One mic

Tattoos, a form of expression that lasts a lifetime, yet may leave some recipients wondering what message(s) they were trying to convey in the first place.

I’ll admit that I am definitely not an expert on tattoos, but I do find them intriguing, and worthy of being called art. I do sometimes wonder why someone would endure so much pain, just to have even the simplest design permanently stamped on their body.

While browsing the internet (something I tend to do way too much sometimes) for information on Tattoos and their history I came across a lot of websites devoted to the love of tattoo art, and the roots from where it came.

Tattoos are probably one of the oldest forms of art, even body markings found on the Iceman, a mummified human body dating from about 3300 B.C., if that’s true these markings are the oldest known evidence of the art. Even more known are the body markings found on Egyptian and
Nubian mummies dating from about 2000 B.C. With the growth of Christianity, tattooing and body art was later forbidden in Europe. The practice continued in the Middle East and other parts of the world. Interesting huh?

Back in the day it used to be that mostly military men got tattoos, and this was sometimes done with little to no remembrance of the event.
Imagine the horror of waking up one morning after a night of “fun” and discovering that you had the name of some random woman tattooed on your arm, perhaps even spelled incorrectly. Of course nothing like this would happen to someone today, as any reputable tattoo parlor wouldn’t let you get a tattoo if you stumbled in there inebriated (Alcohol being in the blood actually makes the wound bleed more).

One of the reasons that I decided to write about this is the fact that I have just noticed a lot more sporting tattoos.

As I walk around campus I have noticed that a lot more people are choosing this permanent form of expression, and aren’t afraid to show it off to the world. The designs are varied, from the extreme mural, to the simple butterfly, all of the owners are proud to show off what they have had done, and I think that’s great. I just want to make sure that people realize that getting a tattoo isn’t just something that should be done to cure boredom, or the product of a bet gone wrong.

Getting a tattoo is a big commitment, and you really want to make sure
that what you have done is going to satisfy you for a long time. Actually narrowing down your choices, is obviously going to be the hardest decision, being that whatever you choose is going to be vividly displayed somewhere on your body for the rest of your life, sure you can cover it up at some point, but it will still be there.

Tattoos can be removed with laser surgery, but the laser procedure is said to be much more painful than the tattooing itself, not to mention a lot more expensive.

A word to the wise, think before you ink, you won’t regret it in the end.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 6 2002. Filed under Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry