Customizing the Body (PDF file) - Print My Tattoo
Customizing the Body (PDF file) - Print My Tattoo Customizing the Body (PDF file) - Print My Tattoo
51 Becoming and Being a Tattooed Person person:' The person with a tattoo is telling people that he is free enough to do what he wants to do. He says, "I don't care who you think I am. I'm doing what I want to do:' (The tattoo) symbolizes freedom. It says something about your personality. If a girl has a skull on her arm-it's not feminine at all-that would symbolize vengeance. If a woman gets a woman's tattoo, that's normal. If she gets a man's tattoo symbolizing vengeance or whatever, I feel that is too far over the boards. A woman should act like a woman and keep her tattoos feminine. Those vengeance designs say, "Look out:' People see danger in them. THEINTRAPERSONALANDINTERPERSONAL EXPERIENCE OF WEARING A TATTOO Impact on Self-Definition As indicated in the foregoing presentation of the initial motives that prompt the decision to acquire a tattoo, tattooees consistently conceive of the tattoo as haVing impact on their definition of self and demonstrating to others information about their unique interests and social connections. Interviewees commonly expressed liking their tattoos because they made him or her "different" or "special" (see Goffman, 1963a: 56-62). Having a tattoo changes how you see yourself. It is a way of choosing to change your body. I enjoy that. I enjoy haVing a tattoo because it makes me different from other people. There is no one in the whole world who has a right arm that looks anything like mine. I've always valued being different from other people. Tattooing is a way of expressing that difference. It is a way of saying, "I am unique:' In describing his own understanding of his clients' motives, one tattoo artist employed the analogy of the customized car. Tattooing is really just a form of personal adornment. Why does someone get a new car and get all of the paint stripped off of it and paint it candy-apple red? Why spend $10,000 on a car and then spend another $20,000 to make it look different from the car you bought? I associate it with ownership. Your body is
52 Becoming and Being a Tattooed Person one of the things you Indisputably own. There Is a tendency to adorn things that you own to make them especially yours. Interviewees also spoke of the pleasure they got from the tattoo as related to having gone through the mysterious and moderately painful process of being tattooed. The tattoo demonstrated courage to the self ("for some people It means that they lived through It and weren't afraid"). One woman, when asked whether she Intended to acquire other tattoos In the future, spoke of the excitement of the experience as the potential motivator of additional work. (Do you think you will have more work done after you add something to the one you have now?) Oh God! I don't know why, but my Initial reaction Is, "I hope I don't, but I think I'm going to." I think getting a tattoo Is so eXCiting and I've always been kind of addicted to excitement. It's fun. While It hurt and stuff It was a new experience and It wasn't that horrible for me. lt was new and different. In a poignant statement, another woman spoke similarly of the tattoo as memorializing significant aspects of her past experience. "In the future when I'm sitting around and bored with my life and I wonder If I was ever young once and did exciting things, I can look at the tattoo and remember." Interactional Consequences In general, tattooees' observations concerning the effect on their self-definitions of haVing a tattoo and the process of being tattooed were rather basic and off-hand. In contrast, all Interviewees spoke at some length about their social experiences with others and how the tattoo affected their Identities and Interactions. Some stressed the afflliatlonal consequences of being tattooed-the mark Identified them as belonging to a special group. I got tattooed because I had an Interest In It. My husband Is a chef and our friends tend to be bikers, so It gets me accepted more Into that community. They all think of me as "the college girl" and I'm really not. So this (tattoo) kind of brings the door open more.... The typical biker would tell you that you almost have to have tattoos to be part of the group.
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51 Becoming and Being a <strong>Tattoo</strong>ed Person<br />
person:' The person with a tattoo is telling people that he is<br />
free enough to do what he wants to do. He says, "I don't care<br />
who you think I am. I'm doing what I want to do:' (The tattoo)<br />
symbolizes freedom. It says something about your personality.<br />
If a girl has a skull on her arm-it's not feminine at all-that<br />
would symbolize vengeance. If a woman gets a woman's tattoo,<br />
that's normal. If she gets a man's tattoo symbolizing vengeance<br />
or whatever, I feel that is too far over <strong>the</strong> boards. A woman<br />
should act like a woman and keep her tattoos feminine. Those<br />
vengeance designs say, "Look out:' People see danger in <strong>the</strong>m.<br />
THEINTRAPERSONALANDINTERPERSONAL<br />
EXPERIENCE OF WEARING A TATTOO<br />
Impact on Self-Definition<br />
As indicated in <strong>the</strong> foregoing presentation of <strong>the</strong> initial motives<br />
that prompt <strong>the</strong> decision to acquire a tattoo, tattooees consistently<br />
conceive of <strong>the</strong> tattoo as haVing impact on <strong>the</strong>ir definition<br />
of self and demonstrating to o<strong>the</strong>rs information about <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
unique interests and social connections. Interviewees commonly<br />
expressed liking <strong>the</strong>ir tattoos because <strong>the</strong>y made him or her "different"<br />
or "special" (see Goffman, 1963a: 56-62).<br />
Having a tattoo changes how you see yourself. It is a way of<br />
choosing to change your body. I enjoy that. I enjoy haVing a<br />
tattoo because it makes me different from o<strong>the</strong>r people. There<br />
is no one in <strong>the</strong> whole world who has a right arm that looks<br />
anything like mine. I've always valued being different from<br />
o<strong>the</strong>r people. <strong>Tattoo</strong>ing is a way of expressing that difference. It<br />
is a way of saying, "I am unique:'<br />
In describing his own understanding of his clients' motives, one<br />
tattoo artist employed <strong>the</strong> analogy of <strong>the</strong> customized car.<br />
<strong>Tattoo</strong>ing is really just a form of personal adornment. Why<br />
does someone get a new car and get all of <strong>the</strong> paint stripped off<br />
of it and paint it candy-apple red? Why spend $10,000 on a car<br />
and <strong>the</strong>n spend ano<strong>the</strong>r $20,000 to make it look different from<br />
<strong>the</strong> car you bought? I associate it with ownership. Your body is
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