INK’D UP

The History of Tattoos STORY BY JACOB AROMY :: sports manager

or centuries, people have been using body art to express themselves in their own unique way. Throughout the years, tattoos have grown artistically diverse. Nowadays, we see tattoos in all shapes, colors, and sizes. Along with the visual aspect, the meanings behind tattoos vary from person to person. Some are symbolic, some represent a close relationship, and some are a regretful mistake. Most people mentally prepare and plan for this experience for months, while others decide to get one overnight. Tattoos tend to have a negative connotation associated with them, but not all tattoos are bad.

In 1991, Europe’s oldest human mummy was found in the Otzal Alps. His body had a total of 61 tatoos dating back to around 3100 BC. This opened up the gate to finding many other mummies with inked imprints on their skin, confirming the commonality of ancient tattoo rituals. Beginning in the 1500s, Native Americans then used tattoos as a part of tribal traditions. It wasn’t until the 19th century that tattoos were viewed as an art form someone could receive simply for themselves. For the first half of the 20th F century, tattoos were more commonly found on sailors or circus performers, and remained a taboo topic. This stayed consistent until the '70s when body art started becoming more of a mainstream practice. This popularity initiated from popular bands and artists in the rock scene at the time. At the end of the 1900s, people like Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Ed Hardy, and Pamela Anderson all inspired the future of modern tattoos.

Tattoos are definitely not all fun and games. In the state of Texas, it is illegal to get a tattoo under the age of 18, with or without your parents’ permission. But in other states, tattoos are available to teens at earlier ages. For example, in Idaho as long as you have parent permission, you can get one at 14 years old.

In the end, it’s important to take proper precautions and be smart about your decision to get a tattoo. Tattoos are a beautiful thing when executed the proper way like when representing a special hobby, or honoring a relative’s passing. The possibilities for body art are endless — and for that, tattoos should be appreciated much more than they are today.Dylan Gomez (12th),

JOSHUA HEERSSEN “As a lighting designer, color is my strongsuit in design. It's a great way of showing emotion or mood on stage. Every director has their vision that they want to put on stage and mine has always been based on color. For that reason, having the venn diagram of primary and secondary colors tattooed on my forearm has been a great way to show my love for colors in directing, while also using it as a teaching tool.”

BRIGID ARD “My sister and I have wanted to get matching tattoos since I was 15. Because of our Irish heritage, we both decided to get Celtic knots, which represents sisterhood. We are very close, so we wanted to get something special to greatly represent our relationship and familial bond. It is my first tattoo, and I would love to get a couple more that mean a lot to me.”

DYLAN GOMEZ “So, this tattoo is the first letter of the names of each person in my family. I got it because we have always been really tight and are always there for each other, and they all have made me who and what I am today. This tattoo is basically a reminder of that. My mom also has the exact same one on her side.”

DAVID POLLACK “In March 2007, during the Klein Relays track meet, I told my team that if we won state, I would get it tattooed on me. At the time, our kids were good, but had not run state championship level times. However, two months after that, we won state and set a national record in the 4x200 meter relay. I got the tattoo just a week later.”