HW 32 - Tattoos & The Presentation of the Self

Almost all of us want to be liked, admired, influential, attractive (external cool) and to feel significant and even heroic (internal cool).

We have developed many methods, as explored in HW 31, to mask, manipulate, costume, adorn, and aggrandize the self. These methods allow us to influence how we view ourselves and how others view us, which Goffman observed as core to human interaction, and to deal with our hollowing sense of meaninglessness.

Tattoos were previously associated, in the U.S., only with often-violent subcultures (sailors, soldiers, and gang-members), but hoppped and skipped into many other subcultures before finally jumping into the mainstream in the last 5 years - as seen in blogs by Sarah, Matthew, Brandon and on Miley Cyrus' skin, and in the gossip press.

Tattooing seems to me a potentially revealing aspect of "cool" for the following reasons;
1. Its 'hot' now.
2. Good example of cool paradox #2 - stand out while fitting in - edgy but common (tattoos in general are trendy, but yours is unique and the story behind it is meaningful and dramatizes some aspect of WHO YOU ARE that you will share with anyone who stands still or, better yet, you could mysteriously refuse to share something that you make others look at!).
3. "Self-expression" as "self-presentation" (inner to outer).
4. A powerful instance of the mind/body dichotomy in our culture - on one level the tattoo represents the inscribing of the inner on top of the outer (outer skin as mere sign space for the inner personality/narrative-self). But from another perspective it indicates the primacy of the body - the physical becomes the site of the "real" and "permanent" self. Interestingly, the process is the piercing of the outside layer from the outside to engrave an image from the inner mind (usually received from the outer world) that will shine through the outer layer. The discord between these two levels - outer-inner - provides some of the power of the act.
5. Death and, more broadly, impermanence shadow our sense of self. The tattoo might be seen as an attempt to claim permanence - it might not be a coincidence that one of the archetypal tattoos has been an anchor! I associate this desire for bold acts with lasting consequences with the immortality projects of the hero's quest.
6. Tattoos have, in various cultures, been associated with rites of passage, with performing particular roles, with claiming certain ranks, proclaiming particular self-concepts. These seem to be human needs! Shakespeare's quotes (Macbeth, As You Like It) come to mind. And how do these archetypal images get translated into the modern hero's journey? Tramp stamp on the 18th birthday! Some Norteamericanos choose tattoos from one or more 'exotic' cultures - does this demonstrate a perception of a lack of magical meaning in our culture?

A tattoo can be seen as a fairly durable signifier - a decoration or artistic alteration of the body. Some traditions hold that tattoos separate us from G-d - who made our bodies holy and wouldn't want for us to make them wholly or partly inked-holey. I think of the decision to tattoo oneself as related to the tagger's decision to spray-paint a tree or a wall - which reminds me of dogs peeing on fire-hydrants. And as the dog's best efforts are diluted by rain, the tattoo fades and shifts and wrinkles and eventually decomposes with the rest of us, which seems sort of reassuring, ultimately, to me.

Should we resist this trend - this puncturing of the flesh for self-expression in others eyes? What does tattooing signify to you? Is it heroic/artistic/bold-self-expression? Does a tattoo signify to you a brave individual challenging vanilla conformity or a sheep pushing forward for branding to pledge permanent allegiance to her particular flock? Why do so many people make so many different stories to explain basically the same action? Does NOT getting a tattoo also now become an attempt to become special? What do you think of the gendering of tattoos - the male tricep tatto and the female ankle tattoo? What does this perforating trend reveal about larger stippled processes of "cool" - of our desire to seem heroically special - an important actor in a meaningful drama?

Please write 3-6 paragraphs exploring tattooing as an instance of cool. You can use the questions directly above for inspiration, or make your own. You should examine several of the hyperlinks above. For maximum credit, as usual, please edit for flavor and sharpness as well as spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Include your own experience, the insights and experience of others you know, images, and outside research!

If you absolutely have no interest in tattoos, pick another external bodily modification - plastic surgery, hair extensions, piercings, make-up, lifts, high heels, body-building, etc.

Due Thursday January 7 at 9am.