TATTOOS AND PIERCING
The origins of tattooing are not clear, being traceable to the Celts, Picts, Mauris, Egyptians and other even earlier cultures. Whilst it has been used to identify tradespeople, slaves and prisoners, it also served as a sign of belonging and status within the main cultures. It later took to the fringes as religions like Christianity declared it unwholesome, often remaining among nomadic and other tribes as a symbol of recognition.
It has been viewed as the earliest form of writing - before stone was inscribed or caves were painted with glyphs or other readable symbols. Dermatologist Catherine Grognard described it as “The Graffiti of the soul”, in the title of her book on tattooing. It has always been artistic, becoming more deliberately narcissistic and erotic in later times. Early tattooing was done for specific reasons, the later versions sometimes being at the whim of people who were extrovert enough to endure the pain and the permanence.
Permanently marking the body describes a discovery of or search for the self, whether that be in a wish to proclaim, hide or defy some aspect of life, death or character. Even a person’s unmarked skin is an outward sign of condition, good or bad health, race and gender. It is a tactile surface through which we make contact with the world. Through the medium of tattooed skin, we can openly declare vast and deep knowledge about ourselves. Levi Strauss said that tattooing illustrates: “The transition from a natural to a cultural state.”
Some images - like the totemic Native American eagles, mark particular beliefs. Others pertain to milestones in the wearer’s life. There is a noblese and elevated quality to them and the wearer, but as society ostracised such practices, they began more and more to demean rather than even flatter, except in particular circles. Criminologists have associated tattooing with delinquency, and the increasing number of tattooed people in the motorcycling fraternity was interpreted as a sign of dubious character.
One contribution to the frequent misinterpretation is the use of pagan imagery - beasts and devils, even as such frightening or grotesque representations are the expected elements of, for example, religious or Japanese art. Tattooing was cheapened by some rather crudely self-inflicted examples. They lent a sense of lacking to the art, sometimes accompanied by miss-spelt words. There’s the story about a bloke called Clint, who tattooed his name on his forehead using a mirror. He got the letters L and I too close together.
Tattooing to excess, and the shows, fairs and publications surrounding tattooing have been regarded as cliquey, if not sinister. Yet those who practice the art will usually only consign ink to flesh with the sober consent of the customer. They regard themselves as artists, and their imagery often justifies the claim. Whether it be a tiny swallow on a buttock or an all-encompassing redesign of the wearer’s flesh, the work is carefully planned between the artist and the customer. Ready-made designs are available, however a free and creative artistic hand more commonly expresses the ideas of the wearer.
In the early 20th century, Tattooing was popular mostly around Britain and Europe. It crossed the Atlantic with Samuel O’Reilly’s inventing of the electric tattooing machine. Either side of the pond, it often found its way into biking through military personnel - and through others who’d spent time in correctional institutions. By the mid-to-late 20th century it was entering the domain of youth and alternative culture, partly through a wish to be individualistic, and partly through a defiance of mass culture.
Whilst among cognoscenti this allowed instant familiarisation, it again prompted anti-social misgivings among mass societies. Biking gangs that had originally constituted a membership of ex-military people began to use the tattoo symbolically. They found deep cultural meaning in its past usage, and adopted designs from many early cultures to their own ends. Some created their own imagery, either for artistic or symbolic purposes (again creating a new written language). Members of particular gangs could be identified by specific markings; whether they be the blatant use of the gang’s name or some obscure glyph.
From the simplest use of the wearer’s name on a background, words like LOVE - HATE - PEACE, the erotica and others, it became more of an appreciated art again. The Outlaw groups, Teds, Rockers and then Hippies and Punks have all come to use this form of expression. Not that Bikers in mainstream society completely resisted. Coupled with the body piercing, which has grown from the earring to various other piercings, a sharply contrasting individual appearance has arisen that is hard to hide.
It is not meant to be hidden. Though some tattoos and piercings are of a discreet nature, they still amount to a choice in lifestyle that is outside of the norm. Some might argue that as anyone takes to wearing denim and leather, and marking and piercing their bodies, they are actually creating their own norms. But these normalities are the irregularities that set them apart from members of mainstream society.
Body piercing is also rooted in early tribal tradition, with similar significances and values attached to different piercings. Not that many Bikers have resorted to shoving a large wooden plate behind their bottom lip, but again the significance of freedom and individuality are expressed and relished. Neither practice is redolent throughout Bikerdom, as they are both commitments to a permanent change in physical appearance. Those that indulge, see them as art and/or an expression from the soul