National Tattoo Day on July 17th recognizes the history, culture, and artists dedicated to etching ink permanently on the skin. The day might just be the date to get that ink you’ve been contemplating.
Evidence of humans marking their bodies with permanent designs has existed for thousands of years. Egyptian and ice mummies reveal several forms of religious and status symbols.
- The word “tattoo” is derived from the Polynesian language for tatau, which means “to tap or to mark.”
- In the United States, sailors brought tattooing to coastal shores from their island exploits.
- Getting inked continues to grow as technology and acceptance increase. While age, gender, religion, and class once divide the tattooed from the non-tattooed, those barriers are less common than they used to be. The reasons why we go under the needle differ, too.
- A tattoo may represent a significant event or hold intensely personal meaning.
- However, some people do get tattoos on a whim.
- Research and find a reputable artist. Remember, this art is permanent. You will want a polished finished piece with no regrets – that is, no regrets.
- Check spelling. Fact check. If you use a foreign word or a quote in your design, research the meaning and check the spelling. The same applies to symbols.
- In Egypt, women were the primary canvas for tattoos and they were used for all purposes you can imagine. From indications of religion and status, or as punishment, and even to help the healing process.
- In China tattoos were largely held to be a practice of barbarism, and are frequently associated with folk heroes and criminals, an association brought into practice when men who were convicts would have the kanji for “criminal” tattooed on their face.
- According to a survey, more women than men in the US have tattoos. A new poll released by the Oxygen Network and Lightspeed research purports that 59 percent of women have tattoos compared to only 41 percent of men.
- A research study taking place in dermatology offices in several states, found that more women than men choose to remove their tattoos. When women were asked about why they had decided to get rid of their ink, the most common responses were; social stigma and pressure, embarrassment, or a new job/career.
- In combination with coal dust, urine was sometimes used to mix tattoo ink, as it was believed to hold antiseptic properties. The tattoo ink we commonly use consists of pigments combined with a carrier, with additional add in’s ranging from Listerine, to Kettle One vodka, to help assist with sterilization.
- Your skin is pierced 50 to 3000 times per minute by a tattoo machine.
- The oldest discovered proof of tattooing dates back to 3250 BC. The oldest known tattoos were discovered on the well-preserved body of a man nicknamed “Ötzi”, who was found beneath a glacier in the Alps. His body displayed over 60 different tattoos, composed mainly of simple dot and line designs, and created using carbon ink.
- In 1891 the first electric tattoo machine was created, gaining inspiration from Thomas Edison’s electric pen. The inventor of the first tattoo machine was Samuel O’Reilly, who added needles and an ink reservoir to the design.
- Psychology Today reports that a recent study has concluded that people with tattoos are more likely to be “experience seekers”. This recent study has determined that people who choose to get tattooed tend to lean towards non-conforming lifestyles, enjoying adventures pertaining to the mind and senses, and preferring low-risk novel experiences.
- “Tattoo” is one of the most commonly misspelled words in the English language.
- 23% of people regret their tattoos, with the biggest regret being a tattooed name.
- States with the highest percentage of tattoo discrimination are South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Florida. States with the most tattoo-friendly public opinion are Montana, Colorado, and California.
- The part of the body tattooed the most among women is the ankle area. Among men, the most common spot is the arm.
- In the United States, Miami has the most tattoo shops, with about 24 shops for 100,000 people. The city with the least is Salina, Kansas, with 2 shops for every 100,000 people.
- Before Rowland Macy founded his Macy’s department store, he spent time on the seas as a whaler. During his time whaling, he had a star tattoo that helped guide him and this tattoo would later be the inspiration for the logo of his company.
- There are a bunch of Presidents who were tattooed. Theodore Roosevelt had his family crest on his chest, Andrew Jackson had a tomahawk on his inner thigh, and James Polk had Chinese characters. Other leaders who were tattooed were Czar Nicholas II and even Winston Churchill.
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