Tattoos

Tattoos are essentially drawings done in ink on the skin, well in the skin actually. The skin is punctured partway into the dermis by needles or other such sharp objects, then a form of pigment, usually ink, is applied to the skin and allowed to sink into the tiny wounds.

Dating back to about 3300 BC on Ötzi the Iceman, tattoos have been prevalent in many cultures. Needles have been made out of bamboo, other plants, human and animal bones, and metal; pigments were generally made of organic materials in ancient times—ashes were often used to create black, plants were used to produce colors. Today tattoos are done with metal needles or groups of needles soldered together, and pigments are inks manufactured specifically for tattoos. Instead of the painstaking of making individual needle pricks by hand, machines are used to puncture the skin 80-150 times per minute.

Meanings differ from person to person, and from ancient forms to today’s. Now each tattoo on someone has a special story or meaning, representing things like family, favorites, quotes to live by, or loved ones. In the ancient world, however, tattoos were used often to show status—some cultures would tattoo slaves or criminals, others would tattoo leaders or warriors. Then tattoos had a more evident reason (status), whereas they are currently entirely personal works of art and expression. With this move towards personalization, there are many idiotic tattoos rife with misspellings, bad grammar, and poor design.