Word Tattoo example essay topic

The polemic about tattoos was wondering why tattoos are a controversial point in our society! There are people against and people that really like tattoos, but who is right? Should I think it is a good or a bad thing? Maybe for the tattooists the art involves is worth the pain and sacrifice of being tattooed. For the religious, it is a sin to sacrifice one's body with so meaningless purpose. Now I don't think there are excuses to justify so drastic a way of art, but analyzing the points of view I will try to clarify some questions I still have about this body art such as the reason people have tattoos, "When did tattooing start?" , the dangers involved in this procedure, the removal of a tattoo and society's reaction to tattooed persons.

Thinking it is weird to have one's body penetrated many times by a needle to make only a drawing I do not think is worth it. So, why do people have tattoos? Why it is a common place nowadays? Probably because people see that the tattoo is a way of expression, but the real motivation to acquire it varies among groups and cultures. It marks thoughts, opinions, memories...

Some persons obtains tattoos as a means of asserting their personal identity or sexual orientation. Tattoos may be a testament to feelings of love, they have been associated with rites of passage and identification with groups. Nowadays tattoos is used for some cosmetic medical procedures and permanent make-up applications, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences' web site. Some women seek facial tattooing as method of permanent adornment that reduces the need of cosmetics, what can be helpful when, for example, a compromised vision impairs the ability to apply make-up.

Talking with a friend who likes a lot of body art, Mandela Cunha, she said: "I like tattoos because they make me feel "the one"! There is no one else in the world like me it is a way of identification". She adds: "It is not a rebellion of thoughts, it's just something I like and I really don't care about other peoples judgment". She said it is not a painful thing, none of her 3 tattoos and her piercing hurt, and she is planning to get others. Analyzing the past, I can see it is not a recent thing.

I read once in a web site about frequently asked questions about body art that the word tattoo comes from the Tahitian word "ta tau", which was onomatopoetic for the sound their tattooing instrument made, it was toke to Europe by Captain Cook in! 771. As written by Cleve Clin in "The Psychodynamics of Tattooing: a Review", in the eighteenth century, tattooing was popular with royalty and the upper classes of Europe. Our ancestors used to paint and mark their bodies for many reasons, I believe mainly because of "devotion" to Gods, to identify their groups, to look prettier...

It still happen in indigenous communities that live in Brazilian preservation areas, aborigine groups from the Australian outback and African nomads from the Sahara desert. Once I saw on Discovery Channel these African groups. During a season a lot of them go together to a festival. They drink, eat, party, sing and the men, during the festival, paint their bodies and faces and, in a line, using special clothes and making funny sounds, try to make a girl fall in love with them. Using the art of painting they demonstrate their feelings. I had already the desire to have a tattoo but always something convinces me that it is not a good thing.

First, imagine myself an old lady with many wrinkles and tattoos! Bizarre! An other point I consider: my parents - Edson Bolonhini and Silvia Sanders- are totally against it. They say it involves many risks, it is unnecessary. They explained to me it is not a good thing because their religion believes one's soul will carry the mark during other lives. There is no way to know if it is right but I prefer to believe in my parents.

Even more, the process involves some amount of pain and a small amount of bleeding, it can take many hours, it is expensive, the site of application usually takes 7 to 10 days to heal, it is "permanent" and the removal processing is painful and even more expensive, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences' web site. We know it is very dangerous and involves much aftercare. Stan Schwartz explains that any break in the skin can expose a person to local infection as well as systemic illness. According to NIEHS web site the two most significant risks tattooing can offer are allergic responses to the pigments and exposure to blood borne diseases such as HIV, tetanus and hepatitis; but if appropriate des infection and sterilization techniques are used, the health risk associated with tattooing is small. Tattoos have been reported to alter the quality of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) when the pigments are iron-oxide-based.

Furthermore, it has been noted to cause sudden burning pain during the procedure as I read at the FAQ about body art. Another thing that I consider and everybody should consider too is how difficult it is to remove a tattoo. Even it is called permanent sometimes it happens that people want to erase it because they regret getting it. But it is a costly and time-consuming process. The most common procedure used to remove tattoos is the laser but knowing all the problems that can result makes me think it is better not even to try.

Thinking about the way tattooed people still are discriminated I definitely don't want to have a tattoo. People can say I'm weak but I don't care, I prefer to be safe and spend my time with important things rather than worried with how to take care of a drawing. There are other ways to feel special, different among many people: to be myself, to have an opinion, to be honest... It is not complicated and really cheaper.

Bibliography

Clin, Cleve Q. The psychodynamics of tattooing: a review. Fried RI, 1893: 239-242 National Institute of Environmental Health Science.
Tattoo - NIEHS Alphabetical Listing of Health Topics. 15 June 2004.
6 July 2004.
Sanders, Silvia. Telephone interview. 11 July 2004.
Schwarz, Stan. Frequented Asked Questions - Body Art. 31 May 2002.
Wright, Meagan. Marking the unconventional. 12 May 2003.