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kpow · Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2006 2:20 pm Post subject: the furture of tattoos...

im pretty bord atm, and its abit quite around here ive been thinking.

im sure we all know abit about the history of tattoos, they have pretty much been used by all kinds of people everyewhere forever (not litterally i know!) for all kinds of reasons in all kinds of styles.
created in all kinds of whys, healed in all kinds of ways.
and mean a million diffrent things to a million diffrent people Smile

so how about the present...where are we at now as far as tattoos go?

and what about the future?
where is it going?

i mean at the moment tattoos can still hold a stigma...there are still
a school of people around who think tattoo means thug, drop out, lay about, scum, idiot...ok you get the picture Laughing

and tattoos can hold you back in certian carerrs, but will it be this way in 10/20 years?
tattoos have fast been becoming more mainstream, more and more people have them and are intrested in them. its almost completly acceptable now for women/girls to have tattoos, i say almost there are still people who feel tattooing is a masculine thing, but then again gender lines are becoming increasingly blurred as well (which IMO is a good thing, as i believe we have a totally f*ck*d up sense o...sorry thats a diffrent tangent Laughing

)

anyhoo, where do we think tattoos are going and that..... Smile

lets have some noise in the forum people Very Happy

mgray767 · Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2006 10:06 am Post subject:

Great topic and thanks for starting it. Hopefully more people will join in.

As for your questions I think tattooing today is in a great place. The numbers of really talented artist is increasing and the number of tattooed individuals is growing by leap and bounds. As for the future, thats a tough one. I can see it going two ways. The first, tattoos keep getting popular and the business and artform continues to grow. The second, I can see the next generation stepping away from tattoos because kids almost always don't want to do something that their parents did. I hope thats not the case and the art continues to get better.

As for your comment on the mainstreamness of tattoos, yes it is continuing to become more acceptable for all poeple to get a tattoo. However, I feel as if there is still a stigma attatched to indviduals who get more than the standard tattoo on their arm or lower back (not that there is anything wrong with that!!). I can see a big defference i n the way I am looked at in the public's view since I started my leg sleeve.

kpow · Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2006 11:15 am Post subject:

my grandma is forever telling me its not lady like to have tattoos.....thats not the only thing tho Laughing

everything i do is unlady like in her veiw Laughing

on the other hand i saw a friend from ireland who i havnt seen for a long while the other day Laughing

and she kept comenting on how girly i look Laughing

id like to think that in 10/20years time the stigma attached to tattoos well have all but faded out Smile

but you never know what will happn as you say Smile

sinherencia · Tattoo lover Joined: 08 Dec 2006 Posts: 34

i dont think i like it becoming more mainstream in some ways but in others i do. i think its becoming more acceptable for individuals to have tattoos even though there are now and will probably always be some kind of assumption made about that person because of their tattoo.

but simultaneously, i don't like that it's becoming more mainstream, especially from a feminine point of view. i know it's everyone's own prerrogative to do what they'd like to their bodies, but it just erks me that people, especially women, have the tendancy to get really meaningless tattoos. lol (and the more mainstream tattooing becomes IMO the more meaningless tattoos) but some are degrading to me. like tramp stamps and the fact that there are just typical "girl tattoos" like hearts and birds and butterflies and roses Confused

and anything that is not like that is.. unfemine.

(so like bear with me because i took a psychology of gender course so some things just may sound a bit sexist or feminist, but it's just what we've learned, male and female alike)

but, from my experience, male tattoos are more expected to have some kind of meaning to them while female tattoos are just expected to be pretty and anything deferring from that really confuses some people's gender skema and therefore that person is seen as strange. or the tattoo can represent something as long as it is in the shape of a flower or a bird or heart etc. and everyone can just assume it's a random chickk tattoo. like i told my friend i wanted to get a tattoo of a pheonix in memory of my brother and he was like (dead serious)... "why don't you get a tattoo above you pussy that says 'eat me'"

okay but maybe im just ranting lol but i think in the future this will change and people will be seen as who they are rather than who they "should" be.

mgray767 · Posted: Sun Dec 24, 2006 7:24 pm Post subject:

[quote="sinherencia"]

(so like bear with me because i took a psychology of gender course so some things just may sound a bit sexist or feminist, but it's just what we've learned, male and female alike)

but, from my experience, male tattoos are more expected to have some kind of meaning to them while female tattoos are just expected to be pretty and anything deferring from that really confuses some people's gender skema and therefore that person is seen as strange. or the tattoo can represent something as long as it is in the shape of a flower or a bird or heart etc. and everyone can just assume it's a random chickk tattoo. .[/quote]

I agree with that. I have a lotus flower on my right leg and most people don't know the meaning behind it they just assume that it is another chick tattoo. But, my right leg is not girly in any way. (it is an evil dragon with fire and in the end it will be a leg sleeve). Most people look at me wierd because I have a tattoo that doesn't 'fit' the classic girl tattoo. I hope this changes in the future because of course my tatoo won't!!!

~Melissa

kpow · Posted: Tue Dec 26, 2006 7:05 am Post subject:

i did sociology and i love reading about gender and gender role ect!
Smile

love sociology..... Smile

i get annoyed about how people in todays society see gender and gender roles.
it is assumed by many that because i am a 'beer drinking, vest wearing, tattooed, short haired lesbian' that i 'want' to be a man....true is i [size=18]really dont!!!! [/size]
but if you think about it, its not been long since womens rights and that, women have been seen as inferior for far to long in western cultures!
as time goes on, i think so called gender roles and gender stereotypes will become far more blurred. this will be a very bad thing for right wing conservative men who STILL bleieve a womans place is under a man or at home doing house work popping out babies, but a very good thing for most other people! we will be able to express oursleves more freely without the kind of judgement we still get today Smile

i mean as an example look at "emo" culture, its really taking off. and emo type guys are far from the typical/hegomic (cant f-ing speel!) masculine alfa male! we are living in the begining of the 'metrosexual' and things can only get better....... Smile

sorry if that didnt make any sense....im scared to re-read it as ill probly delete it if i do Laughing

but we ARE MEANT to be taling about tattoos, so where did they come into that.....hmmm.
well ATM tattoos are seen as a realy masculine trait...but are becoming more popular....i dont really see getting tattoos just to look pretty as a necessarily BAD thing but what you've said about mens tat's seen as having more meaning is totally true!
mostly people who dont have tattoos are arent into them in any big way dont seem to understand what people who get them are all about anyway....if you know what i mean.........right im going to shut up now befor you all get the impression im a complete idiot....i do have 2 alevels BTW Laughing

im not totally retarded Embarassed

oh_bugger · Tattoo addict Joined: 13 Sep 2006 Posts: 518

Hmmm the future of tats ?

Short term the increase in popurlarity will continue with more people getting inked and more studios opening everywhere, then a short period of stability where thsupply will equal the demand and there will be work for the studios and artists for the customers.

As the art grows so will the popularity of magazines and conventions this will have an impact on a lot of people when they realise the potential quality of tattoos and realise that steve the scratcher down the road is actually not that good.

Once this happens we will see a return to the position we were in 5 years ago with fewer studios, slightly longer wait times for an appoitment but only the good quality tattooists will still be in business.

The stigma issue, i think over time the stigma will fade like old school art on your grandads arm, mainly because so many people now are tattooed there wont be anyone left to fear the art, this is a real pity in my opinon i love the dirty outcast element of tattoos i really like the whole sideways glance thing that you get when the ink is on show and will miss it as it declines.

Long term tattooing will calm down and become less popular i think peircing and extreme mods like branding and scarification will boom in about ten years and become huge.

chic · Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 4:23 am Post subject:

when i had my first tattoo, some 23 years ago, not many women had them, and it was the women who frowned upon me, for having a tattoo.
My mum was shocked and said it was stupid..
now my mother is 68, and guess what?
she went and got a tattoo when she was 65, it was a devil on her shoulder!!!!..
i did laugh, as it was a pot calling the kettle black..
any way, i think it is down to the individual to have whta ever he she wants to put on their body..
live and let live...

boohoo · Tattoo lover Joined: 28 Nov 2006 Posts: 29

i think as more judges, politicans, as well as the working people start getting ink. then tattoos wont be as much of a no no. there is many forms of art in this great world. i dont know where the future is. but i bet it will be good.

bigcountry · Tattoo lover Joined: 27 Oct 2006 Posts: 37

ok here's my opinion as far as the gender issue goes I think inked women are hot. Take my wife for instance she has one and thinks that that is enough. She looks at other women and sees them covered up with them and says that is tacky, my reply is hell no, that is sexy. I have 7 tats and planning my eigth. Every since I can remember I have always wanted one. My dad has several and I have always admired his artwork. So as far as future generations go I hope my children for instance look at my work and say the same thing I said when I was growing up.

Star1986 · Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2007 7:59 am Post subject:

Hi,

Was just looking over the conversation and to the last post i think, being a girl, i love my tattoos. I have ten so far and everyone always says to me, 'don't you think its all too much??' my answer to that is hell no!! i am planning my next one on my thigh and can't wait to see the look on their faces!!

Tattoos rock!! Laughing

bigcountry · Tattoo lover Joined: 27 Oct 2006 Posts: 37

way to go i love that attitude!!!!

Star1986 · Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2007 7:56 am Post subject:

Thank you!!

I think for as long as anyone is set in their own mind and doesn't care bout what other ppl think tattoos will last forever. although saying that i am running out of places to get more, but i think i have had some infuence on a couple of friends and they want anotha few heehee!! Laughing

timbo · Tattoo lover Joined: 15 Jan 2007 Posts: 4

I can see where people get the stigma of thug life associated with tattoo's because of the music scene where EVERY musican has to have a tat of some kind....

But, me personally have had tattoo's since i was 15 and went to college and got my degree and now work at a law firm (and still is).

I want another BIG tat just to finish off my 40th birthday. So does this make me a thug or lowlife.....NO, I just like to have one.

Sometimes my clients see my tats and ask to see them which of course I refuse.

Bye