For centuries there has been a stigma, buried in the skin of western idealists- and in the minds of the Jewish and Christian peoples- against what we have come to call tattooing. The stigma seems to be rooted in different aspects of ancient Mediterranean culture; more specifically, it finds its origin in ancient Greece and Rome. Among the first forms of tattooing is the branding of slaves, and branding was common practice by both the Greek and the Romans. A tattoo in ancient Greece meant that you were a slave; a tattoo in Rome meant that you were either a slave or a criminal (World Book 51). Does the theory that this view of tattooed people- the slaves and criminals, the lowest form of people- prevailed, even after the turn of the Roman Empire from polytheism to monotheism, seem so odd? The change in Mediterranean religion, from paganism to Christianity, occurred over a long period of time, and many ideas and philosophies were absorbed from the ancient cultures to make the transition go faster. These ideas seem to have included a cultural distaste for tattoos.

In Judaism, there is actually a Biblical passage specifically prohibiting marks on the body. Leviticus 19:28 states that: "Ye shall not make any cuttings on your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you." (Gilbert "Jews and Christians") In reality what this passage warns against is probably not tattoos, but it serves only to heighten the view that tattoos are sacrilegious among Christians and Jews. The idea behind the passage is that people wearing tattoos or body marks were not worshipping God; they were committing the deadly sin of idol worship. The passage was most likely directed at the Jew's neighbors, the Arabs, who routinely made marks on their body to show reverence for their own pagan gods. The Jewish view of tattooing- and the Arab view of tattooing, as culturally significant and positive- show not only conflict in an ancient era, but the roots of what would become a longstanding cultural conflict, and basis for discrimination in future decades.

Despite Jewish and Christian prejudices, the Arabs were not alone in their use of tattoos. All kinds of so-called "primitive" civilizations used tattoos to express culture; there were even some civilizations that used tattoos to express social status, or depict the great events in their lives. Polynesians, for example, covered their bodies so completely in tattoos that their appearance was shocking to European expansionists.

Enter Giolo, the world famous "Painted Prince." Taken from his home in the Philippines by slave-traders, and bought by an ex-pirate named William Daimer, Giolo became one of the first documented cases of a sideshow freak. He was called the "Painted Prince," because his body was covered almost entirely in tattoos. Daimer hoped that Giolo's shocking appearance would terrify people into giving him their money (Gilbert "Giolo"). Daimer's idea gave way to the reign of horror in entertainment, and became the founding philosophy for the world's first circuses. Unfortunately, Giolo died of small pox during his first visit to England (Gilbert "Giolo"), but the fear that Europeans had of Giolo's tattooed culture lived on. The point is that the fear the British had of Giolo stemmed from their religion- and their inherited cultural distaste for tattoos.

In the era of European expansionists, about the 18th century, sailors were perhaps the only people in Europe who adapted tattoos. Starting with the famous voyages of Captain James Cook, sailors began getting tattooed to show their nautical accomplishments ("Sailor Tattooing"). Captain Cook was the first explorer to set foot in Hawaii and New Zealand (Britannica 595-597); he claimed the entire eastern coast of Australia for the British flag. One of the first things Cook noticed about the Australian people was that they found tattoos beautiful. When Cook made the trip to Hawaii, he realized that the Australian people weren't alone; here was another culture, completely oblivious to the first, which also believed in the cultural significance of tattoos. The fact that both of these civilizations were completely independent of each other, never mind their culture or society, indicates that human beings must have some inherent fascination with tattoos.

Tattooing wasn't just restricted to western culture. In New Guinea, tattoos on young women were signs of beauty (World Book 51). In Japan, the same stigma against people with tattoos exists that is present in western European culture. The first written record of a tattooed man in Japanese culture is found in the story of Hamako, a young man who plotted rebellion against the ruler of the time. Instead of being sentenced to death, the decree was made that Hamako would spend the rest of his life covered in tattoos that represented his vile crimes (Gilbert "Japan"). Today, tattooed people in Japan aren't even allowed into water parks; the stigma that originated countless years ago in Japanese culture is still present centuries later. The only Japanese people tattooed now seem to be associated with the mafia, or the Yakuza. The stigma in the minds of men against body art is not solely limited to European culture; the stereotype has originated, however independent of western culture, in the east as well.

In the 1950's, Steve Allen, the founder and first host of the "Tonight Show," was tattooed on live television ("Father"). He hoped to gain viewers by subjecting himself to an art that was practiced, at that time, mostly by sailors, circus performers, and jail inmates. Perhaps this event, Steve Allen's four tiny dots ("Father"), was the beginning of a slow journey for tattooing into the American mainstream. In the earlier part of last century, America was still caught up in the ancient European stigma against tattooing, but today I believe that tattooing has become an accepted art form in society. Actually, the beginning of acceptable tattooing in America probably came as a result of WWII.

In 1909 the military passed an act that said naval recruits could not have what were considered obscene tattoos. Anyone with an obscene tattoo was given a chance to revise their tattoo; if they failed to revise it they were automatically denied admission to the navy. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor patriotism in America was so high that sailors went running to enlist. This meant that the men enlisting had to cover up their obscene tattoos. As Charlie Wagner, a New York City tattooist in the in the 1940's, said," For going on 50 years, I've been turning out tattooed ladies, most of them naked, and now all I do is cover them up." ("Sailor") The strange military code did a lot to erase obscene tattoos, and because tattoos weren't so obscene, Americans started to change their minds about them. Tattoos became pieces of artwork, and not marks of low social standing.

By the 1970's tattooing had become something that wasn't restricted to sailors, or inmates, or circus folk, but was practiced by rebellious youth in certain social circuits. As the tattooed youth came of age, tattoos became less and less risqué, and more and more people got them. Also, because of great advances made by tattoo artists in the sterilization and sanitation process, people felt safer from the spread of disease through needles. In America, it was a return to the view of tattooing held by Native Americans, of tattoos as positive things. What were symbols of courage and rank to the ancient Americans became symbols of beauty and individualism to the new Americans.

In every culture discussed, tattoos had some kind of practical use. Basically, in early civilization people used tattooing or scarification to label people. In some countries, the stigma was that people with tattoos were unintelligent criminals and paupers. The stigma still exists in countries today. In most devout Christian and Jewish families tattooing is still frowned upon; tattooed Japanese men are still prohibited from water parks, but the stereotype against tattooed people is dying in the west. In the last century tattoos became symbols of belonging, either to a specific ideology, or to a nation, and in the last decade tattoos have become a trend. It seems that now tattoos are viewed predominantly as things of beauty in European culture, works of art: the western stigma against tattooing has fallen.

Works Cited:
"The Father of Late Night" A History from A to Z. 2001. http://www.tattooarchive.com/history.html (19 October. 2001)

Gilbert, Stephen G. "Giolo" Tattoo History: A Source Book. 2001. http://tattoos.com/jane/steve/giolo.htm  (20 October. 2001)

Gilbert, Stephen G. "Japan" Tattoo History: A Source Book. 2001. http://tattoos.com/jane/steve/japan.htm  (20 October. 2001)

Gilbert, Stephen G. "Jews and Christians" Tattoo History: A Source Book. 2001. http://tattoos.com/jane/steve/judeo.htm  (20 October. 2001)

Gilbert, Stephen G. "Polynesia" Tattoo History: A Source Book. 2001. http://tattoos.com/jane/steve/polynesia.htm  (20 October. 2001)

Gilbert, Stephen G. "Sir Joseph Banks and the First Records of Tattooing in Tahiti and New Zealand" Tattoo History: A Source Book. 2001. http://tattoos.com/jane/steve/banks.htm  (20 October. 2001)

The New Encyclopedia Britannica. Volume 3.Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. 1989.

"Sailor Tattooing" A History from A to Z. 2001. http://www.tattooarchive.com/history.html  (19 October. 2001)

The World Book Encyclopedia. Volume 19. Chicago: World Book Inc. 1996

Works Consulted:
Whitley, Ken. "Tattoos: Recognition and Interpretation" 2001. http://www.convictsandcops.com/tattoo.htm (21 October. 2001)

Yamada, Meiko. "Japanese Tattooing from the Past to Present" 2000. http://tattoos.com/meiko.htm  (20 October. 2001)

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