(07-11-2018, 07:01 PM)sbarrera Wrote: So I had a conversation with my friend about tattoos and why they are so popular with Millennials that went something like this. It started with me explaining:

"You see, they were a Pacific islander custom which Europeans encountered in the Age of Discovery. This is why tattoos are associated with sailors. They then became a custom among Europeans of the lower orders, and were for a long time in the West associated with lack of respectability and the criminal underclass.

Then, in the aftermath of the Sixties at the end of the twentieth century, young people sought to break free of cultural norms. Getting tattooed and/or pierced was a rebellious act of individualism practiced by a minority of youth. By the turn of the century it was a fad. And now, it has become a conventional rite of youth passage. Which is why you see almost every young adult with at least some tattoos."

To which she replied, "Have you even talked with anyone who has tattoos and asked them why they have them?" I had to admit that I really had not. "It's because they feel like it's the only way in which they can truly express themselves," she continued.

"You mean that their personal bodies is the only space over which they have any control?" I'm thinking how the young generation must feel powerless in a world politically and culturally dominated by their elders.

"Yes."

So that's two different perspectives on the frequently tattooed Millennial generation. What do you think?

(07-11-2018, 11:25 PM)Ragnarök_62 Wrote:

(07-11-2018, 07:01 PM)sbarrera Wrote: So I had a conversation with my friend about tattoos and why they are so popular with Millennials that went something like this. It started with me explaining:

"You see, they were a Pacific islander custom which Europeans encountered in the Age of Discovery. This is why tattoos are associated with sailors. They then became a custom among Europeans of the lower orders, and were for a long time in the West associated with lack of respectability and the criminal underclass.

Then, in the aftermath of the Sixties at the end of the twentieth century, young people sought to break free of cultural norms. Getting tattooed and/or pierced was a rebellious act of individualism practiced by a minority of youth. By the turn of the century it was a fad. And now, it has become a conventional rite of youth passage. Which is why you see almost every young adult with at least some tattoos."

To which she replied, "Have you even talked with anyone who has tattoos and asked them why they have them?" I had to admit that I really had not. "It's because they feel like it's the only way in which they can truly express themselves," she continued.

"You mean that their personal bodies is the only space over which they have any control?" I'm thinking how the young generation must feel powerless in a world politically and culturally dominated by their elders.

"Yes."

So that's two different perspectives on the frequently tattooed Millennial generation. What do you think?

They copycat Xer's.  Tattoos, backwards ball caps, and piercings are Xer things.

(07-16-2018, 11:30 PM)Hintergrund Wrote: Two words: Prole drift.

(02-04-2019, 10:44 PM)taramarie Wrote: As an actual millennial who has been hired a few times for tattoo designs by fellow millennials I can say the purpose is to tell a meaningful story about their life and their loved ones.

(02-05-2019, 06:41 PM)taramarie Wrote:

(02-05-2019, 09:09 AM)Bill the Piper Wrote:

(02-04-2019, 10:44 PM)taramarie Wrote: As an actual millennial who has been hired a few times for tattoo designs by fellow millennials I can say the purpose is to tell a meaningful story about their life and their loved ones.

Love and meaningful stories matter to ALL generations.

So why have millennials mainstreamed tattoos? It's usually Nomadic generations' job to be fascinated by the forbidden. But maybe it's Xers who mainstreamed it, while millennials were the first to come of age in a culture that doesn't view a person with a tattoo as a criminal.

Well of course all generations have them for that reason. We are not so special with this in any way. Why exclude us as if we are different? We feel it is ridiculous to be superficial about a person who chooses to express themselves. Remember we were taught to be inclusive.

(02-05-2019, 11:15 PM)taramarie Wrote: Btw when i say that from what i have experienced around those my age and younger it is more of having something in common which binds you together. For example when we created the SVA here we had matching shirts with the logo on it. It is an outward form of being part of something bigger than yourself but is a part of you also. It is the same thing with the hats. Does not mean it always happens, but it can. I dont see it as any different yet again to any other generation but perhaps i am mistaken.

(02-05-2019, 06:41 PM)taramarie Wrote:

(02-05-2019, 09:09 AM)Bill the Piper Wrote:

(02-04-2019, 10:44 PM)taramarie Wrote: As an actual millennial who has been hired a few times for tattoo designs by fellow millennials I can say the purpose is to tell a meaningful story about their life and their loved ones.

Love and meaningful stories matter to ALL generations.

So why have millennials mainstreamed tattoos? It's usually Nomadic generations' job to be fascinated by the forbidden. But maybe it's Xers who mainstreamed it, while millennials were the first to come of age in a culture that doesn't view a person with a tattoo as a criminal.

Well of course all generations have them for that reason. We are not so special with this in any way. Why exclude us as if we are different? We feel it is ridiculous to be superficial about a person who chooses to express themselves. Remember we were taught to be inclusive.