GETTING INK IS NOTHING NEW

GETTING INK IS NOTHING NEW:

According to the Australian Museum, Austmus.gov.au, our desire to decorate our bodies is nothing new: It's as old as we are and a characteristic we're born with. "The impetus to decorate and adorn is essentially a human characteristic and is something that people have always done." Fifty-three hundred year old mummies covered in tattoo show that we've liked our ink for some time now. According to Steve Gilbert, author of Tattoed Mummies in the super-comprehensive everything-ink-related Tattoos.com, from the extensive amount of evidence of elaborate and intricate tattoos found on both sexes, tattooing was not only widespread throughout the ancient world, it was beautifully rendered artwork.
TATTOOS REFLECT THE WORLD YOU LIVE IN:

A large part of the reason people have always gotten tattoos is to mark significant events in their lives, family history, and even social status. "The Polynesians used tattoos as a historical device. Each one told a story about who you were or what your position in society would be," explains tattoo artist Bob Munden of the Fiery Dragon Tattoo and Body Piercing Studio, in a piece in the Kentucky Kernel. "Tattoos told their family history, like the Indians used to write it out on buffalo hides. Each Polynesian had a different tattoo that told a different story." (And until the first electric tattoo machine was invented in 1891 by Samuel O'Riley, tattoos were done by hand - really slow & really painful.) 
In the same way that Polynesians inked their personal resumes onto their bodies, old school sailors got tattoos of what was important in their world: booze, mothers, gambling & "fast" women - so that's what they recorded on their bodies. Those iconic Sailor Jerry tattoos which seemed so shocking in their time now seem almost quaint and cartoon-y, with a mellow nostalgic appeal. Why? Times have changed & those images no longer resonate. Instead, today's tattoo enthusiast opts for imagery that reflects his or her world. (illustrations from KentuckyKernel.com & DesignBoom.com)