Blog two:Final Post

After reading The Piercing Bible I found out that I agree with a lot that the author is saying. Although the book is about piercing some of the same principles can be applied to tattoos. On page 16 of the Piercing Bible the author discusses the influence the media has on the prominence on piercings. According to the author, Elayne Angel, “Rock stars have had some of the greatest impact in bringing awareness of piercing to the public” (16). Just like the piercing world the tattoo world also has someone to thank for its popularity, Lyle Tuttle.  Lyle Tuttle is known to many American tattoo artists as the father of modern American tattoos. Mr. Tuttle brought forth the tattoo world by tattoo mostly women and celebrities such as Janis Joplin, Cher, and Peter Fonda in the 1960’s.Lyle Tuttle is credited for “presenting tattooing as an art form to mainstream and promoting safe and hygienic industry practices”(needles and sin (1). Thanks to Lyle Tuttle presenting tattoos in a new light and promoting hygienic tattooing institution there are regulations or owning and operating tattoo parlors and the equipment used. Before Lyle Tuttle tattoos had a bad reputation and were frowned upon because of the outbreak of diseases such as Hepatitis B and other diseases a lot of tattoo parlors were shut down and some states made tattoos illegal because of unsafe practices. But Mr. Tuttle made people see tattoo in a new light.

 Although there are regulations in place for tattoos because of the disease ridden past I feel that there should be more known guidelines to the public. I also wish that people knew about the diseases that can occur from unsafe tattoo environments such as prisons. Anyone purchase a tattoo gun or even make a tattoo gun. A lot of prison tattoos are done with homemade tattoo guns. I know some people find it hard to believe that inmates receive tattoos in prison I am here to tell you that it happens more than you think.  A prisoner can make a tattoo gun anyone off the street can as well. It is also easy to purchase tattoo ink, all you have to do is order ink from a magazine, online, or even make it from scratch. All a prisoner may need is a “motor taken from a cassette player, electric razor, electric toothbrush, or even a Walkman motor that can be connected to a guitar string (G is most preferred) or a sewing needle that vibrates up and down the barrel of a Bic pen. This whole contraption is hooked up to a 3-9 volt AC adaptor” ( Demello 10).  These can also be made at home and used as tattoo guns on people who do not want to pay the money for a well done sterile tattoo. Or for “tattoo artist” who refuse to buy real tattoo guns which are available to anyone.

I had all of my tattoos done in a respectable parlor except one, and that one tattoo I do not love as much as the rest of my tattoos. The “artist” did indeed use a real tattoo gun, but this goes to prove my point that anyone can buy a gun. I feel that you should to put in your license id or number to be able to purchase a tattoo gun to ensure that only certified artist are allowed to purchase tattoo guns and ink. The tattoo does not look how I imagined. Everyone else who has seen the tattoo likes how it looks, but it’s not their opinion that matters to me. Now I have to find a tattoo artist and parlor to fix what I consider mistakes. I do not advise anyone to receive a tattoo outside of a parlor for that reason and also for sanitary reasons.

The stigma and thought stereo-type of persons that have tattoos have somewhat diminished because the media has accepted tattoos because of the fact that celebrities have embraced the tattoo culture.  It is very important to follow the aftercare instructions given by tattoo artist, if you fail to follow these after care instructions you could possibly mess up the tattoo. Tattoos are going to itch and peel but that it’s a part of the healing process. Artist should give you a aftercare sheet to guide you at home when caring for your new tattoo.

"America has become a tattooed nation. if you turn on your television, open a magazine, or go see a movie, you will likely encounter a tattooed body"(Koust 1035). Koust is absolutely correct,I would even add walking on a college campus or through a mall, or even a grocery store. With the prevalence of tattoos in my generation I predict that by the time I am about 50 and my peers are the CEO’s of big companies tattoos will be more accepted in the workforce because of the growing popularity of tattoos during this time. I recommend The Piercing Book to anyone seeking a tattoo or piercing because most the same ideas apply to tattoos. This can also apply to tattoos because the social groups that began to display tattoos in America has changes. Bikers and rebels are no longer the only ones getting "inked". I am a witness to this change but people are still surprised to find out that I have tattoos. And I feel that they are surprised because I am small and people assume tattoos hurt and that I cannot handle the pain. But honestly I didn't even feel my first tattoo, my third tattoo on my ribs was the only tattoo that cause any kind of discomfort, but everyone has a different pain threshold and you will never know until you try.

From my research I came to the conclusion that the media has influenced tattoos have made them more popular and reduced some of the stigma's associated with these body modifications.