Tattoo Stigmas: hard to remove
April 21st, 2008 by Kim
I think a lot about tattoos whenever I go to concerts in Hawaii. On Saturday afternoon, I was cruising on the lawn at the Waikiki Shell for Kokua Fest, checking out the amazing, amusing and — occasionally — downright awful array of body art around me.
Names of loved ones, tribal art, hearts and stars, plumeria, koi, depictions of Jesus, kanji, variations of ohm, the Hawaiian Islands — you name it. It was like going to an art show where all the exhibits were “ink on flesh.”
I was 19 when I got my first tattoo. It’s a small item that I hand-drew, and which most people aren’t even aware that I have. And — I realize the irony of writing about this in this space — but personally I’m OK with keeping it that way. The tattoo was something that I did more for myself personally, not for anyone else, and I’m fine with not having it on display for the world to see.
It’s partially this reasoning, but also because I realize that there are still stigmas attached to individuals with tattoos — especially females — that I keep mine covered.
As the popularity of tattooing has grown, so have social ideas about tattoos changed. Fading is the notion that tattoos are things reserved only for prisoners or gang members. Tattooing enjoyed a resurgence in the late ’90s as more artists and celebrities were seen with “tatts” and shows like A&E’s “Inked” and TLC’s “Miami Ink” sprang up on TV.
According to a 2006 survey conducted by the American Academy of Dermatology, 36 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 have at least one tattoo. The study also found that nearly one in four Americans between 18 and 50 are tattooed. (link to the AP article about the survey) Today, tattooing has become so popular, especially among women, that I can think of only a handful of female friends who do not have one. Most of theirs are kanji or small, delicate decorations like flowers, often on the hip, waist or lower back.
If tattoos are so common, then why cover up?
For one, young people might accept their inked-up friends as the norm, but in many workplaces, tattoos are still taboo. At the restaurants I worked at in Hawaii and New York, men were required to cover sleeve tattoos and women placed Band-aids over any visible ink. Hotel workers and others in the service industry are also required to cover up. Many other professional workplaces have similar policies, and many employees in the ones that do not conceal their tattoos anyway as a matter of professionalism.
Women also face a social stigma associated with having a tattoo. Females with tattoos are unfortunately often perceived to be, well, a bit on the wild side. I’m sure there is a little of the same connotation for men, but for the nice girl who just wants a cute plumeria on her hip, it could be frustrating.
While an event like Kokua Fest might make you feel like NOT having a tatt makes you the oddball in the crowd, the culture on Bishop Street is a little different. Quarterlifers might embrace this explosion of body art, but remember: the Mid-lifer interviewing for an accounting position might not be so thrilled with that huge dragon covering your arm.
So, at least until ink-loving Quarterlifers overrun the working world, better bust out the Band-aids and concealer.
More tattoo-related sites:
US Food and Drug Administration: Information on tattoos, temporary tattoos and henna products
Nisha Ramachandran in US News and World Report: “Career Spotlight: Tattoos are showing up all over”
HanziSmatter.com: The site is “dedicated to the misuse of chinese characters in western culture” and goes through a lot of painful (but hilarious) mis-translations and wrong characters in kanji tattoos. Britney Spears is in there somewhere…
Like any growing social trend, tattooing has received its fair share of ridicule, including a skit on Saturday Night Live about a middle-aged mom with an embarrassing lower back tattoo (”Turlington’s Tattoo Remover“) and a tongue-in-cheek book, Mommy Has a Tattoo.
Photo: With some brave friends at a tattoo parlor in Shanghai. They did a beautiful job on a tattoo of a phoenix for my friend, who had spotted the image on a vase in the Shanghai Museum a few days before and brought the artists a digital photo of it.
April 21st, 2008 at 6:35 am
I’m in the same boat - mine is between my shoulder blades, so no one really sees it unless I’m shirtless (a rarity in Seattle), and since it was much more a process and a symbol than a decoration, I don’t usually invite people to look at it.
I’ll be interested to see how members of our generation view their tattoos in a few decades.
April 21st, 2008 at 7:02 am
Hawaii is fairly tolerant of tattoos.
I work for a major corporation. Have a tattoo on my neck, a forearm sleeve and other visible tattoos. And I get by with little prejudice.
Being a practicing artisit on the side and having a wide range of exposure to the culture and art, I find that other states are way less tolerant then what we have in Hawaii.
All you tattoo enthusiast, we should be fairly happy. But we should still continue to do our best to be people with integrity and help to remove the stigma behind a person with tattoos.
April 21st, 2008 at 7:56 am
I’m ok with tattos on any level but none on me. When son first brought over future daughter-in-law, I noted small tattoo on her ankle but didn’t think it as a negative or anything. As far as I know, none of my kids have body art but a lot of their friends got em.
I’m already self-conscious and tend to stay in the background so any visible tattoo wouldn’t work for me. However, I did think about being a tattoo artist but being basically self-employed and risks involved put that to rest.
While working at Halawa Correctional for a bit, I saw some pretty wild tattoos, a few X-rated for violence and other stuff. Many inmates wouldn’t care less what the public think about their body art so anything goes.
April 21st, 2008 at 9:00 am
of course growing up i always wanted to get a tattoo, but was afraid of two things, my parents and the pain…i think in that order too! lol…now that i can get one, i’m pretty over it. some tattoos are beautiful and very tasteful, while others are the complete opposite. i tend to appreciate those tattoos that have meaning, whether its emotional, cultural, or symbolic in some way, much more than those tattoos that people get on a drunken whim. in my circle of family and friends very few of us have tattoos. one of my sisters has the most and even though she had them done professionally to me it still looks a bit tacky, but its her body so who am i to judge??
April 21st, 2008 at 10:19 am
I think tattoos, especially those that respect the cultures of the individual, should be welcomed in this “modern world” where ideas like tolerance and openness seem to run rampant. In some cultures, tattoos mark individuals who are deviant, but in many cultures, tattoos are marks of pride and accomplishment.
I had the opportunity to receive my kakau from a very talented artist who studied with tofuga for years. It was a family thing for me, as both my cousins had gotten their kakau, so I went to the same artist. While I didn’t get it tapped on, the designs are reflective of the meanings I discussed with him and are, in a word, magnificent. To this day, I still marvel at how the process of researching and finally receiving the kakau produced the masterpiece on my upper-back and shoulder.
Personally, I have no problem with people designing their own tattoos. Pilikia shows up when people start copying designs without understanding, as in the case of so many Maori moko face tattoos. Designs for them are specific to the whanau and the iwi, and for pakeha to wear them is pretty much sacrilege. I found out early on that knowing from where, by whom and why are all important questions that should be asked when choosing a tattoo, however you decide to get it.
na Kalani
April 21st, 2008 at 11:34 am
Tattoos have become so common that they are passe. It’s now to a point that actually NOT having one is a better indicator of someone’s individuality than having one.
April 21st, 2008 at 12:03 pm
I am 100% against tattoos. Big deal! My grandson has more than one. Auwe!
April 21st, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Young folk should be a little careful about what they choose for tattoos. If you have a tribal tattoo around your neck (as opposed to a plumeria on your ankle), how do you think that will play out if you interview for med school, law school, or certain professional positions? No matter how many people have them, there still remains a certain sitgma associated with tats.
“Would you spraypaint a Lexus?” I always say. “If not, then why tattoo God’s bootiful creation?”
I told my wife that she can’t have a tattoo unless it says, “I love Frank!”
April 21st, 2008 at 12:04 pm
My body is clean of any body art and I intend to keep it that way. I have nothing against tatoos as long as they are not offensive in anyway.
April 21st, 2008 at 1:12 pm
I want a tatoo now. For me it’s been a decision on what to do. I would want to do something that has meaning but I can’t think of any image or experience that deems lifelong ink. I don’t want to do any words or names because I prefer that art of an image.
When it comes to girls with tats, I’m kinda the double standard. I would mind having one but I’m not really attracted to girls who have them. Like Fassler mentioned, I get an image of a girl that had some kind of issues which she might not have had. I would much rather appreciate a person’s natural skin but those LA ink broads are changing my perceptions.
April 21st, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Tourism is Hawaii’s most important industry and the greatest source of jobs. But tourism professionals that I have spoken to tell me that it is getting increasingly difficult to find workers who are drug-free and tattoo-free. I have heard that many hotels will not hire a person with a tattoo for a particular position if the uniform for that position can not cover up the tattoo. In other words, since waitress uniforms tend to show more skin, a woman with a tattoo might have a tough time filling that job. One employer said: “Just give me people without drugs and tattoos and I can train them for any job!” The increasing difficulty of finding workers might cause hotels to change their policy some time in the future.
April 21st, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Heh, go look at Jonathan Hee’s tattoos over at the Warrior Beat (from today’s online chat with him at Mr. Tsai’s area). Man. Now THAT is some tattoos.
April 21st, 2008 at 4:05 pm
I think there is certain stigma, and it’s that people with tattoos are in gangs, so no wonder not too many places in Waikiki will welcome visible tatts. This is especially relevant here in Hawaii, with our Japanese tourists. The Japanese gangsters, Yakuza, basically are the main guys that wear tatts in Japan, and so having a waiter with a dragon tattoo wrapped around his arm might make them a little anxious. Tattoos are somewhat acceptable here in Hawaii though, as it is originally a Polynesian tradition.
Also, to clarify about the girl and tattoos stigma: a girl with a tattoo doesn’t mean that she’s necessarily wild, but a girl with a tattoo on her lower back usually means she’s “easy” (different form wild).
April 21st, 2008 at 4:27 pm
For people who are really into the local tattoo scene, Honolulu Weekly had a cover article (July 25 to 31, 2007), entitled: “Slinging Ink: Tattooing for the Love of the Art.” It features wonderful, detailed photos (full body, too) and highlights local tattoo artists. It’s black and white, but the artwork displayed is simply fantastic!
April 22nd, 2008 at 8:32 am
I’m 49 and have no tattoos but several of my friends have and are getting them. I like some of them - I think the coolest one I’ve seen is a little chinese character that means good luck (or something like that) on one friend’s ankle. Another friend designed a leaf pattern that swirls on her foot (she did it for her 50th birthday). But I do think they can still have an effect on people’s perceptions - especially in the business world.
apparently it is illegal in Oklahoma to get a tattoo - so when a young relative (17) visited recently he got one - unfortunatley it was a band logo - I think metallica. can you imagine what he’ll think of that when he is 40 and trying to explain it? I think its better to stick with original designs and ideas - then its always art.
April 22nd, 2008 at 2:35 pm
A nice blog on tattoos. I resonate with the subject since I have recently become a canvas for two tattoos…one done on the eve of the Sugar Bowl (which most of the island witnessed on KGMB, KITV or KHON…I’m a UH football fanatic)…and the other of my most favorite band (think Everlong, Hero, Learn to Fly). I plan on getting more ink soon…I just need to nail down a design. Most of my friends have really nice sleeves, so I think that’s where I’m heading.
April 23rd, 2008 at 8:26 am
Tattoos are pilau and lepo. Why ruin such a perfect creation with some ugly faded ink? Blech!!! Girls with tatoos are dirty, especially that carly on American Idol and her freak husband. Blech!!! I much better have a girl with flawless smooth skin like a diamond than have it marred by a tattoo.
April 23rd, 2008 at 9:29 am
another interesting blog, kim. i know i’m on this late, but better late than never. many concerns about work and hirability. being rejected for a job based on one’s cultural tats can run the risk of the employer facing discrimination claims. tats that are not culturally-based avoid such scrutiny. of course, an employer can reject an applicant and claim it was somethiing else besides the tats. bottom line, if you are good at your job, you will get hired, tats or no tats. i know doctors, lawyers, teachers, managers of all kinds, etc. who are employed because they are good at what they do.
April 23rd, 2008 at 4:35 pm
There’s a term the police TV dramas use a lot when referring to tattoos: “jailhouse tat.” Anybody know the diff? Is a “jailhouse tat” carved into ya’ll skin or something?
May 19th, 2008 at 8:47 am
for me this prodoct is very good because to halp peapol to remove the tattoo if he or she tosen’t like this whay i thank aout & I thank this doctor is genio .