Tribal Tats

Tattoos these days have become more of a body modification “just because” and less of a message, as they were when I was growing up.  When I got my first tattoo, I got it because I had recently turned 18 and I wanted something that was going to stick with me for the rest of my life as a reminder of my youth.  I wanted something that said something about me and the way I tried to live my life, something that would remind me every day that this was the way to be.  It’s just a little Japanese lettering that says “enjoy one’s self”, but that’s how I try and live my life.  Be optimistic, enjoy yourself, have fun and be happy.  Of course, now I would like to have it covered up with something else since, when I was 18, I was dating a crazy girl and I would like to forget her.
ANYWAY, my point is this – there are more and more tattoos popping up on teenagers and young adults that have no meaning.  What do you think is the purpose of that guy in the picture’s shark tattoo?  Maybe he’s trying to explain to everyone why he’s missing part of his arm?  Did a shark take it?  Maybe he just thinks it looks cool?  If a shark did take it, does he really need a constant reminder when he looks in the mirror?  You would think the missing portion of his left arm would be reminder enough. Maybe he likes sharks and it fit well with the design of his arm.  Who knows the reason?  One has to wonder, though, why people might get random ink placed on their bodies when it doesn’t really have any deep meaning to them.  I personally would not want a “fad” tattoo on me, knowing that I might want it removed in a few years when I grow bored with it.  Sure, there are tattoo removal methods all over the place now, more so than when I got my first tattoo.  Still, those methods are far from painless and they can be very expensive as well.  For my tattoo “removal”, I am just going to have it covered by another tattoo, one that also has meaning but one that is more up-to-date according to my life.  As to when it will happen, there is no telling.  It’s not high up there on my list of priorities or things to spend money on.

I suppose if tattoos were free, like if I knew someone who did them, I might consider getting something “just because” in an area that I don’t have to look at constantly.  Maybe some random lizard or gecko on the bottom of my foot, like I stepped on it.  Or, maybe something else random that could have any number of meanings.  Whoever is looking at it can decide for themselves what they think it means.  Over time, I could have quite a few different descriptions to give people who ask me what it means, just by using other’s meanings as my own.

Originally posted here: 
What do YOU think it means?

I would say it is rare to see someone engaging in severe body modifications that does not already have a tattoo or three.  When I say severe body mods I am talking about suspensions, pierced nipples, and pierced nose bridges like the guy in this picture, hooks and rings pierced into their back, things of that nature.  Maybe pierced nipples are not “extreme” but you get the point.

What I am wondering is, like with drugs when people say alcohol or marijuana is a gateway to more dangerous and harmful drugs, could the adrenaline rush from getting multiple tattoos lead to someone wanting more of an adrenaline rush so they go try hanging from a ceiling by giant fish hooks in their back skin?  Not that the hooks are anymore harmful or dangerous than tattoos, it’s just a thought.

Some people have gone so far as to have rings installed under the skin of their back so that when they are ready to be suspended, they can do so by having ropes or chains hooked to the rings in their back, rather than have to be pierced again.

Other interesting body mods might be implanted magnets under the fingertips so that one becomes more sensitive to the magnetic forces around us, kind of giving the person a sixth sense, and not the one where you can see dead people.

Still, I don’t believe I have seen anyone that was heavy into bodymods who did not also have a tattoo though I have seen people with tattoos that were not into other body modifications.  They chose to only have a few tattoos.  No piercing, no metal installations under the skin, no giant fish hooks.
Would it be ok to assume that the pain associated with tattoos is the reason behind someone enjoying the pain of the body modifications?  Pain can release endorphins in the brain which can lead to a euphoric feeling or a mental high.  Once the pain is gone, there is nothing left but the memory, or in this case what’s left is the tattoo or the holes from the hooks.  Where tattoos are concerned, you can only get that euphoric feeling by getting a new tattoo and you can only get as many tattoos as you have room on your body.  With body modifications and suspension, you could possibly do it over and over, never running out of a method to cause yourself pain and suffering.

While that is all well and good, depending on your point of view, it has to make you wonder exactly what else there could be for people who yearn for such things as the pain from a tiny needle imbedding ink into your skin.  Perhaps, if they were to run out of room on their body for tattoos, they could have a tattoo traced with a tattoo gun and an empty needle.  Or they could have one spot on their body recolored over and over and over again, in the same place, for endless tattoo options.

Original post:
Tattoos are gateway body mods