body art can take a ton if different forms, all of which hold a different meanings depending on the subject and the situation. For Maori warriors its a sign of passage through life stages, and advertisement of their battle achievements, where a sixteen year-old may get one in spite of their parents. The reason why i thought body art was an interesting topic is because i have one, but also because in curious as to why individuals like the this guy take it to extreme levels.
The reason i got a tattoo is because i thought it would look cool, but also because it meant something to me and it wont change. For people who know, i have Ben Franklin's "Join or Die" political cartoon on my back, which basically advertises to fight for your freedoms. As for the former point, i feel like a lot of people who get tattoo's when they are young it is not so much the meaning part as it is the aesthetic appeal of one, which like i said was some of my reasoning of getting one. Linking Bardo's thesis on addiction with eating disorders i feel like people who take body art to an extreme may have a similar motive. Where to some its a lashing out on society that says its not "normal" to have tattoo's. It becomes an addiction for some, on the same level as self mutilation. Also, it can be seen as a not so subtle political advertisement.
You bring up a very valid point saying that people who are covered in piercings and tattoo's could be lashing out to society. It could even be a cry for attention, because honestly if you or I walk past someone on the street and they've got tattoos all over their arms or face it's unreal difficult not to get a second look. Another great point is that people get them when they're young so as to just have a permanent addition to their body at such a prime age. Body art means different things to different people. To some, their body is literally a work of art, for others it's a meaningful symbol to be with them forever. Do people with tattoos get put into a culture? Can they be considered a culture of their own?
ReplyDeletePiercings can be the same type of deal, but they can't be considered art nearly as much as the tattoos can. Piercings can be flashy, diamonds, or just a ring through the nipple for a little tickle here and there.
I agree that tattoos have a lot of different meanings to different people, to some it could be a part of their cultural rituals and for another it could just be a form of self expression, I also believe that people with massive amounts of tattoos could be thought of as their own subculture, because when you go to a tattoo shop the people that work there seem to have a deep camaraderie, that goes further than just their shared work space, but to their agreement on the social acceptability of their self expression through their tattoos. Piercings to me are a little less expressive seeing as they can't be used quite creatively as tattoos can, however they still can be used to express different meanings.
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