Tattoos and Piercings
To most people in society today, getting tattoos and piercing is just another way to express them-selves. However, tattoos and piercings can have both positive and negative outcomes. What most people don’t know is the history of tattoos and piercings. I think it would be wise to do a little research about the health issues that comes with tattoos and piercings and also how it has affected people’s lives.
Tattoos have been dated back to thousands of years ago. While no one knows where tattoos originated, it has become one of the most popular and well –known trends today. The word tattoo has originated from the word tatau and in Tahitian it literally means to mark something (Joy, 2009). Scientist believes that the oldest tattoo to be found was on the body of a man named Otzi. The body of Otzi was believed to be dated back to the fourth or fifth millennium BCE (Joy, 2009). Scientist also believed that Otzi had at least fifty-seven tattoos. However it has often been debated that these were not tattoos but acupuncture wounds because they were simply dots and lines (Joy, 2009). Tattoos were found on mummies from Egypt also. These tattoos displayed abstract designs and geometric patterns. Tattoos had various different reasons depending on the belief of the person. Polynesians used tattoos as a way of ranking or identifying someone’s role or position they held in the tribe. In Hawaii, many people believed that if they had tattoos, they would be protected in the next world and it protects their bodies in this world (Joy, 2009). Sometimes getting tattoos were not by choice but was a forced action. The Germans used tattoos as a way of identifying Jewish people at concentration camps and to identify those who have escaped from the camps.
There are many different purposes for tattoos. In the past, tattoos were generally used as rituals and ways of identifying someone’s rank or religious beliefs (Joy, 2009). Today, tattoos are used to show our self expression or we use
Tattoos have been dated back to thousands of years ago. While no one knows where tattoos originated, it has become one of the most popular and well –known trends today. The word tattoo has originated from the word tatau and in Tahitian it literally means to mark something (Joy, 2009). Scientist believes that the oldest tattoo to be found was on the body of a man named Otzi. The body of Otzi was believed to be dated back to the fourth or fifth millennium BCE (Joy, 2009). Scientist also believed that Otzi had at least fifty-seven tattoos. However it has often been debated that these were not tattoos but acupuncture wounds because they were simply dots and lines (Joy, 2009). Tattoos were found on mummies from Egypt also. These tattoos displayed abstract designs and geometric patterns. Tattoos had various different reasons depending on the belief of the person. Polynesians used tattoos as a way of ranking or identifying someone’s role or position they held in the tribe. In Hawaii, many people believed that if they had tattoos, they would be protected in the next world and it protects their bodies in this world (Joy, 2009). Sometimes getting tattoos were not by choice but was a forced action. The Germans used tattoos as a way of identifying Jewish people at concentration camps and to identify those who have escaped from the camps.
There are many different purposes for tattoos. In the past, tattoos were generally used as rituals and ways of identifying someone’s rank or religious beliefs (Joy, 2009). Today, tattoos are used to show our self expression or we use