HW 32: Tattoos and The Presentation of Self

I think a tattoo is seen as sort of heroic kind of rite of passage. Like a "I will go through pain to express my identity" kind of thing. Like, now I know who I am and I can handle the pain to prove it. How Mr. Fanning explained it as an accomplishment, going through the painful proccess that is worth the meaning behind it. He also talked about his tattoos being a document of events throughout his life. Used almost like a photo ablum but you can't lose it. It is not something you can hold or store away, it is imprinted on your skin so you will always see it or be aware of it (depending on the placement of the tattoo).

I look at tattoos as an addition or an extra part of someone's role they perform. It is a representation or immitation of part of their identity. Girls get small tattoos on their ankle, showing their gender (the ankle being seen as a feminine body part I guess) or the tough guy getting a tattoo on their tri-cep. I guess it would not be too common to see a guy get a tattoo on their lower back or a girl getting one on her tricep. I think it is part of the costume of their perfomance. They adjust what they wear to show off their tattoo so it can be shown as apart of their character. Almost like a more permanent accessory, like the thick chain for boys and the thin for girls. Accessories of a character's costume are designed as signifiers to show gender, character and personality.

Personally, I have gotten those henna tattoos that are temporary of cute little things like flowers or hearts or stars because I like those things, and what you like tends to be seen as a representative of who you are. Although it is a tattoo, it does not really show that I am a "badass" because it is temporary, but even so, there are tattoos that are very feminine but are still seen as "badass" just for the sake of it being tattoo and the extreme vibe to it. The pain and the permanance make people believe that something must be really important to someone to have needles poked at you for it and have it inked on you throughout your life time.

In addition to a tattoo being an accessory used to portray a person's character, I do also believe it is also tactic to attract people into questioning their character. Trying to get people's attention, it gives people a reason to talk to them or get to know them. Although some tattoos are pretty self explanitory (zodiac signs) people still try to put something that others don't know to make it more interesting and mysterious.

For example, my cousin, Kathy has "Virgo" on her lower back with the initials "A.D.P" of her other cousin who shares the same zodiac sign as her. So when people see it, it is not just that she is a virgo but there are these initials that leave you wondering what they mean. So her tattoo being an accessory as a representative of her identity showing that the analysis of a "virgo" is fitting to her identity and she believes that family is an important aspect of her life, or more specifically, her cousin.

Another reason for a tattoo is a to simply rebel because they know they can. For example my cousin Amanda, got her belly button pierced, not quite the same as a tattoo but is similar in that it is a method of aggrandizing the self. She knew she could get it without her mother's permission. Even though she knew her mother would not approve, she decided to get it anyways and hide it from her. Adding to her character of being the risky rebellious badass who just wants to have fun. Tattoos and piercings look like you are a "badass" because of the pain you had to go through and perhaps that you went against an authority figure.