Tattoo Johnny Tattoos & Tattoo Design Guide: Rebellion Tattoos The Role of Content and Quantity When Making a Statement

Rebellion Tattoos The Role of Content and Quantity When Making a Statement

Tuesday 17th of March 2009 10:09:08 AM [Add To This Article]

Throughout history, the tattoo has been a mark of â€œthe outsider.â€ In fact, it is only in recent history that tattoos have become widely socially accepted and as popular among soccer moms and professional individuals as they have been among less restricted portions of the population, such as manual laborers and self-proclaimed protesters like musicians, artists and other creative minds. In decades past, a young person who really wanted to make a statement about their individuality or their intention to â€œbuckâ€ family, social or cultural traditions could do so as easily with a sweet butterfly tattoo or a large, intimidating tribal tattoo. Both were considered nearly equally taboo. However, as more and more people realize that getting tattooed is more about bringing an inner story or value to light and less about making a social statement (in many cases), the days when any ink could send your parents, teachers and friends reeling have long gone. However, this has not led to the demise of the rebellion tattoo, but rather simply changed its nature.

There are many types of rebellion. Commonly, a tattoo is used to express rebellion either against societal expectations (though tattoos play a limited role in this capacity today because they are so widely accepted as art and self expression) or against something specific, such as a political ideology or a commonly accepted idea. They are often as much for shock value as anything else, and may be designed to make people reconsider preconceived notions. For example, a SHARP (skinhead against racist people) might have a crossed-out Nazi swastika tattooed in a highly visible place. This design is not only intended to make people stop and look, but also to compel people to reassess what they may believe about skinheads (that they are largely, if not entirely, racist). Gang tattoos such as teardrops on the face or marks on the webbing of the skin between the first finger and the thumb are also used for shock value, though they are often intended in this case to remind a viewer about why they should be concerned about the gang member and try to make things easy for that person rather than to make people reconsider how they feel about the gang itself. Gang tattoos are also often used for identification and to indicate fealty, since a highly visible, however cryptic, mark like a tattoo is an easy way to spot one of your own and to cement a new memberâ€™s loyalty to the gang.

Often, rebellion tattoos contain controversial imagery that most people might not consider acceptable for public display. These images might included tattoos of naked or nearly naked women, obscene images that would not be appropriate for children to view, obscene language, gun tattoos or gambling tattoos, such as the famous â€œMenâ€™s Ruinâ€ tattoo or a pair of dice tattoo, and the rebel or Confederate flag. All of these images will, at the least, when revealed probably spark some conversation, and most can be counted on to elicit some sort of controversy on a regular basis.

Finally, there are some characteristics that often define rebellion tattoos. As we have discussed, they tend to be highly visible so that they get a big reaction. They also may have a lot of ink and cover a large portion of the body, such as a full sleeve or a full back or leg design. They are frequently very dark, and there is a heavy use of black and dark blue in this type of tattoo. Ultimately, the goal of a rebellion tattoo is to be difficult to miss. In general, the act of getting the tattoo is no longer a sufficient level of rebellion for people whose primary motivation is to be rebellious. Instead, the tattoo must spark conversation or controversy in a way that directly or indirectly involves the owner of the tattoo. If you are considering getting a tattoo as a form of rebellion, then this can be a highly satisfying and even beautiful and artistic way to satisfy this desire. However, make sure that you are ready to live with the permanent placement of your rebellion tattoo. You might want to spend a few days doing a â€œtattoo test driveâ€ to see where the best spot for your rebellion tattoo will be, and what type of tattoo design will make you happiest and help you get the most out of your tattoo.