The purpose of this paper is to give insight on the history of tattoos and piercings, why people get their bodies modified with tattoos and/or piercings, and also to find out how these people are looked at differently by various societies and cultures.

“The world is divided into two kinds of people: those who have tattoos, and those who are afraid of the people with tattoos.” ~Author Unknown (Quotegarden, 2000)

It’s hard to tell just when tattooing began in the US because of all the different views people have. Many people think sailors came across tattooed natives in the Polynesian islands around 1769 (Goodman, 2003). Others think Native Americans were the first group of people to have tattoos. No matter where tattoos came from, or

Tattoos and piercings can alter a person’s life and the way others perceive them. Wear them wisely and keep in mind that being unique isn’t wrong. It keeps the world revolving.

Piercing ranks as one of the oldest forms of body modification. Indian tribes were said to have used needles and eagle claws to poke holes into their bodies. These painful piercings were done as a right of passage for many of these tribes (Mason, 2003), and also some South American and African tribes as well.

One of the major things that has changed is where Americans are getting pierced. The location of a person’s piercing may have the largest effect on society because of stereotyping. In the 80’s, men with earrings in their right ear were thought to be gay, but now it’s not uncommon for any men, straight or gay, to have both ears pierced. If a woman bears a tongue ring, many Americans assume she has some type of sexual fetish or they are easy. People who have piercings in their eyebrows, nipples, or lips are assumed to be into the punk rock scene in our culture. Not to say all Americans have these same views, but many would agree on these stereotypes.

Some of the most popular tattoos include tribal designs and crosses. Surprisingly, many of the people who get tattoos of crosses or other religious symbols don’t even get them because of religion at all, but because the designs appeal to them. A lot of people these days get tattoos because someone they look up to, whether it be a famous movie star, professional athlete, best friend, etc., has a tattoo. Everyone h

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