Youth and Tattoos

            Youth have a different ways of standing out and showing the world who they are and what they stand for. Ever since we were little, the types of clothes you wear, what type of music you listen to, place you into a certain genre of society. So what do youngsters do to break free from these stereotypes put on them and how do they show their individuality?

Many result to one simple word: tattoo. Initially these tattoos were seen as labels meant to distinguish what tribe you  come from so you do not get killed by your own However, in today’s society the meaning of tattoos have changed. People now see tattoos as either a reminders, a way to show off their creative side, religious symbols, or just something to get for fun. No matter what the reason, a tattoo signifies an individual as being different and having a diverse sense of independence. Many times, the location of a tattoo is hidden, showing a sweet secret side to their rebellion. Although these individuals have different symbols on they bodies, they are still tied together by the ink and the pain. This topic has no simple answer but it addresses the question of social identities and how they are built in youth today. I chose this topic because it is something that has crossed my mind when I see people walking down the street, I just get curious to why they decided to get a tattoo. As you read this paper you will see the stories of different individuals and their reasons as to why they got their tattoo but these youngsters have created their own social identities in order to break from stereotypes while establishing a permanent connection to one another.

            Before I discuss my interviews and my findings I would like to talk about the methods used to conduct my research. As with any other ethnography I had to pick a site that related to my research topic, I choose a tattoo shop called Third Eye Tattoo in Santa Clarita Valley. There are a two reasons to why I choose this shop, one because the location was close to home and two because the location was different. Third Eye is located in a secluded part of the town, away from major housing areas and businesses. The location shows uniqueness in its tattoos and how distinctive are by being in a different area outside of the main area This reflects how tattoos themselves are distinctive, for not everyone has one or feels the same way about them. The tattoo artists and staff were all kind and helpful, none of them seemed to question the motives of this project, rather they were eager to respond. In addition to visiting the tattoo shop, I met individuals with tattoos and got to get their stories and meanings behind their tattoos. I interviewed a range of people which included those I knew through school to people I had meet at the shop. This variety helped me understand the different types of reasons as to why youth get tattoos and build a connection with each individual. I learned as an anthropologist, you have to view the story from the Others perspective, whether you agree or not, your job is to listen and interpret their thoughts. This I feel this was the hardest part of my research because I constantly wondered if my questions presented and bias in the first place. I tried to ask people how they felt about the tattoos they were getting while trying not to supply them a word choice. Another way to avoid any biases was to create an online survey. I felt this was necessary in order to get the opinion of the public on tattoos rather than just the people who had them. Obviously not everyone felt the same about tattoos, so it was important to also get the point of view of those who disagreed with getting tattoos and why. With the increase use of technology and social networks it has become easier to connect with people and receive a border range of responses.

            The most critical part of this research was trying to understanding the environment and the individuals perspective of tattoos. Not everyone felt the same way about their tattoos and had different emotions to them. Some regretted getting them while other loved the even more than before. Some people got them for religious reasons and others as a reminder of a thought or a person. Getting the data was easy but understanding and putting it together was hard because I did not want to include my own bias opinion. I wanted to make sure I collected enough data in order to understand the majority of choices. My paper is aimed at understanding how social identities are built through tattoos and how they are viewed. I want to express that this answer is based on the majority of answers conducted in my research and everyone is still entitled to their own opinions about the subject. I have changed the names of some individuals to protect their identities and so everyone’s opinion will be treated equally.

            I started off my research by going to my field site, as mentioned before it is the Third Eye Tattoo Shop. My first visit was my first time there, so I took some time to observe the area. It was a nice Saturday afternoon with not a cloud in sight. Surrounding the tattoo shop are four other shop which two of them are closed, one is a pizzeria, and the other a liquor store. Behind the shop were more smaller shops some occupied and some not, there was also a bigger parking lot. I walked into the shop a bit surprised to see that the walls are covered with designs, there were no white spots. The artwork varied from the people to the body parts and to symbols, I had not seen anything like it before. I met the owner Josh and explained to him the topic of my research and he handed me portfolios of the artists as well as set up an appointment for us to meet the next day.

            As I looked through the portfolio I noticed two things: one every artist seems to have a distinct signature, not saying that every one looked the same but the opposite, their art looked unique. None of the artwork seemed to look the same even if a theme was similar, it was done differently. A tattoo artist I interview had a response to this, “I think tattoos are suppose to be unique not like everyone else. If a client comes in with a picture off the internet, I let them know that I will change it up and make it my own to respect the artist who drew it as well as the person who as the tattoo on their body”, said Carrie. I was curious to how people responded to that, “Some people are okay with it and some are not but I don’t do tattoos that are someone else’s work”, the 23 year old responded. Carrie had become a tattoo artist over a year ago and although she is just beginning, she loves her job. Like most tattoo artist she has a variety of tattoos on her body and believes that tattoos have now become a youth tradition. Through Carrie’s responses I noticed a passion for tattoos, this was not just her job but this was her life. To her, tattoos to her are a way people for people express themselves through images on their body, voicing out their identities.

            When I interviewed Josh the owner of the shop, I got a different perspective. Josh believed, “Tattoos are a way youth find themselves, the older you get the more comfortable you are with your body but when you are young many reasons come into mind like peer pressure or rebellion”. He explained that eighty percent of his clients were youth, ages between 18-30 and there was about a forty/sixty male to female ratio. I was curious on what type of tattoos youth typically get, if there was any specific genre that male get or females get. “If you want to generalize then yes girls have a tendency to stick with flowery and bright colors while guys get more tribal tattoos or tattoos that make them look more masculine. Yet everyone is different with their wants and needs”, Josh discusses. I asked him whether the environment made a difference big city versus small town and he explained that not really small town have youngsters who are bored so they get tattoos but the bigger cities means more population. Another artist named Chris had a similar answer to this question, “With the increase in technology, its not hard for kids to obtain different designs. It increases their knowledge so geographic locations don’t matter”. Chris got his first tattoo when he was eighteen and decided to get it to know what it felt like to have a tattoo. He feels tattoos are more common than before but they are still a symbol of status. “Even though a tattoo has a lot to do with the individual self, they build a culture, it does go back to building a community”, Chris explains. After these two interviews I really began to understand that the ideas about tattoos vary. Not everyone had the same opinion about why people get tattoos and what they represent including the tattoo artists.

            Through this shop I met a girl name Stacy. I had know Stacy before because it was a small town but I had not talk to her for a while. When I went back to the shop the third time we exchanged numbers and were able to meet up. I asked her about her tattoos and she responded kindly, “I got my first tattoo when I was 17, my mom took me because I was a minor.” Stacy explained her tattoos were birds placed on both sides of her hips, she had always loved them and “its a reminder for me to always keep faith and hope in myself.” She has a half sleeve as well as a lower back tattoo, Stacy plans to get more in the future. It was interesting to know that parents were a factor in helping the youth get their tattoos. Another girl I had interviewed named Rashi said, “My mom advised me on the tattoo design and location and she went with me so I could hold on to her arm tightly while I got the tattoo.” Rashi is a college student at California State University, Northridge and she discusses further on the issue of parental approval, “I know my mom would support me if she thinks I am not doing something wrong. If she would not have agreed for the tattoo, so I would not have gotten it. Plus, even if I would have gotten the tattoo without my parent's consent, they would eventually have seen it and found out.” Yet not everyone felt that their parents approve was, Tasha another CSUN student simply stated “No. They'll probably disown me if they out.” Steven a friend I had known for the last couple of years explained his parents disapproved of tattoos so there was not a point in telling them. Majority of the interviewees expressed that their parents did know about the tattoo before hand and approved if they were sure.

            Stacy’s interview got me wondering about one of the main questions about my research why get a tattoo? For her it was a reminder but was that the main reason for everyone? An interviewee named Kyle explained about his tattoo of a black cross with a red rose and a verse from the Bible above the cross, “What the tattoo means to me is how far I have come in life and how much God has helped me through it. Ever time I am struggling with something I think of that verse and it helps me get through tough situations.” He was not the only one who had a religious tattoo, Rashi also explained the meaning of her OM sign, “I believe giving myself pain would be a little way to thank my God for everything He has done for me. It is my way of showing that this pain is nothing compared to all the pain God takes for me.” Tasha mentioned that her tattoos of crosses on the side represent how religious views are different in her family and getting the crosses under her arm on her ribs shows her religion as hidden. Yet for some it was just simply the curiosity that lead to their tattoo like Megan, an individual I had met at a friend’s house one day. She explained, “I decided to get a tattoo because I simply am in love with dolphins and was intrigued by the idea of "body modification" and decided to place my interest within my skin.” It seemed like everyone had some type of personal connection to the tattoos they had gotten, not matter what the reason the body modification held importance in their lives.

            A unique reason given by a friend was, “I got it because me and my best friend wanted to get a tattoo together to symbolize our friendship. We've been best friends since we were 6 and every time I look at my tattoo it reminds me of all the things we went through together throughout the years.” This was one of my ex co-workers named Candace. Candace was also a student at CSUN.  I found though out my interviews that remembrance was most common but what people were trying to remember was not. Megan, the person who also suggested the tattoo shop, Third Eye explains, “I love my tattoo, dolphins represent strength, intelligence, and independence. They are also beautiful animals”. I also conducted a Facebook interview with an old friend named Lisa, she wrote back, “I got it in memory of my friend who died earlier this year. It will remind me everyday to be just how he used to be...positive, happy, and always trying to make a difference in someone else's life”. Also one of  my classmate, Ruben explain that he kind of regrets his tattoo now because it does not represent who he is anymore. Even though I was not with her to see her emotions, I felt Lisa’s pain through her words. Everyone no matter what their reason had an emotional attachment to their tattoo. Their reason whether religious or to remember something held a special meaning to each person which was important enough to be placed on their body forever.

            According to my online survey majority of the people felt tattoos were interesting and they told different stories about the individual. Yet not everyone agreed, some felt tattoos were a way a person destroyed their body and some believed one or two tattoos were fine but too many were just not appropriate. I was curious as to how people with tattoos viewed each other. Do they believe they have a community among themselves or do they see themselves no different? A former high school friend named Gabby explained over coffee one day, “I sorta feel a connection with them. I feel like they wouldn't judge me for having a tattoo because they're cool with that kind of stuff. I also respect them more because they have the balls to permanently change something on their body too”. Candace also talked about feeling a connection with people with tattoo because they have gotten through the same psychical pain as her. Others said they were just curious about what it meant to the person who had it, some felt it made no difference. Steven expressed it was “the same way I feel when I see someone wearing pants or a shirt”, he laughs, “It's nothing new.”After getting mixed responses I started to wonder, what if a tattoo represents an individual’s perspective about their life but at the same time this permanent ink binds them all.  All of them no matter what, have a design placed on their body permanently, which creates an association with one another.

            There are many theories that I can relate to my ethnography but one that I found quite interesting was the network society theory discussed by Manuel Castells(1997). In this theory he talks about the nine features in which a network society is built: information, global economy, flexibilities, social polarization and social exclusion, culture of real virtually, politics, timeless time, and space flows. Even though all of these features do not relate to my topic, they share the same concept of youth with tattoos and the communities of individuals that cannot be connected by space but by what they represent.

            The main features of the network society theory that relate to my topic would be the idea culture, of real virtually, and space flows. Castells explains that with the increase in technology it lead to change in the way we gain gaining information and communicate. Technology had now become the new way to express yourself and this lead to cultural changes. These cultural changes are also shown in the youth with tattoos. For example Carrie explains the influence of technology and originality. She discussed how people will come in asking of the same design from the internet, not respecting that it is already on someone’s body. Space flows is another concept of Castells that relates to youth with tattoo. He discusses how space is no long a place but something that has no boundaries due to the increase of technology. The local can now become the global causing this interconnection of people from different areas. That is exactly what the tattoo has done as well, it has created this connection among a group of people by not having any boundaries. For example during my research many have said that when they pass by another person with a tattoo they have a slight more acknowledge of the person and even sometimes a nod to show that they connected for they have experienced the same pain to obtain a tattoo. Even though tattoos represent individuality they create this community of people that share this connection through ink which shows communities and culture are no longer created by place but space flows.

             Similar dynamics are shown with the art of walking. In his article “Walking in the City”, Michel de Certeau shows how even walking is a way an individual can express themselves and create a relationship with others that are walking. Symbolizing who you are is an important factor in life and many youths have decided that detailed designs on their body is their way of show this concept.

            In his article Certeau talks about looking about the empire state building from the view about stating that things looking different from a different point of view. He starts off with this in order for people to look at the concept of walking from a different perceptive. Walking is a way people contest against the structure of urban live for they are doing an activity that involves going against the norms of urban life which is traveling the fastest place from point a to b. It is a way of expressing their individual self as well as changing the aspects of a city. Walking changes the physical structure of an urban city by creating sidewalks and more movement, rather than being an industrialized area. The synchronized walking techniques of individuals give them a common ground. Walking with others even if they are strangers connects people through their footwork and gives them a chance to communicate through this process. Certeau explains walking as a process that opens up the opportunity to meet people that you wouldn’t usually meet creating an open space which is the use of the public realm.

            This theory relates much to youth and tattoos for tattoos are used as a form individual expression. Just like walking, tattoos are a way of rebellion whether it is against society or a parent; they show a person is different from the rest. Tattoos also create their own community for if a person with a tattoo sees another person with tattoo they show some sign of respect because they both went through pain and have this mark of ink even though it may not be the same design. People with tattoos have a common ground which the ink that has permanently been laid on their body creating a bond. This bond creates the curiosity of what the tattoo means creating conversations no matter the location. Walking also create a bond between people from the way they walk creating relations giving the chance of communication.

            After much research and interviews I realized that my question can be answered through the general responses received but when it comes to the subject of tattoos and constructing social identities the answer cannot have an exact definition. This is so because a tattoo is something personal, it is a choice and what is represents and whether or not to get one is up to every individual. The desire to stand out is something that is in us all whether we show it by the way we walk, talk or dress, we all have different ways of expressing our individualities. Tattoos are a way youth have now come to symbolize what they stand for while creating a relationship among others with tattoos. The people that do have a tattoo are connected to each other no matter the design for they all have made the decision to have something permanent on their body. I would like to thank the tattoo artists and interviewees in their help in finding my questions and well as answering some of them. This research project has taught me that you end up finding more questions when using anthropological methods of study but they also come with answers.

-Aarshee Talwar