People have been getting tattooed for thousands of years. In fact, historians have found ancient Egypt tattooed mummies. Nevertheless in western world the ones that got tattoed were pirates, convicted people and even soldiers (with the tipical tattoo 'Mother's love'). This was a symbol of social membership of this groups. Moreover, nazis used tattooes to class prisonners in the concentration camps.
Nowadays things have gone further. Pop art and pop music has made tattooes a symbol of distinction or a way of complaint. Singers, football players and celebrities were the first of being tattoed. Mass society and more precisely fans want to look like their leaders.
There are different reasons for which people get tattoed. One could be the importance of appearance, to make a difference or to become fashionable. And if we go deeper there are some people who think that the body is like a temple where your creativity and your personnality can be depicted. To sum up getting tatooed has turned nowadays in something trivial.
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| The football player David Beckham showing his tatoos |
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| The singer Amy Winehouse a symbol for pop music showing his tattoos |
Why do young people join gangs?
All the gangs are not the same. Their rituals, people they target change from gang to gang. Whereas the reasons of joining gangs are often the same. To joing a gang or a group means that you are not social isolated because to be part of that group means in some way to exist so you are accepted and you become 'cool' sometimes related to peer pressure. Usually, people who joing gangs have lived in a difficult environment with domestic violence in their homes so they have a desire of being protected. This idea is related to a need of food or money and maybe a lack of parent supervision.
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| Latino gang member proud of his tattoos. That is to say that usually gang bangers wear tatoos |
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| Advertisement about Gang Life |
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| Advertisement about gang life |
What link can you see between both topics and the notion of power?
First of all we have seen that being tattoed has turned trivial in western society, because more and more people get tattoed. Whereas, it continues to be a symbol of a social membership and also it is something that makes you different from the rest. On the second part we have seen that young people joing gangs because of their difficulties on their homes, it is a desire of being protected but also it can be related to the idea of becoming cool.
All in all, on both topics we see an illustration of the notion of power very close. First of all we have the idea of identity, of being accepted on both cases. Getting tattoed means to record your identity through different forms of self-expression and within gaing a distinction of the mass society but being accepted in some cultural environments. Similarly, in the case of joining a gang there is always this idea of being part of a group, being accepted.
Moreover, the notion of progress can also be seen in this topics as the idea of being superior to the rest, being different or have more social influence in people because of tattoes or gangs.
All in all, on both topics we see an illustration of the notion of power very close. First of all we have the idea of identity, of being accepted on both cases. Getting tattoed means to record your identity through different forms of self-expression and within gaing a distinction of the mass society but being accepted in some cultural environments. Similarly, in the case of joining a gang there is always this idea of being part of a group, being accepted.
Moreover, the notion of progress can also be seen in this topics as the idea of being superior to the rest, being different or have more social influence in people because of tattoes or gangs.
Video tattoo covered makeup:
The man with more tattoos in the world
OK Natalia.
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