Tattoo Design In Cultural History

Kamikaze News

Articles

| Print |

E-mail

Written by Steven McCarthy

Thursday, 17 July 2008

by StevenMcCarthy

The tattoo design has certainly come a long way since the first human marked his or her body for a ritual. Many of the early markings were to distinguish between clans or tribes but have since evolved into a pop cultural phenomenon. Soccer mom's sporting tattoos on their ankles and teenagers eagerly marking their body to show their transcendence from childhood into adulthood.

The art tattoo has come into popular culture in many forms. Ancient ritualized markings denoting caste levels, honor to various gods and goddesses as well as accomplishments have found themselves at the end of a tattoo machine for the modern human canvas as a way to show personal expression and individuality in a world of corporate conformity.

The body would be decorated with a series of lines and symbols telling a story. Anyone not aware of the subtle meaning would simple find the designs beautiful. The significance of tattooing the bride is such that as long as she is still wearing the dye, she is still honeymooning and is not expected to perform chores.

Tattoo's signifying power or lack of is not the sole property of China or Japan. In Russia a tattoo design can be a calling card of that person's life choices. If the person is a murderer, his or her tattoos will show this to the world and everyone will know. If a person is an informant or has lied about a deed, he or she may be forcefully tattooed to show their mistakes to the world.

There are tattoo studios that do offer permanent designs that resemble the henna tattoo. Depending on the skill and craftsmanship of your tattoo artist having a permanent Henna tattoo can be just what your looking for. These tattoos are put into place with the typical tattoo machines but use a red dye that will remain permanent.

A note of caution concerning henna is the use of a product labeled as "black henna" or an indigo. Natural henna does not come in dark shades. The dark colors are actually made by combining henna with a chemical. There can be very harsh side effects such as skin blistering. As with any product, even a natural one such as henna, there can be allergic reactions.

This is particularly true if the individual has a rare genetic condition called a G6PD deficiency (G6PD deficiency is an inherited condition in which the body doesn't have enough of the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, or G6PD, which helps red blood cells (RBCs) function normally.) In large doses the dye molecule in henna can be fatal. If it is unknown whether or not henna will cause an allergic reaction it is best to do a small skin test.

It is not uncommon for people to turn to the art tattoo artist to leave a work of beauty etched permanently onto their skin. Such television shows as TLC's Miami Ink show incredible works of art being tattooed. The human skin becomes the canvas for memorials of fallen loved ones or pictures of children and art work that have a lasting mark through the tattoo design on the person.

About the Author:

Steven McCarthy has been studying the best ways to treat skin problems with tattoo skin care products since my teens and authored numerous papers on the topic so that quickly understanding skin care information is not something that has to be difficult for you. Check out www.treatingskinproblems.com

Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register.