Topic: tattoos and piercings (nothing specific was mentioned)
Audacious Alterations
Presume a young boy in his late teens walking down a busy street with numerous piercing on his face and his hands and neck covered in a blanket of tattoos. The very first thoughts that pop up tend to be "He must be a delinquent" or "He looks so scary" or even "Look at him! Thinking he's the better of the lot". The world is now in the 21st century, and people all over have different attitudes, goals, ideas and beliefs. The world is also at a stage, where personal likings differ greatly from individuals. Most people portray themselves differently in a way that they themselves are comfortable with. So why, in such a "so-called" accepting world do people still show their stereotypical views against people who are different than them? The latest fad-rush is tattoos and piercing. Although they are a recurring trend, people tend to base their opinion on them as being a result of, or a way of portraying unruly behaviour and a possible plea to prove superiority. However, this is not always the case. These body modifications or body mods may simply be a form of expressing one's individuality, their artistic sense or even just their unique style. They are also not a recently introduced trend but one that has been prevailing since ages for various reasons. These add-ons can also be a result of significant influences and/or pressures to conform.
Self-expression is something that is encouraged, valued and also respected in most cases. It is a way of improving one's self-esteem, confidence and mental strength. Different people have different ways to accomplish this self-esteem level on Maslow's hierarchy. Some may choose to listen and promote their favoured genre of music and some may choose to dress in a certain way, while others may think of getting body mods such as tattooing their skin or piercings their eyebrows. These add-ons are ways in which one could be expressing their identity and unique sense of style that distinctly separates them from the mob. Tattoo artists also consider it an unusual and interesting way to have their art on display, which the tattoo clients exhibit with pride. Moreover, they are a means by which one expresses their character. For example, a middle-aged woman tattoos a yin-yang across her arm above the elbow to show she is a balanced individual and believes in the symbolic meaning of the yin-yang, or a young mid-20's man with 4 piercings on each of his ears holding earrings that carry also symbolic meanings. It is a way to give a stranger an impression of who you really are. Unfortunately the society chooses to believe otherwise.
Tattoos and piercings are not things that have recently evolved. Long before the past few generations, they have existed for various cultural, communal and political reasons. Many tattooed or pierced themselves in order to worship their god(s), mostly at rituals and religious events. This, they believed was a strong way to portray their devotion to the gods. Relevant to the culture, people believed piercing certain parts of your body such as the ears, nose and tongue, extenuated one's beauty, specifically a woman's. Piercings and tattoos were also made to differentiate status in the community. For example: - The head of a city or village would have a different piercing or tattoo as opposed to a merchant working in the village. It was a way to differentiate position in a hierarchy. Groups also tattooed themselves to separate themselves from other groups. Since, the early had no verbal or written communication, it can be deduced that they used symbols to convey messages and some of these symbols would have eventually made it onto their skins.
Tattoos and piercings could also be results of major influences and conformity. Many today get themselves tattooed to portray a special emotional and sentimental value the tattoo would have on them. In many parts of the world, one tattoos his/her lover's name. Influences can vary from a significant event to significant person in their lives. For example, a victim of the 911 blasts could have the numbers "911" tattooed across his or her arm. A Linkin Park tattoo would represent one's love for the rock band and their music. Lost love, lost pet, favourite fruit, interest in a certain culture, all of these could be the influences for which someone would decide to get a tattoo or a piercing. Another major influence would be the media. In today's world, the media plays a large part in one's personal opinion. With so many ideas and views being put forth, there are many to support each side. Therefore, images of people with tattoos and piercings are also being accepted and also promoted on the media. This leads people to thinking it's the "in" thing in fashion or style and follow to get them as well. Most celebrities these days have piercings, tattoos and even both. Hence, individuals who idolize or looks up to these celebrities are influenced into following the image that person portrays. If one is in an environment where people with tattoos and piercings are abundant, he or she might be pressured into conforming to that image to "fit in". Peer pressure and bullying are also reasons to which one would choose to pierce or tattoo themselves.
In today's world, people should try harder to have an open mind and dig into things a little more before they form solid opinions on matters. Tattoos and piercings are not always as people believe results of "high-risk" and inconsistent behaviours, but rather results of self-expression tactics and personal values. Of course, there are those who insanely tattoo and pierce themselves just to get their pictures printed in the "Guinness" or "Ripley's".
My main concern with this essay is that there is a lot of uncited information here, opening the door to plagiarism concerns as well as sound research issues. Make sure that you are documenting where you are finding your information, as without it your essay is much weaker.
