ENG 104 A
Professor Hoffman
26 September, 2014 The Significance of Tattoos Doodles of skulls and flowers or significant works of art? Tattoos often times give people a negative image of others. Despite the message or meaning behind them, some people without them find tattoos to be unprofessional and inappropriate. Permanent body art can be inappropriate in certain settings; especially if they reference profanity, racial, sexist, or obscene thoughts. People are sensitive to those subjects and judge others impartially. Tattoos should not be a deciding factor in an interview or position for a job because tattoos should not measure one’s capability of doing work. I believe tattoos are appropriate because they are an outlet for personal expression’, and ,in addition to being meaningful, they sometimes serve a practical purpose. Hans Hofmann, Pablo Picasso, and Van Gogh are all artists with signature and elaborate styles of painting. They neither conformed to “normal” styles, nor painted “inside the lines”. These famous artists had specific styles that were unique only to themselves. They were portrayals of how they were feeling at the time. Hans Hofmann's style of repeated shapes and bright colors, Pablo Picasso’s cubism style and Van Gogh’s Starry Night, are all individualized pieces of art very similar to tattoos. Tattoos are less commonly seen as artwork on one’s body and more often seen as symbols of being in a band, someone on drugs or a delinquent. Tattoos tell a story about a person’s life and struggles and triumphs. In Tattoos Tell my Real Story, David Paul Strohecker wrote. “Tattoos are one of the best means of expression. Photos in homes and the families we come from are rarely seen by others. Tattoos can be seen by all and tell a story. “We are often asked to declare our identity for documents, applications, bank loans and even social networking sites. But how much of our identity is lost when we select "female," "African-American" or "Muslim?””. People’s identity is not just where they come from or their sex, it is how they choose to express themselves and how they choose to be seen by the world and their peers. Jobs such as artists, writers, rock stars, photographers, and entertainers are careers that are accepting of tattoos. Dance is most commonly thought of when someone mentions a career in which tattoos are not permitted. However, tattoos are becoming more and more accepted in today’s culture. According to “Body Image: Are Tattoos Taboo?” (An article in Dance Magazine), Fabio Tavares, a performer for the STREB dance company says, "In some cases, choreographers want to show the tattoos. Only one time was I required to cover a tattoo, and I think it had more to do with the character in the piece than the choreographer's preference”. Most people judge on these professions ability on one’s ability to do their work, not by the marks on their bodies. Some people even find their tattoos to be a trademark or representation of themselves Tattoos are used for more than just art