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Analysis of Cultural Practices 

You are required to: Analyse a cultural text or practice, what cultural meanings does the text/practice produce, how does it produce them, and what are their effects?

Pick a cultural object or identity (an advocacy campaign, TV series, food item, celebrity, piece of clothing, sport, ad campaign, piece of technology, a book or film) or a cultural practice (e.g. Uber, memes, tatoo, Netflix, Twitter, animal rights, selfies, Instagram, Snapchat)

Consider following questions:

• How is the product or practice represented in advertising, media, etc?
• What identities and subjects does it produce/interpellate?
• To what extent are its advertised values in keeping with the way that it is produced andconsumed?
• What controversies has it faced in the ways that it relates to lived experience or online images or platforms?
• What does this artefact or practice show about cultural values?

Cultural identity forms a vital aspect of different communities. While these identities appear in various forms, body modifications through scarification, piercings, and tattoos are the most common. These modifications bear different cultural implications across different societies. This paper aims to showcase the various implications of tattooing as a common practice in American culture and its gradual transformation for the last century. While some people regard tattoos for religious, beauty, and personal reasons, others contempt the practice as immoral and perceive those with them as disrespectful people or evil-minded.

How is the practice represented in advertising, media, etc.?

Effective advertising is a vital concept in any business’s success as it impacts the consumers’ response towards the product or service. While most of the advertisement is done through people either young or old, male or female, the representation of the body in advertising holds excellent value in its success.  Tattooing has become a big business and perceived as a social marking. Tattoos play the role of refiguring the body and shifts identity into liminal zones between subject and object. According to (Krutak, 2015), tattooing has an intrinsic value to the consumer researchers by capturing their imagination. The tattoo is an ‘expressive system,’ the acquisition of which is motivated by protection, decoration, identification, and ritual. In this regard, the practice has diversified the traditional client base for tattoos by expanding the market for skin art and exposing tattooing practice to a more mainstream clientele (Patterson & Schroeder, 2010). Body tattoos are highly valued in advertising as they initiate a significant relationship between the object and the subject of advertising. However, the matters of religiosity and moral values weigh significantly in the content of advertising.

What identities and subjects does it produce/interpolate?

Artistic Identification

Tattoo consumption has increased in the last century, indicating significant identities and subjects. The body marks a great focus in modern society, and hence its modification to improve the appearance is a specific practice.  In this regard, the human body has become a valuable object of self-expression. Sometimes, the tattoo is considered an art, and hence the tattoo artists consider the practices as a form of art. As such, they define themselves as artists. In other words, they do the tattooing practice to perfect their technique, and this acts as a means of identification as artists. In modern society, the tattoo industry is characterized by intellective professional tattooists who provide exceptional art designs. Resultantly, this has given the tattoo subculture legitimacy within the art world.

Personalization

Further, tattooing is used as an approach of personalization. According to Kjeldgaard & Bengtsson (2005), more consumers opt to personalize their tattoos based on their specifications.  For instance, some people may opt to craft personal motifs with identified specifications rather than choosing pre-made designs.  A significant way to personalize a tattoo is by linking the imagery to the individual biography. For example, an individual may decide to combine a concept of their career with that of the institution where they schooled. For instance, one may opt to combine a sign of military regiment’s coat of arms and a small part of their former school’s logo. This enhances the manifestation of one’s biography by marking the body with a combination of existing images. With the close relationship an individual has with the chosen institutions; the tattoo becomes more personal.

Self-representation

Additionally, tattoos have an intrinsic value in contextual representation of self. The decision of where to have the symbol on the body is a critical aspect of consideration. Research indicates that most male tattoos prefer having tattoos on the hand where they are publicly visible. Contrary, females choose hidden places for the tattoos where only intimate partners can see.  However, the fashion tattoos have the marks on areas where they can hide them under clothes to avoid the negativity of those who provoke this practice.

To what extent are its advertised values in keeping with the way that it is produced and consumed?

In the modern world, people value physical beauty, which drives the urge to pierce the body to advance their appearance.  The motivation to mark individual identity, especially by music artists and other prominent individuals, has gained significant momentum driven by media advertisements. In this regard, tattoos have become more prevalent across different cultures and societies as a means to visualize individuality and social affiliation (Dey & Das, 2017). The motivations for tattoos include occupation, the urge to idolize someone, early teen interest, personality, showcasing the body, fashion, memory of someone, and media advertisements, among others (Dey & Das, 2017).

The production and consumption of this practice vary with individual interests in consideration of the various motivating factors to tattoo. The age aspect also determines the preference for tattoos. Young people may choose tattoos for body showcasing and fashion, while older people may prefer it in memory of loved ones. Admittedly, most of the non-gospel musicians have tattoos that communicate specific messages attached to their artistic work.  With the prevalent use of tattoos by famous musicians, young and upcoming musicians mimic this practice to promote their work.

What controversies has it faced in the ways that it relates to lived experience or online images or platforms?

Tattoos form a permanent body modification, and despite the gradual acceptance of different societies over the years, this practice faces controversies. These controversies exist in the forms of religious, cultural perspective, medical, and moral values. The processes of doing or removing a tattoo are associated with critical medical complications.  Firstly, medical complications are the most reported cases. According to Dervishi et al. (2013), infections may occur during the breach of the epidermal barrier. Such infections may result from the needle, the tattooist, the ink, water, or the hygienic conditions after the process.  Cases of HIV/AIDS transmission have also been reported, primarily where a previously used needle was used on another person without sterilization (Dervishi et al., 2013).  Further, tattoo removal is associated with skin reactions due to allergic contact dermatitis. Such complications may surface after some time; they may have long-term effects on the individual (Giulbudagian et al., 2020).

Further, the safety of tattoo ink and other ingredients has not been evaluated, posing risks to the clients (Rahimi, Eberhard & Kasten 2018). In this regard, the extent of pathological conditions which directly relate to exposure to tattoo inks is relatively hard to estimate. Tattoo ink is prone to contamination, which can lead to infection when injected under the skin—such results to raised colored blemishes around the tattoo area. According to Rahimi, Eberhard & Kasten (2018), tattoos expose a person to either mild or advanced types of medical risks.  The process of tattoo application damages the skin, and hence forming blood clots around the broken blood vessels. This initiates an imperative necessity to guard the skin against possible infections after the tattoo. The advanced medical risks included hypersensitivity to the ink or aseptic reactions, which are common in individuals who obtain tattoos from unauthorized facilities.  According to Rahimi, Eberhard & Kasten (2018), individuals who receive tattoos from unlicensed facilities pose higher risks of adverse effects than those who obtain the services from professional and regulated studios.

Religious controversy

Some religions value tattoos for symbolic phrases or images, while others such as Christian regard them as immoral practices. While tattoos are used for identification by certain religious sects, myths and misconceptions persist with faith-inspired ink.  According to Johnson (2014), tattoos are refuted in Leviticus 19:28, which demands that Christians not make cuttings on the flesh for the dead or print any marks.  However, Johnson’s study indicates that Bible readers should scrutinize the context of the verse to acquire a more precise understanding (Johnson, 2014). Such is because some people embrace the negative stereotypes of tattoos expressed by older generations. In this regard, individuals ought to seek their understanding of religious reflections towards this practice, rather than getting manipulated to general assumptions.

What does this artifact or practice show about cultural values?

The preference for tattoos has undergone a remarkable transformation in the last decades. Tattoos play a significant role in cultural identification, especially those that are more expressive. People choose the types of tattoos and the body’s specific parts to have them based on their culture and ancestry views.

Adornment

In some cultures, tattoos are used for adornment (Krutak, 2015).  Tribal people’s tattoos are integrated into the societal values on the skin. Most of the tattoos are wrapped in images of spirits and ancestors as a symbol of tribal unity, protection, and genealogy (Krutak, 2015). In this case, they play the role of enhancing the cultural values of a specific society or tribe with attached meanings. In other words, the cultural values of tattoos entailed upholding the continuity of a clan, family, or ancestral genealogy through reinforcing the images of the intended object or subject (Krutak, 2015).

Cultural identity

Permanent body marking entails blood-shedding and painful sensation, which induces stimuli of new memories on the bodies and consciousness (Krutak, 2015). Such an experience in memorable and metaphorically corresponds to the process of rebirth. People gain further knowledge of themselves through this experience and a sense of belonging to a specific group of people. Traditionally, tattooing was used to induct an individual in the indigenous society as a fully enculturated community member. Further, the practice served as a rite of passage whereby the recipient was honored for the achievement and reinforcement of the ancestral lineage ties (Krutak, 2015).

Apotropaism and Mimicry

Traditionally, tattoos were believed to induce protective mechanisms against evil spirits (Krutak, 2015). In this regard, indigenous tattooists were bestowed with the ability to apply preventive spiritual medicine to the clients on the tattooed area through apotropaic tattoos.  In some societies, it was a common belief that the landscape was prone to invention or attack by malevolent spirits (Krutak, 2015). Such could create spiritual possessions and soul-lessness to the ‘unprotected’ individuals. In this regard, the tattooists could use sacred tools and magical pigments to pierce the clients’ dermis in the quest to gain repelling powers against the evil spirits. In this connection, some tribal people believed that ghosts existed in human or semi-human forms and had their habits just like rational human beings. Evil spirits could haunt human beings, which marks the reason people mimicked the practice of tattoos, which was initially associated with the spirits (Krutak, 2015). As a protective mechanism, this was meant to confuse the spirits who would perceive tattooed human beings as fellow spirits and hence spare them (Krutak, 2015).

References

Dey, A., & Das, K. (2017). Why we tattoo. Exploring motivation and meaning.

Anthropol, 5(1), 2-6. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/e043/1f8d4da08b373abe4fd9d3d886c4d27f8c7c.pdf

Dervishi, O., Vargu, M., Bardhi, B., Dajci, V., Puca, E., Fida, M., & Shehu, E. (2013).  Tatoo

and Complications: Some Cases during Everyday Practice. http://www.academia.edu/download/39664005/Tatoo_and_Complications_Some_Cases_durin20151103-11589-1t41ka4.pdf

Giulbudagian, M., Schreiver, I., Singh, A. V., Laux, P., & Luch, A. (2020). Safety of tattoos and

permanent make-up: a regulatory view. Archives of Toxicology, 1-13. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00204-020-02655-z

Johnson, R. A. (2014). The Role of Religious Values: Young Christians’ Opinions towards

Tattoos. Explorations: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities for the State of North Carolina, 9, 138-148. https://uncw.edu/csurf/explorations/documents/volume%209%202014/r-johnson.pdf

Kjeldgaard, D., & Bengtsson, A. (2005). Consuming the fashion tattoo. ACR North American

Advances. https://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/9065/volumes/v32/NA-32

Krutak, L. (2015). The cultural heritage of tattooing: a brief history. In Tattooed skin and

health (Vol. 48, pp. 1-5). Karger Publishers. https://www.oapen.org/download?type=document&docid=1004230#page=12

Patterson, M., & Schroeder, J. (2010). Borderlines: Skin, tattoos and consumer culture

theory. Marketing Theory, 10(3), 253-267. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1470593110373191

Rahimi, I. A., Eberhard, I., & Kasten, E. (2018). Tattoos: what do people really know about the

medical risks of body ink?. The Journal of clinical and aesthetic dermatology, 11(3), 30. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5868782/