Tattoing

Tattooing like most forms of body adornment in modern cultures, hairstyling and cutting involve
essentially temporary changes to a person's appearance. However it has been manipulated, hair can be
regrown in a matter of a few months. Make-up and facial paints are even shorter-term adornments: they
can be removed with a cloth. Through the use of such adornments the individual can not only respond to
changes in mainstream fashions but also quite easily change social affiliations.The long-haired radical can
become a member of the ' responsible , salaried majority simply by visiting the barber. The Skinhead can
switch his allegiance to a new youth culture by letting his hair grow naturally. The Punk can apply for a
job as an accountant as soon as he has removed his nose studs and tamed his hairstyle. A tattoo, however,
makes a statement that cannot be silenced, and so in Westcrn culures tattooing is one of the most extreme
declarations that can he made through adornment of the body.
Tattooing has a very long history. We know that it was used by the Thracians to indicate rank, and tattoo
markings are evident on ancient Egyptian paintings and artifacts and on Japanese pottery dating back
3000 years. The practice is widespread in traditional cultures today and, although some forms appear to
be purely decorative, most are commonly used as explicit tribal identifiers. Men in Samoa, for example.
have no rights even after initiation until they have received their ritual tattoos. In some African tribes we
find 'insurance' tattoos on the foreheads of women: these are applied so that, if a woman is captured by a
rival group, her origins will be clearly visible and she will be sold back to her own tribespeople. Similar
marks worn by the men of such tribes serve exactly like military uniforms: they decrease the pos-sibitity
of warriors being accidentally attacked by their own side.
Tattooing in the Western world is most commonly carried out among sailors and members of the armed
services. Some of the emblems simply indicate attachment to a particular female, but many show
allegiances to a particular regiment or service Members of motorcycle gangs will often have the name of
their chapter - the particular tribe to which they belong - engraved on their arm. Others choose symbols of
virility or fearlessness. the combination of a skull and crossbones with the legend `Death or Glory' is a
common example. The act of tattooing itself also serves to denote a particular kind of individual - one
belonging to c :.;llect.tve of people who engage in this minority style of adornment.
Members of contemporary youth cultures have been responsible for a revival of tattooing, but their
reasons are a Tittle different from those of their predecessors. Facial tattoos, in particular, are very visible
statements which inevitably influence the was to w hich others react to the person who is so is adorned;
for this reason, responsible tattooists retuse to work on faces.
Nevertheless, some of the more disenchanted Skinheads and Punks can be seen sporting spiders' webs,
snakes and other 'frightening' imagery on their cheeks and foreheads. The statement is clearly, if
unconsciously, that the individual no longer cares about the future: he or she belongs to a special tribe
which has not only dropped out but sees no possibility of ever dropping back in again. In this 35 context,
whether the facial tattoo is intended to shock or to beautify is irrelevant. Unlike the drop-outs of the
1960s, most of whom have now become members of bourgeois society, today's disaffected youth tribes
are taking the business of permanent adornment to the same lengths as their peers in the traditional
societies of Africa and New Guinea.

26. Why is tatooing essentially different from hairstyling and make-up?

27. What does a Punk have in common with a 'long-haired radical'?

28. In the past, tattoing was

29. In traditional cultures today, tatoos

30. Tatooing in the Western world

31. Why will some tatooist not work on faces