Alex's Unit 3 Mid-Post

For my Unit 3 post, I will address the stigma associated with tattoos that still occupies the minds of society. In order to do so, I have researched several sources that provide information regarding the history and opinions of tattoos from the past, how the culture of tattoos has evolved of the years, and the current viewpoints on the matter. Most, if not all of my sources, indicate that individuals with the body art are subject to disdain from their peers. Notability, one source applies a record of tattoos being used on criminals as a method to indicate their crimes and punishments. For instance, the Romans once used a similar practice as a method to identifying the individual’s role in society such as being a criminal or a slave. This outlook likely evolved into the current ideal most people adopt and frown upon. Even as tattoos are growing in popularity, there are these individuals who vocalize and disapprove of the act. Some of the perceptions given from those who view tattoos negatively include deviancy, freaky, impure, low class, unprofessional, thug, gang member, and rebel. Additionally, there is a fairly recent change to the matter. Only a couple of years ago, Japan revised a bill to prohibit tattoos under the age of 18. Originally the country associated the body ink as a symbol of being a Yakuza member and thus tattooed people were banned from public areas in the effort to drive the gang away from the establishments. This is only one example of the art being able to spread to new horizons, however so slow or difficult the change may arise, as it enforces the idea that tattoos may be able to be absolved from the stigma placed upon for thousands of years.