AlexandrosNarlis

History

The phenomenon of tattooing became part of mainstream culture in the 1990s.The ancient art of tattooing has diverse meanings. In the South Seas archipelagos and in some Asian civilizations (India, Burma, and Japan) it has religious significance and is prized as a means of adornment. Although the appearance of tattoos and body piercings vary geographically, they always possess a very specific meaning for the particular culture. In early Greece, men were tattooed as a sign of nobility or bravery; but as the custom declined, it was done only to identify criminals or slaves.

Chinese tattoos

Tattoo Temple Cursive Calligraphy Joey Pang web sq

Chinese bodily writing includes inscribing text on the body (tattooing), mutilation, and blood-letter-writing. These "bloody" acts were originally associated with the lowly or marginalized class but coopted by the mainstream society as a means of performing virtue. Virtuous bodily writing is gender-specific, especially as displayed on stage: while male writing surpasses the body, a split has to be inserted between the female body and text to ensure pleasure.

The west's fascination with Chinese tattoos has little to do with the history of Chinese tattoos and Chinese tattooing traditions, however. It is not an outgrowth of any strong Chinese tattooing tradition but is rather a testament to just how perfectly Chinese characters mesh with the art of tattoos. It is for the most part a recent phenomenon, but one that continues to grow.

Egyptian tattoos

Although it has long been assumed that tattoos were the mark of prostitutes or were meant to protect the women against sexually transmitted diseases, recent evidence in several tribes and civilizations lead us to believe that the tattooing of ancient Egyptian women had a therapeutic role and functioned as a permanent form of amulet during the very difficult time of pregnancy and birth. This is supported by the pattern of distribution, largely around the abdomen, on top of the thighs and the breasts, and would also explain the specific types of designs, in particular the net-like distribution of dots applied over the abdomen. During pregnancy, this specific pattern would expand in a protective fashion in the same way bead nets were placed over wrapped mummies to protect them and "keep everything in." The placing of small figures of the household deity Bes at the tops of their thighs would again suggest the use of tattoos as a means of safeguarding the actual birth, since Bes was the protector of women in labor, and his position at the tops of the thighs a suitable location. This would ultimately explain tattoos as a purely female custom.

Tibetan script tattoos

Tibetan script tattoos (religious or not) have started to become more popular since the westernization of the Buddhist philosophy and the widespread of the traditional texts. The versatility of the different script styles ( Uchen, Umeh, Dru-tsa, Tsugmakhyug,Khamyig, Tsugtung and more) with immediate spiritual meaning, sacred proportions have made tibetan writing ideal for a modern day tattoo. There has also been some speculations over the belief that the placement of a prayer on the body can have healing results. Contradicting with the strong believe in not harming or piercing the body.