The Tattooing History of

A misunderstood art.

• Tattooing has been around for thousands of years as the photo of the tattooed mummy proves.

• Certain cultures use a form of temporary tattooing (Henna) to decorate a woman’s hands and feet before her wedding ceremony.

Tattoo Functions in History

• In certain societies tattoos have been used to portray a person’s tribe or tribal identity. This is where today’s “tribal tattoos” originated from, however, today they do not carry the same meaning usually. Hawaii and other island nations used this form of tattooing quite often.

• In places like Egypt tattoos were given to the elite members of society like pharaohs and other people that would be the equivalent of royalty in today’s society.

• Certain areas of the world used tattooing as a medical practice. It was used as a form of acupuncture in which the patient would be pricked repeatedly in areas that were believed to affect another part of the body

• In many societies tattoos have basically just been used for cosmetic reasons. In some societies tattooing was used to apply permanent make up. In other societies tattoos have been used to decorate the bodies of people who were seen as royalty or wealthy and were seen as a sign of esteem.

Tattooing Today

Tattoos today are often seen as a negative addition to a person’s body and are often seen as reason for employers to pass on hiring a hopeful candidate.

There once was a time when tattooing was saved only for the royalty and societal elite. Now it is seen in a negative aspect to many people and can even add a negative stigma to people’s lives.

However, tattooing is slowly becoming more acceptable in society today. With shows like LA Ink and Miami Ink having emerged and becoming hits tattooing is being seen as an art form whereas before it was seen as the deliberate defacing of one’s body.

It is much more accepted now and is becoming less of negative attribute in people’s eyes.

However, tattooing will probably never be seen as a positive thing in they eyes of certain older generations.