I have a tattoo on my body, which is often considered a demonstration of deviance. Historically, tattoos are attributed to deviance and marginality, but today there is an opinion that this art form is losing this negative association. In the United States, this art retains both negative and positive perceptions as a new trend wave and stigmatizing mark. Negative perceptions of tattoos are far from unique to the global community. Even Japan’s highly ornate and artful tattoos carry negative connotations and associations with criminals. The instances when I perceive my tattoos as a negative social construct are rare. However, sometimes it is possible to catch a glimpse of depreciation from the older generation of people in public places, which reminds me of such a construct. This situation occurred in the park when I saw an old lady shaking her head, disapproving of my outlook and the tattoo.
The association between tattoos and deviance could be easily understood from several cultural perspectives. Tattoos are prohibited in a wide range of religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (Morello, 2020). It could be associated with the belief in the sacredness of one’s body, which should not be stained or defied. However, this view is extremely outdated and provides preferential treatment to conformity, which limits the level of self-expression and does not recognize individuality in tattooing.
People who encourage traditional and overly conservative views despise tattoos. The origin of the negative perception could be traced to early imperialism or Enlightenment. At the time, it was assumed that tattoos represent the culture and practices of communities that are marginalized, such as “natives, remote islanders, sailors, miners, soldiers, and more recently, members of urban tribes and gangs” (Morello, 2020, p. 62). This narrative is changing slowly as the cultures that showed active negativity review the past. Therefore, those who remain adamant about conservative perceptions might feel marginalized and desire everything to return to the past. Nevertheless, those who view tattoos negatively represent a considerable part of the population. Consequently, among such social circles, a perfect version of myself would be a woman wearing clothing that covers most of the body, pure in heart, and behaving like a woman who reveres her husband and dedicates all her attention to the family.
To earn money for my personal needs, I helped high school students prepare for the SATs. It is impossible to predict how their parents will react to the tattoo. People generally accept socialization or learning theory as a fact. Sutherland’s Theory of Differential Association suggests that close socialization of young people with deviants may encourage or motivate them to follow the non-conformist path (Clinard & Meier, 2011). Consequently, before going to work, I ensured that my tattoo was hidden beneath my clothing and never brought up the topic to avoid a slip of the tongue and keep my job as a tutor. However, not all attempts were successful, especially before my conservative parents. I was reluctant to show my parents the tattoo because it might shock them. Therefore, I hid my tattoo in front of them for a long time. I successfully hid it until the meeting with my relatives, who accidentally saw me changing in my room and conveying the news, which brought up a large conflict at home.
I embraced my deviance relatively recently when I became confident in myself and my body. From the beginning, I liked my tattoo as an expression of my inner self. I have a diverse social circle of friends with tattoos. Many of them could understand the struggles of being unable to tell their parents about this small detail. However, after being able to distinguish myself in my parents’ eyes and gain their acceptance, I finally embraced my tattoo fully.
References
Clinard, M. B., & Meier, R. F. (2011). Sociology of deviant behavior. Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Morello SJ, G. (2020). I’ve got you under my skin: Tattoos and religion in three Latin American cities.Social Compass, 68(1), 61–80.