Tattoos: How, When, and Why?

Imagine you are walking through your local mall. You want to buy some new clothes for yourself, so you head towards the department store. While shopping, you notice a teenage girl leaning forward, exposing a small butterfly on the lower portion of her back. You finish your shopping and head to the music shop. There, you find yourself standing next to a big, burly man, and his shoulders are plastered with all kinds of gruff-looking artwork. You’re slightly intimidated, until he turns to you and asks your opinion on a new CD.    

Tattoos are everywhere. They have become very popular in this day and age, and amongst all ages. They may give you a certain impression on someone, but that doesn’t always hold to be true. But where do they come from? What exactly IS a tattoo? And what drives these people to inflict such painful practices on their bodies? This is what I will cover today.

To our knowledge, people started tattooing at least 5000 years ago; possibly more. Nobody knows who exactly started it, and not much of a record has been left behind. The tradition was passed on through the generations and remains popular to this day, perhaps more so than ever.

Tattoos are created when colored materials are inserted underneath the skin’s surface. Anybody who has a tattoo will tell you, it hurts like you wouldn’t believe. A needle is dipped in ink and drilled into your skin, over and over again. The outline of the tattoo comes first, and then the shading, if you desire. Afterwards, the skin begins to heal. It itches, often scabs over, and peels. Once all this is done with, you will see the final result of your tattoo and decide if a touch-up is needed.

Different techniques for this process have been used throughout time, but the basic elements are still the same. A needle, some ink, and possibly a rag to bite on.

The whole process sounds very painful, and it is. So why go through with it? People have always loved expressing themselves, and this is one of the most primitive ways of doing so. It is looked at as a form of art. It is a permanent way of showing society what you think of yourself, others, your beliefs, morals, or basically anything you wish.

In addition, some people will tell you that tattoos are addictive, and I would have to agree with that. The sensation of getting a tattoo is so unique that one could only understand it by having it done. Once it is finished (assuming it wasn’t a rash decision and one that turned out disastrous), the result is usually so pleasing and satisfying that a new tattoo is desired soon afterwards.

Below are some examples of extensive tattoo designs throughout history.

Samoan Tattoo

Maori Chiefs, 1910

Japanese Tattoos

Woman from a German Circus