Customizing the Body (PDF file) - Print My Tattoo

97 The Tattooist
There are so many factions and groups and suppliers. There
should be one big club in my opinion. It should be like the
AMA. Who's to go and say that the AMA is wrong. They got
their schooling behind them, internship, and they band
together and they are their own association. They know what Is
right and what Is wrong in what they do. If I wanted to go in
there and disprove the AMA, what credentials do I have? I
don't know what the hell I'm talking about unless I studied
medicine. Same thing with tattooing. These groups need to
make the public aware. There's this urgency to make everybody
aware of what is going on. As an artist you have to make sure
that everyone is working clean. It would be good to have one
tattoo artist's society. Illustrators have a society; graphic artists
have a SOCiety. Tattoo artists should get together in the same
way. I don't know if It could ever come off.
Interviewees did, however, see slow but positive changes occurring
In their public reputation. More tattooists were doing higher
quality work that was coming to public attention and the clientele
was becoming more diverse as people with wealth, social status,
and education acquired tattoos. One tattooist saw the general process
of Increasing tolerance for diversity as helping to create a social
climate In which tattooing was more acceptable.
Tattooing has become more socially acceptable. It's because of
the publicity, Everything has become more socially acceptable.
Things that outraged people a while back don't outrage them
anymore. The whole SOCiety has become more tolerant of
everything. I don't necessarily think It Is for the better but it
has brought other things along with It. It's good for those
people that do tattoos or get tattoos.
Problems of Worklife Organization
How much control a person exercises over his or her work and
the fleXibility or constraint that characterize the ongoing flow of
work activity are central issues for all workers. For those involved
in service activities the problem of controlling one's workIlfe revolves
around contact with clients (Becker, 1970: 245), As described