Permanent Ink Stakes a Claim in a Forever Changing World

Tattoos are permanent and attitudes toward them are changing.

“When I was younger tattoos were considered a negative label people put on themselves that gave off negative connotations,” said retired correctional principal Richard Hawkins, who worked at the Roxbury Correctional Institute in Hagerstown, Md. “At the prison, we were actually trained to identify which tattoos were affiliated with which gangs.”

Throughout human history, people have participated in different types of body modifications and have marked their bodies with varieties of inks for healing, tribal, intimidation or spiritual purposes.

In 20th century America, tattoos at one point, were stigmatized to belong only to bikers, sailors, inmates, and gang members. Now, in 21st century America, tattoos belong to people of all classes, races, and social groups.

“When you’re young, you think you’re going to be young forever. I remember in the 60s, we would straighten our hair on ironing boards with clothes irons to look like hippies and our parents never understood. I just worry my grandkids won’t see the future, and they’ll look back and think, ‘What was I thinking?’ But the difference is, hair grows back. You can’t erase tattoos,” said Retired school teacher and librarian, Chris Kauffman.

Jeremy James is a 24-year-old college student. He has seven tattoos. “Tattoos are a way to remind myself of who I am and where I’ve been. I think tattoos are a way for people to express themselves and feel a sense of identity among a culture that is so extreme. Everything is so blown up now, and so in your face, that people have to do something to stand out, even to themselves.”

Many fads have come and gone throughout recent generations in western culture, none of them leaving visibly permanent scars on the physical body.

James added, “Unlike those flapper dresses in the 20s, you can’t take tattoos back to the department store, and unlike generations before, we’re accepting the fact that these tattoos are permanent. I’m not sure what that says about our generation, but in a changing world we’re trying to hold on to permanence.”