Tattoos: Not Just For Bikers Anymore
In the distant past, tattoos had the smallest modicum of acceptance,
primarily based on the people who wore them. When military men came back
to the States after serving overseas, it was difficult to express too
much negativity about the names of their sweethearts or "Mom and Dad"
emblazoned on their arms. It's likely that the acceptance was more for
the wearer than the tattoo, though, for tattoos had not attained a degree
of respectability with the American public in general. As syphilis became
more widespread, and with the less-than-sanitary tattooing procedures
adding to its increase, New York City eventually banned tattooing, and
did not make the practice legal again until 1997.
As disdain for the military began to spread across the United States,
so did a new counter-culture. To most Americans during that time-period,
the word "tattoo" was synonymous for those who were outside of the mainstream
of America, thumbing their noses at society. It brought to mind the fringe-element
of undesirables, from the widely-movie "Easy Rider" to the infamous Hell's
Angels. Greasy individuals who rode motorcycles and displayed obnoxious
artwork on various parts of their bodies-- bikers were only "cool" amongst
their own kind, and thought of in a very unfavorable light by most of
the American population. In general, tattoos were limited to that range
of individuals; and both the bikers and their "sleeves" was something
the population at large preferred to do without.
Although in some locales, especially those with Navy bases, tattoos continued
to enjoy a moderate degree of acceptance throughout the 'seventies, they
still were not considered a respectable means of personal expression within
the mainstream population. The younger generation who lived in these areas,
with the usual curiosity of youth, often frequented tattoo parlors and
began to make tattoos a part of their lifestyle. As these were usually
young adults whose lifestyle included drug use and too much alcohol, their
embracing the practice of tattoos did not assist in convincing the older
generation that there was anything positive about it. One tattoo artist
who practiced in the Navy town of Port Hueneme, California, remarked that
the types of individuals whose lifestyle included tattoos were the kind
of people who "don't usually make it to forty years old."
Also commenting that tattoos are "a fever," he shed some light on the
most negative aspects of this practice. Even though by law artists were
not supposed to do such artwork on individuals who were in any state of
intoxication, his clients were usually in either of two categories: those
who requested tattoos while seriously under-the-influence, and the fainters.
His tattoo studio had a large couch for the benefit of the latter. Young
drug users and Navy men made up the majority of his customers.
It was not until the early eighties that tattoos began to gain positive
exposure. With the Long Island based band "The Stray Cats" appearing on
the cover of the music magazine Rolling Stone, not only did this bring
the rockabilly music style back into popularity it was also one of the
first steps in helping tattoos gain widespread appeal. In stepping away
from the coarse music of that particular time-period, the Stray Cats'
scope was that of good clean music and good clean fun; and tattoos were
a part of that image. Suddenly everybody wanted to be a part of it all,
including the tattoos; and although it was often to the chagrin of the
older generation, tattoos began to have less negativity attached to them.
As tattoos ceased to be solely connected to the counter-culture, they
started to appear on everybody. In the following years they started showing
up on average Americans all across the United States. Tattoo studios sprung
up in cities that had colleges and universities, making tattoos an accepted
part of life for students. As the people in that age group became older,
their tattoos remained, as well as the interest in tattoos developing
amongst the newer younger generation. In most parts of the United States
they are now commonplace, and considered to be just a basic form of self-expression.
Tattoos: Not Just
For Bikers Anymore
The History Of Tattoos
What To Expect When
You Get Your Tattoo
Possible Side
Effects Of Getting A Tattoo
Problems Associated With
Tattoos
What Do The Religions
Say About Tattoos?
Tattoos Around The World
Tattoos VS. Other Body Art
Tattoo Designs
Why Do People Get Tattoos?
How To Find A Good Tattoo
Artist
Positive Attributes Of Tattoos
First
You Want It, Then You Don't - Tattoo Removal
Tattoos In History
Who Is Most Likely To
Get Tattoos?
Tattoo Cover Ups
Tattoo Removal
Are Tattoos An Addiction?
Celebrities And Their Tattoos
Celebrities Love Tattoos
How Tattoos Are Made
What Is Going On Today
With Tattoos
Why Get A Tattoo?
Variations In Tattoos
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