Tattoos are a longstanding tradition that have been used to mark servicemembers in the military, mark important achievements on the bodies of tribespeople the world over and are a current day art form that elicits a broad spectrum of criticism from society.
Msu.edu is a Web site dedicated to researching the origins of the art of tattoo and examining present day attitudes on tattooing. Some important facts in the timeline of tattoo history and where it stands today include:
- There were 58 tattoos found on the body of the "Ice Man," a mummified body that dates back to 3300 BC. The photo above from the Smithsonian Web site is the tattooed right hand of a Chiribaya mummy, displayed at El Algarrobal Museum.
- Tattooing is truly a global artform. Evidence of tattooing has been discovered among ancient Egyptian and Scythian cultures
- "Instruments that were probably used for tattooing during the Upper Paleolithic (10,000 BC to 38,000 BC) have been discovered at several archaelogical sits in Europe."- MSU.edu
- "Tattooing today is the sixth-fastest growing retail business in the United States."- Msu.edu
Attitudes Toward Tattooing
Tattoos elicit a broad range of opinions all the way from being considered preverse, dirty and borderline indecent to being revered as a time-honored artform.
Accroding to Msu.edu, there are two branches of tattoo artistry: the tattoo parlorand the tattoo art studio.
- Tattoo parlor: Garish eterior signage, promotes a sense of urban outlaw culture. Occasionally guilty of promoting substandard sanitary conditions
- Tattoo art studio: Attracts similar clientele as a custom jewelry store would. Aimed at middle-upper class business professionals who are willing to pay more for custom work.