People get tattoos for a number of reasons. In today’s world, a lot of tattoos have personal meanings for people. according to Roberts, there is a difference in people that have tattoos and tattooed people. Tattooed people have tattoos in places that are often difficult to hide and they are more likely what the person truly feels or believes. Where as a person with tattoos tends to have a few tats that are easily hidden and portray what the person sees himself as but is not a direct portrayal of that person as a whole.
I looked to political figures who are famous for having tattoos. I found none. This is because, tattoos have had a stigma in the United States for a long time as a portrayal of someone who is either deviant or has some mental issues. neither of these portrayals is particularly beneficial in a politician. At least not in today’s age.
In today’s world, especially within today’s “Youth”, I don’t see tattoos as a seriously negative stigma. Sure there are the select few people who have neck tattoos or face tattoos that basically are branding themselves as deviants, but in general, tattoos are far more positively received today that they were say 20 years ago.
Therefore, I see tattoos becoming less and less of marks of deviance in the future. Even as far as politics goes. In the future, i think and i hope that politics are more focused on true issues and personal responsibilities than they are on appearance or stigmas. It’s getting close but we aren’t there yet. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a moderately tattooed person running for political office in the near future.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ist/?next=/history/tattoos-144038580/
Tattoo Therapy: Storying the Self on Reality TV in Neoliberal Times By: Woodstock, Louise, Journal of Popular Culture, 00223840, August 1, 2014, Vol. 47, Issue 4
By: Roberts, Derek John; Journal of American Culture, 2012 June; 35 (2): 153-165. (journal article) ISSN: 1542-7331; 1542-734X (electronic); Sequence number: 2012-9-3728 Accession number: 2012381598