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Tattoos

Tattoos have evolved from being associated with outcasts to becoming a mainstream form of art embraced by various social classes, as highlighted by tattoo artist Dr. Woo. Recent statistics show a significant increase in tattoo prevalence, with 30% of Americans and 20% of British adults sporting them, reflecting changing societal norms. Major brands and institutions are now incorporating tattooed individuals into their image, indicating a shift towards broader acceptance of tattoos as a legitimate form of self-expression and art.

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38 views1 page

Tattoos

Tattoos have evolved from being associated with outcasts to becoming a mainstream form of art embraced by various social classes, as highlighted by tattoo artist Dr. Woo. Recent statistics show a significant increase in tattoo prevalence, with 30% of Americans and 20% of British adults sporting them, reflecting changing societal norms. Major brands and institutions are now incorporating tattooed individuals into their image, indicating a shift towards broader acceptance of tattoos as a legitimate form of self-expression and art.

Uploaded by

shahtiaa6
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Will tattoos finally be accepted as art?

"When I started out tattoos were seen as something for the outcasts and rebels," says Dr Woo (real
name Brian Woo), a prominent LA-based tattoo artist with 1.8 million Instagram followers and a
high-profile clientele that includes Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus and Drake. "I come from a very
traditional immigrant Asian family, so my parents weren't too buzzed when their son chose this
career path."

Yet 41-year-old Woo insists body ink no longer carries the same negative connotations. “I get
lawyers, doctors, politicians, kids celebrating their 18th birthdays, grandparents… it's all walks of life
coming into my studio," he explains. "There was a time not too long ago where I was the only one in
the room with a tattoo, but in 2022 you're looked at funny if you don't have one. Now my parents
are okay with this job."

Woo's comments reflect the cultural ubiquity tattoos are currently enjoying. A 2015 YouGov poll
suggested one-fifth of British adults had tattoos, while the most recent figures from Ipsos show that
30% of all Americans have at least one on their bodies (a figure that rises to 40% among the under-
35s). What once might have been perceived as a subculture more associated with nomadic sailors
and biker gangs than the middle classes is now an omnipresent mainstream force and billion dollar
industry.

It seems to be a rite of passage for the world's biggest pop stars and athletes, to have tattoos etched
all over their bodies and faces, inspiring fans to do the same. Major fashion houses utilise famous
tattooed celebrities to add an edge to their branding (the heavily tatted comedian Pete Davidson is
the current global face of H&M); Virgin Atlantic allows staff to proudly show off their sleeves during
long-haul flights; and the US army has relaxed historic rules prohibiting visible tattoos on troops,
citing "changing social norms" as a reason.

"It's undeniable how visible tattooing is right now," explains Matt Lodder, a senior lecturer in Art at
the University of Essex who specialises in the history of tattoos.

He continues: "The other day someone sent me an advertising leaflet from the British Post Office,
which showed the father of a toddler with a visible full sleeve. There was a time where a relatively
conservative organisation like the Post Office doing that would have created a backlash. Now it's
accepted as progressive."

According to Lodder, "the urge to communicate stories and desires by tattooing something on our
skin has long been a basic human need". But if tattoos have long been a prized adornment for some,
they have also served as a cruel kind of branding. In the ancient Greco-Roman world, tattoos were a
mark of punishment and shame, forcibly given to convicts and sex workers. This was a horrific
practice that persisted long after the Roman Empire ended, continuing through to America's slave
trade and the Holocaust. But despite this, tattoos simultaneously remained an attractive lure for
society's elite.

Adapted from the article by Thomas Hobbs, bbc.com

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