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Mark "Hemi" Wieden, Beeline Tattoo tattoo artist, shows off his arms tattoss. Wieden has worked in Beeline Tattoo for about a year and a half.

Tattoos more than trend, UA research shows

By: Jaclyn Johnson

Posted: 1/18/08

Tattooing is more than just a popular trend, a UA researcher said.

Over the past 50 years, tattooing has significantly increased in popularity. At least one-third of men and women between 18 and 25 have a tattoo, according to the 2006 Generation Next Study by the Pew Research Center.

Although tattoos are considered an act of self-expression, they are far removed from others such as clothing, hairstyles and piercings, researchers said.

Tattoos are permanent, customizable and break down the separation between the body and the consumable item, said Anne M. Velliquette, Deborah J. Ever and Jeff B. Murray, a UA marketing professor. They coauthored an article, "Inscribing the Personal Myth: The Role of Tattoos in Identification," which was published in Research in Consumer Behavior, Volume 10.

Through interviews with seven people of varied lifestyles, ages and backgrounds, the researchers came to understand how tattoos aid in what they referred to as "identity construction," according to the article.

Some of the studied people began getting tattoos as a way to cope with and control the grief from the deaths of spouses or parents. One subject used tattoos as a way to create the identity he wished he had as a child and to appear tough and void of vulnerability. He later felt regret for his decisions and felt as if he was living a double life.

Identity construction is the making of meaning in one's life through the "creation and sharing of the stories of the self," which are then compiled to form a "personal myth," according to the article.

A personal myth generally follows one of two paths, according to the article. The first is of redemption in which the person is going through a time, when their life changes from a bad to good emotional experience. In opposition to this is the turning or changing point known as contamination in which one's life changes from a positive experience to a negative one.

No matter the reason for getting a tattoo, it doesn't take long to spot someone with one on the UA campus.

A recently obtained vibrantly colored sun with an inscription marks the inner forearm of junior Samantha Wempe.

A phrase she found inscribed on a church in Greece inspired the tattoo she designed, Wempe said. The tattoo was based on sentimental value gained from her experiences in Greece. The sun outlines the inscription and was chosen because it is bright and cheerful, she said.

Another assertion of the rising popularity of tattoos, according to the consumer behavior article, is the introduction of the tattooed Mattel Barbie.

Introduced in 1999, according to an August 2001 article by the BBC, the Barbie became an immediate controversy to many parents who said the doll, sporting a butterfly tattoo on her stomach, was too edgy for their children.

How others respond to someone else's tattoo can also affect the personal myth, be it either positively reinforcing the person's beliefs or reacting negatively by causing the person to doubt or become ashamed of what they believe, according to the article. As a result, one's identity is not only created by one's self, but also by the responses of others and how those responses are perceived.

Tattoos have a 5,000 year history, according to National Geographic. Captain James Cook is credited for the naming of the tattoo, and the U.S.'s translation comes from the word tatau, meaning to inscribe a mark onto the body, according to a Dec. 2004 article in the magazine.

Despite the stories that can be told through the form of tattoos and the significance they may hold to the owner, tattoos are sometimes not allowed on employees at large and competitive companies. The UA has various policies, such as in the nursing school and other programs, which require students to cover all visible tattoos.