Social Commentary: On Tattoos

To ink, or not to ink. That is the question.

Shakespeare - Ed Shakespeare!

Let me begin by saying that some of my best friends have tattoos. Some have had them for years. Others, following the latest trend, are recent to the ink. I have none. This, of course, just like getting one, is a matter of choice. It really is one of the wonderful things about living in a free (mostly!) society. What we choose to do with our own bodies is, indeed, our own choice and NO ONE has the right to interfere with those choices. I truly live the credo to each, his own.

However, with that said, I would like to share some thoughts as to why I made that choice and why I decided to throw my two cents worth into a discussion about a decision that is highly individual and personal. First, when I was growing up, tattoos were a rarity. And they were generally sported by men from certain socially outcast groups, i.e. sailors, bikers, ex-cons. At that time (the 60's and early 70's), there was a social stigma attached to having one. You were marked, physically AND socially. My mother, in particular, drove the "social stigma" message home. She also had a spiritual approach to the issue as well. Stella would say, "Frankie, me, your father, and God, gave you a beautiful, healthy body. PLEASE don't mark it or abuse it in any way". This applied not only to tattoos, but even hickeys as well! Don't laugh, but because of this, I don't think that I ever got a hickey in my life. I knew that if Stella should see it, there would be lots of 'splaining to do! Of course, Stella meant for that to include things you put INSIDE your body as well. That one, for some reason, I chose to ignore. But the marking part kind of made sense to me. I certainly didn't want to be stuck with something now that I would live to regret later. I suppose that's one of the reasons I went through so many girlfriends as well!

Anyway, as a kid, the only man I remember with a tattoo was my friend Ritchie's brother, also named Frank. He was older (about 19), a biker, rode a Harley, and was just about the coolest, toughest guy around. He had a tattoo of a little, red devil on the triceps muscle of one of his arms. Whenever he was around, all of the neighborhood kids would surround him and yell, "Frankie, make the devil dance"! He would roll up his sleeve, and by flexing and relaxing his arm muscles, the devil would "dance". That was over 40 years ago and I can still see that little red devil shimmy and shake. It impressed my brother and I so much that we even thought we would each get one half of some symbol tattooed on our shoulders. Then, whenever we came together, it (and us) would be whole. However, Stella's voice was ever present in our psyches, don't mark your bodies. Keep them CLEAN and healthy. To this day, neither my brother nor I have a tattoo.

However, that, as I said was over 40 years ago. Today, our social norms have changed. No longer is tattooing just for those living on the fringes of society. People from ALL social strata have found personal expression in their tattoos. MANY women adorned themselves with ink. Angelina Jolie instantly comes to mind when thinking of beautiful women sporting elaborate tattoos. Even one of my stepson's girlfriend sports an itzy bitzy one on her ankle. Another stepson has a tattoo on each arm. Many of of my readers are tattooed. In fact, with this generation, it is not the exception but the norm.

And therein lies my beef. It has become SO common place that it is almost like a uniform. Even though each one can be an individual piece of art and, therefore, personal expression, the fact that you even have one makes you part of a "club", if you will. It's almost as if you DIDN'T have one you would be an "outsider". This is particularly true in so-called "gang culture". To be a member, you have to wear their mark or brand. In fact, police often use tattoos to identify specific gangs. The need to be inked to identify you with a particular group is clearly illustrated in the film, Training Day. While riding together in a car, the character of the street tough, undercover cop, played by Denzel Washington, says to his rookie partner, played by Ethan Hawk, that if he wants to fit in with him and the other toughs from the street unit, he'd "better get his ink". So many athletes today, particularly African-American ones, are so heavily tattooed that the tattoos appear as part of their uniforms.

This leads to tremendous social pressure on young people to conform to what was once rebellious. And this can lead to poor choices. Just recently, 5 Ohio State University football players, including their star quarterback, were suspended for trading OSU memorabilia for free tattoos. This is a serious violation of NCAA rules and ethics and jeopardized their college careers. In the case of the star quarterback, it could have cost him (and still could) millions of dollars in potential pro-football salary. For a tattoo? Now THAT'S social pressure. My, how times have changed!

So, I guess what I'm trying to say, especially to young people, is this: it's OK to be different. Even if that difference sets you apart by your clean, bare arms, legs, shoulders, chest, and any other body part. I always felt the more pressure there was to do something, the more wary I was and the less inclined I was to do it. So, be a rebel: Think before you ink.