Today’s topic is tattoos. I had originally planned to write about the importance and value of family medical histories, but that was before I stumbled upon this post by Tori at the “of personal value” blog.
Tori notes that most of us sport scars and marks from a lifetime of bicycle mishaps, falls and surgeries. Many more of us carry intentionally inflicted indelible mementoes of our past on our arms, backs, buttocks and anyplace else reachable by the tattooist’s needle.
I thought of this as I watched a basketball game recently. One of the players had an oddly retro look and I couldn’t quite figure out why. Eventually, it came to me – he was tattoo-free, at least the parts of him that were visible were.
This is a seismic shift from my youth when just about the only folks who owned up to being tattooed were those who shared the common bond of once having served our nation in time of war but who had obviously succumbed to the effects of hard liquor during a hard-earned ribald night of liberty.
In my college and young adult days, it was not unusual to see a young woman adorned with a delicately crafted rose or butterfly, on her ankle, lower back or breast.
Today, tattoos are pretty much accepted at all levels of polite society. If you’re like me, however, you might wonder how that Gothic tattooed and pierced look will appear in, say, another 20-30 years.
After you’ve considered how scars and tattoos and the like fit into your own family’s history, you might check out a few of the links in Tori’s blog, like this look at the cultural history of the tattoo or this story about an Australian man who found a way to save his dad’s tattoos after his death. Before reading this post, I didn’t realize that some library books are actually bound in human skin. An interesting twist to the whole tattoo issue is that of copyright. This post covers that angle from a British point of view.
Larry Lehmer is a personal historian who helps people preserve their family histories. To learn more, visit his web site or send him an e-mail.
Flickr photo courtesy of Maknakolektiff+.
Interestingly enough, medical researchers are now working on an encapsulated ink that after one or two laser treatments would completely disappear. You could technically have your cake and eat it too if you decided that that heart with MOM next to it was inappropriate after you joined the Executive Board!
Posted by: Stefani Twyford | January 30, 2008 at 12:04 PM
I'm sure that's an improvement, Stefani, but I'm not sure that the prospect of two laser treatments makes it worthwhile for me. I'd much rather take a "two-margarita cure."
Posted by: Larry Lehmer | January 30, 2008 at 01:55 PM
I'm not sure that the application of a tattoo is only during times of war. I remember my son calling me (in the past 10 years) during a non-war scenario where he was tempted to get a tattoo. He was new to the military, and I suspected that boredom and peer pressure had more to do with it... and so I discouraged him. Thankfully and surprisingly he took my advice.
Janice
Posted by: Janice | February 04, 2008 at 12:33 PM
That sounds to me like he was looking for a reason not to get the tattoo, Janice. You should feel proud that he thought enough of you to ask your advice then follow it. Not all parents are as fortunate.
Posted by: Larry Lehmer | February 05, 2008 at 08:09 AM
Highly get pleasure from your articles, my great fortune to explore your weblog.
Posted by: Shox NZ | June 21, 2010 at 11:02 PM
Does anyone know Where to get tattoos preserved after someone dies?
Posted by: Jennifer | May 01, 2011 at 02:43 AM