The inking of
tattoos on the body has been an ancient trend since many thousand years and
with the passage of time, it has not only been made a vast field, but also has
gained immense popularity among people around the globe. In ancient times, during
the classic Greek period, tattooing was only common among slaves. In ancient China,
tattoos had been associated with criminals and bandits since at least the Zhou
Dynasty, Tattooing Chinese characters such as "Prisoner" on convicted
criminals' or slaves' faces was practiced until the last dynasty, the Qing
Dynasty (1644 to 1912). In ancient Japan, between 1720 and 1870
criminals were tattooed as a visible mark of punishment; this actually replaced
having ears and noses removed and these people had no place in "decent
society" and were frowned upon.
But later on, as time passed tattooing became
a trade mark for fashion and style and Tattooist transformed into “Tattoo
Artists”: men and women with fine art backgrounds began to enter the profession
alongside the older, traditional tattooists. As
various kinds of social movements progressed bodily inscription crossed class
boundaries, and became common among the general public. The clientele changed from sailors, bikers, and
gang members to the middle and upper class.
Women have
always played a very important role in spreading the art of inking and adorning
the body parts with various designs. From the ancient times to present day,
Henna and Mehndi have been an important part of a woman’s embellishment in the
subcontinent. The weddings and festivals are thought to be incomplete without
this traditional, ancient tattooing technique. In the West however, The
earliest appearance of tattoos on women were in the circus in the
late 1800s. At that time, these women were distinguished from others and were
labeled as ‘’The Tattooed ladies’’. They had their face, neck, hands and feet
covered with different carvings and often used to perform in theaters and
circus.
In the
present day world, the inking of body parts has become so common and is admired
in almost every part of the world that it has become a style symbol, which
inspires infinite number of people. Even in today’s world, however, there are
some people who think that tattoos portray a sign of rebellious nature and
attitude and take it as taboo thing, but people with optimistic, liberal
thoughts believe that this is just a symbol of art and design.
Earlier, it was believed that tattoo causes hindrance in one’s professional life and that people with tattoos don’t get jobs and are considered merely bikers and non-serious vagabonds, but as the world changed and technology took over, with that the mentality of a common man also transformed and he began to develop the ability to absorb and accept the unusual things and behaviors of fellow human beings. Tattoos have travelled a long journey starting from a taboo thing in ancient past to being one of the most admired trends in the fashion world.
