Are tattoos still taboo today? According to the American Heritage Dictionary taboo is a noun that means a ban attached to something by social customs. Tattoos for centuries were taboo in several cultures as a social aspect of our lives. In early cultures tattoos represented some sort of religious denotation. Sometimes it showed rank within a tribe. In New Zealand, tattoos were often given to people as a sign of adulthood. The early method tattooing was taking a bone of an animal and sharpening it to a point. A series of ink would be produced from plants around the area and the person being tattooed would endure an intense painful tattooing session. The tattoo artist would take the needle and pound it with a hammer into the body part, normally the face. To cry or make noise during this session would be a sin and would denounce you as an adult. The Japanese also used a series of needles and some sort of hammering to tattoo warriors. Dragons were used for protection. There are several icons that were used for power and protection in every culture.

Today the mystical process of getting a tattoo is rarely there. People go and do it for fun. Some choose signs and symbols of their heritage and get it tattooed as some kind of ethical meaning. Some get memorial tattoos in honor of fallen family members or friends, especially in the military. Some get tattoos of their significant other’s names and then have to get it removed or reworked because they break up later. Tattoos in America at first were only on the bad boys of America. Prison inmates, military personnel, bikers. It showed strength and attitude. It’s just a fashion statement today. People get pierced and tattooed to decorate their bodies while we still have access to our bodies.

In my family, the women on my mom’s side are tattooed. I have 3 aunts on my mom side. One aunt has about 12, the other has 5, and the last has 2. My mom has about 6 or 7. My grandma started at the age of 73 and she has 5. She is now 75. I have 2 tattoos. I always wanted a tattoo since I could remember because my aunts had them. I was always fascinated by the process and the colors. My first tattoo was a gift for my 18th birthday last year. We go to a little tattoo parlor where the woman has tattooed my aunts, my mom, and grandmother. I was the third generation in the seat. My first tattoo was the one on my left shoulder blade of a dragon. I am completely crazy about dragons. I always drew them as a kid and then I saw the last episode of Xena: Warrior Princess. Gabrielle got this huge dragon tattoo on her back and I was convinced. My first tattoo would be a dragon and it will be on my back. Well, not my whole back…but it will be on my shoulder. And there it is, on my shoulder. My second tattoo is a Celtic spiral. The women in my family have several Celtic tattoos-spirals, triangles, claddagh, knots, crosses, you name it…it’s probably on one of them. My mom and I got the same tattoo on the same part of our left arm. I read it was given to students of the Druid faith upon completion of 7 years of study. It meant they could practice and lead ceremonies. I thought well, it would be awesome since I’m going to college and I somehow graduated Catholic High School. My girlfriend went with me, and I never seen her that pale before.

I’m not going to lie, it hurts to a point. There’s blood, there’s oozing, there’s nastiness. You have to wear a bandage for 2 hours following the tattooing. You take it off (which sometimes hurts more than the tattooing itself), and then you have to put cream on it so it stays moist and pretty. Oh, and it scabs just like a normal cut. In fact you have to wash it often to remove the build up. That can get pretty nasty. It hurts a few nights especially on your arm if you sleep on your side. It feels funny on your skin because its technically an abrasion on the skin. And it gets red. But it means something to me than just a fashion statement. I find that you probably meet 9 out of 10 people who have tattoos. I don’t think it’s a taboo anymore. It’s just another social custom that everyone wants to be a part of.

I’m working on getting a few more this year. I’m getting my Girl Scout pin tattooed to my chest where it would be placed on clothing. I’m also thinking of getting a trumpet tattoo somewhere and another dragon on my other shoulder. This one will be wrapped around a Celtic Cross. I often joke about getting a portrait of Joan of Arc in the middle of my back and my girlfriend just rolls her eyes at me. I would love to have that but I don’t want to get too crazy. However, once you go under the needle, you are really hooked and you can’t wait to go back and get more. It’s my body and I want the signs and pictures on me to mean something. It’s part of who I am…