In Japan
and the United States, tattoos face an uphill battle of acceptance. Even the most artistically and culturally
revered tattoos are still considered taboo in many social circles. However, the general perception of tattooing
as an art form differs. In Japan, those
who appreciate tattoos see them as high forms of art, relating strongly back to
Japanese culture and tradition. That
being said, the stigma for tattooed women remains a dominating force. In the United States, particularly for women,
having a tattoo is rarely associated with any positivity, as they are typically
labeled promiscuous or esoteric in a negative way.
Given the
uphill battles Japanese tattoos face for public acceptance, those who do
embrace it appreciate the close ties to Japanese culture. Tattoo culture was born in Japan during the
period of woodblock printing and kabuki.
Horiyoshi III, one of the most renowned Japanese tattoo artists, has his
own antique room with a lot of influence from the aforementioned periods. Horiyoshi III draws a lot of his inspiration
from his antiques, by putting double entendres and humor into his pieces. In essence, one needs to be fully immersed in
Japanese culture to understand and appreciate the tattoos. This direct lineage to culture and tradition
makes the tattoo experience, for those who look past the social faux pas of
having one, a really enriching art form.
Those who
embrace tattoo culture in Japan also embrace the role of an outsider that comes
with it. However, Japan remains very
patriarchal at its core. The nuclear
family is still very much revered and gender inequality still exists. The eldest male in a family is the alpha
male, and has businesses passed down to him.
For this reason, there are very few female tattoo artists in Japan. Women who get tattoos, for these reasons, are
often extremely frowned upon. Many
tattoo pieces in Japan are extensive, and cover most of the body. However, a tiny tattoo or a gigantic tattoo
on a woman will garner the same reaction, and that reaction will seldom be
positive.
In the
United States, the reaction towards heavily tattooed women is similar. The definition of “heavily
tattooed” is fairly arbitrary, as
perception is reality. The same problem
does not really exist for men. Although tattoos
are still not entirely embraced, men are not stopped or gawked at to the same
degree for similar tattoos. Essentially,
if a woman has a number of visible tattoos, it becomes immensely difficult for
them to go about their daily business, as they become a spectacle. A trip to the mall suddenly turns into an
invitation for strangers to gawk at women, or even approach them, touch their
tattoos, and make rude or inquisitive remarks about them.
Social context plays a big role in
the interactions that heavily tattooed women have. Some women are asked to cover their tattoos
by friends and family at familial gatherings.
In religious families, women feel shame from their parents for having
tattoos, and constantly struggle to feel accepted. When some women are shopping, they have other
customers or employees come up and ask them questions, either as a means of
over-compensation of acceptance, or questions of why they would get a tattoo.
Ultimately, having tattoos or being
in the tattoo industry is immensely difficult for women, both in Japan and in
the United States. Both cultures have a
tattoo culture that is struggling to be accepted by the mainstream. Even with Japanese tattoos having more of a
lineage to high art and tattoos in the United States not being as well
respected, neither country has truly had a breakthrough. However, women face that battle the
hardest. Whether that manifests by not
being granted tattoos, a job as a tattoo artist, or even having tattoos, women
are treated differently, and in many cases worse, for having any sort of
affiliation with tattoos. The tattoo
industry mirrors mainstream culture in this way, as women are often behind the
curve on earning the same respect and treatment for engaging in the same
activities as men.
No comments:
Post a Comment