important is that this type of tattooing is the mainstream’s entrance into tattooing as an art.

Join the New School, not the same as the Old School

So how did tattoos become so popular in the 20th century? A possible explanation is that more people are now using tattoos as a means to self-identify. Contemporary youth uses tattoos to express their individuality and signal their participation in various subcultures. If that’s contradictory, it’s exactly that contradiction that has made tattooing so popular. In recent years, tattooing has infiltrated all sorts of artistic circles. This has made tattoos rather fashionable rather than a ritualistic entrance into an outlaw subculture. When celebrities get tattoos, so do their fans. It’s all about setting oneself apart and being part of a group.

The only way to understand these types of contradictions in tattooing is that they give people coherent identities in an incoherent and fragmented world. Tattoos are a representation of what the wearer values most and the community that supports those values. In fact, once an individual decides to wear a specific design of a tattoo, they have committed to way of life. Again, whether that way of life is with criminals, the military, a soccer club, or artistic circles, it’s a way of finding individuality and community in a complex world. We wouldn’t need tattoos if we had greater clarity about where we stand in the world.

It is all about self-identification. Techies might wear a tattoo of a mobile phone. Sometimes people wear animal tattoos, as if the tattoo could impart the speed and power of a cheetah or a leopard. Clearly, people have a strong desire to be more than what the world is offering them. That’s the power of the tattoo—to define and set apart.

©Ivy Li and the CCA Arts Review