Body Parts Broker Crosses the Line
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2006/7/17
The Infatuation With Tattoos
The popularity of body art ebbs and flows like ocean waves. Its ancient heritage is surrounded by physical pain, the mental shock of being marked for life and personal rebellion which brought it into the mainstream in the 1920s. In 2006, many teens do whatever they can to get one.
In states such as Massachusetts and Oklahoma, tattooing is illegal. The reason: AIDS is still an incurable disease that can be passed through dirty needles. In order to operate legally, all tattoo shops must use sterile equipment.
Tattoos have become a fashion statement judging by their growing popularity among teens and adults alike.
Some reasons for the spontaneous outbreak of tattoos among teens comes from its reputation among famous people. Music and Sports celebrities have tattoos and teens who idolize them want to get one too.
The history of tatoos dates back to a 5,300-year-old frozen man found near Innsbruck, Austria with a cross behind his knee and lines on his back. In the 1880s, it became commonly known when upper class Americans would travel as far as Japan to decorate their bodies. The actual word "tattoo" comes from the Tahitian word "tatua," which means to mark the skin.
The working class adopted the art when tools became available. That sparked the big fetish for tattoos in the 1950's. Tattoo shops popped up like jack-in-the-boxes all over Coney Island. A picture of a well-endowed woman, a skull with cross bones and a little heart that read "Mom" could all be purchased for about $15. Now tattoos range from $50 and up depending on and where you go.
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