Fashion
changes pretty quickly. Those flat ankle boots you got last winter now seem
frumpy and safe compared to the studded heels that are all the rage now. Your trusty
trapper hat has been disregarded in favour of an obscenity-emblazoned snapback
(or baseball cap, if you’re as old as me) and that t-shirt bearing the name of
that metal band you loved a year ago…who wants that now there’s a new Obey
offering up for grabs? There are thousands of examples of trends coming and
going, with some, thankfully, disappearing as quickly as they first burst onto
the scene (hammertime pants, anyone?), but that’s part of the fun of it.
See, when it comes to fashion, clothes and accessories are the parts that don’t
really matter all that much because they don’t have lasting implications. A
massive orange puffa jacket will be welcomed into Oxfam along with your old
acid-washed jean shorts and those horrible Creepers that were never a good
idea.
Hairstyles get a bit more serious when the fashion tide turns. Who wants to be
left with a neon-striped Mohawk when trend dictates it’s all about lengthy
curls? Not to mention the hundreds of girls left cursing the day they ever
deemed an undercut to be the height of sophistication. Unwanted colours and
wacky styles take a bit more time and effort to bin than a trip to the local
charity shop, but eventually they can be rectified and the current mop du jour
can be applied to your bonce in due time.
But what about the trends that come around and leave permanent, sometimes
unwanted, reminders of your wasted youth? Tattoos a-plenty is what’s en vogue
these days, with everyone claiming to love body art and masses of youngsters
aspiring to be tattooists. It doesn’t matter that the majority of these folk
were rocking grandparent chic two months ago, before abruptly deciding they’re
now the hardest of the core, and produce ‘drawings’ akin to a blindfolded
primary school child. It’s like the good old days of MySpace, when every
camera-phone-toting scenester proclaimed they were photographers.
Unlike those faux-tographers, the army of LA Ink-inspired wannabes are dabbling
in an altogether more permanent world. Tattoos are for life, everyone knows
that, so you might as well get a good one and go to an actual artist for your
work, which seems to be the concept that so many people are choosing to ignore.
The Quality vs. Quantity argument is very apt in today’s fashion-driven world,
with many teenagers choosing to get as much coverage from head to toe before
they hit their mid-twenties. Unfortunately the vast majority of these people
are going to useless tattooists and coming out with sleeves, chestpieces and
throats covered in, well, shit.
Sadly with the trend of tattoos has come the attitude that more is best,
regardless of how well done they are. Status has become attached to the
quantity of tattoos a person has, with heavily-tattooed men being messiahs of
sexiness, even if they’re covered in diabolical work, whilst guys with one or
two pieces of spot-on work are overlooked simply because they aren’t covered.
Surprisingly, tattoos can make people seem irresistible, point in case Mitch
Lucker. He’s not attractive and his band haven’t done anything good since 2009,
yet he’s heralded as being amazing and awesome and oh-so-gorgeous because he
has tattoos. The most re-blogged and followed girls on Tumblr have stacks and
stacks of tattoos; Radeo Suicide has some beyond questionable pieces but she’s
the poster girl for hot, sexy chicks with ink!
Too much emphasis is put on tattoos, and people are being heralded as deities
for no real purpose. Non-tattooed folk aren’t worth a thing to some people,
which is pretty ironic because they’re usually the ones who get whingy for
being treated different for being tattooed. It works both ways. No-one is
better than anybody else, tattooed or not.
The status needs to be taken away from tattoos and people need to realise that,
while it seems like the most important thing in the world right now, as you
grow up it becomes a lot more different in regards to peoples’ perceptions.
I often wonder if the thousands of youngsters who are dazzled by this lifestyle
really understand how having tattoos can affect the day-to-day aspects of life.
People will stare. Constantly. And not even try to pretend they’re not. There’ll
be unfair judgement, hassle from employers, presumptions made and, to the
extreme, even unwarranted physical abuse.
On the outside it’s harmless body expression, and it’s fantastic that people
feel comfortable enough to be able to express themselves. But tattoos are a
current trend; another bandwagon that’s becoming more and more full by the day.
What happens when the people on that wagon get bored like they have done with
every other trend they’ve jumped on? Is the NHS going to foot the bill for
laser surgery on all the unwanted tattoos across the nation?
This post (as well as the one about Easy money) really had me thinking...image is everything no matter where you go. I find it interesting how a person's body image, especially when it is something they altered, can change the way people perceive them. In some cultures, skin branding and tattoo-like markings are a positive thing while in others it can be looked down upon. This is all very obvious though, but I think the main idea that I find intriguing is that you are calling it more of a trend instead of a choice. Most people where I'm from (in the States) would consider getting a tattoo more of a choice rather than a fashionable thing to do. People who get a large amount of them aren't necessarily considered to be trend-setters either, simply people with a ton of tattoos and whatever other assumptions come along with such an image.
ReplyDeleteWhat your piece really brings to mind is how some people use tattoos as a way to deliberately change the perception people have about them. For example, there are a lot of music artists who start out tattoo and piercing-free when they are trying to appeal to a younger audience/parents providing the money to buy their stuff, only to later "grow up" and become edgier to appeal to a more mature audience. They do this simply by getting visible tattoos and piercings. The main public figure I can think of is the infamous Chris Brown who started out squeaky clean, beat up a woman, than quickly covered himself in tattoos which ended up giving him an edgier look that matched his now "bad boy" image. It's interesting that you mention how some music artists have not contributed much, but it's their tatted up image that keeps people engaged in their existence; I feel like this is the same with some stars here in the US, it's almost like they do it just to remain relevant yet, they disregard the permanent nature of what they've done. I guess that figures in the case of people like Chris Brown because after he beat the shit out of Rihanna, he forever scarred his career.
I know this was super long, but I like writing and I really appreciate it when someone puts out quality content so I like to try (at least TRY) to give a quality response.
Following.
-Ezi
ikintoo.blogspot.com
Wow, first of all let me preface this reply with an apology of how long it's taken to actually respond. Here's to shitty internet that never works!
ReplyDeleteSecondly, thankyou for actually taking the time out to write that. I couldn't agree more with everything you said, and am pleased to learn that tattoos aren't so much of a fashion statement where you are. Hopefully it stays that way, otherwise there are going to be a lot of pissed adults in 30 years' time. That's the kind of spiel I hate getting, but I've sort of given myself that allowance because I don't get my body art to try and impress people haha!
As for Chris Brown, well, what a guy. And not in a good way. Numerous times I've contemplated putting my thoughts down about him but I can't make 'he's a total douchebag' into a credible or cohesive piece yet. I understand the link you've made with him and his tattoos though, and it was something my partner and I were talking about not too long ago. Remember the cute little guy in The OC who looked like butter wouldn't melt? Considering how he's behaved it seems like any 'normal' person would want to go back to that, instead of courting his rebellion as if he's proud of it.
Who knows what's going through his mind?!
Again though, thankyou for the feedback. It was a lovely response and is nice to read something that you've obviously put a lot of thought into. I really do appreciate it.
xo