What is with Tattoos?

When I was young and the Earth was still cooling, one would see tattoos primarily on sailors and motorcycle fans (and a few others, but we didn't have many Maoris where I live), but somehow chefs have been added to the crew. A considerable number of the chefs on food TV shows have tattoos, sometimes full sleeves of them, and it may be just that I wasn't looking for them when I was young but it seems like cooks have added themselves as a decorated group.

Were tattoos always endemic in that group and I just didn't notice, or is this something of more recent development?

I think it's generational, despite that "Lydia the Tattooed Lady" was written in 1939.

It's definitely generational. I think it started as a youth rebellion thing. Every generation of teenagers engages in activities designed to annoy and offend their parents. With my generation it was long hairstyles for males and ditching formal clothes in favor of T-shirts and jeans. For the next generation it was tattoos and earrings and other body piercings. In both cases what was first rebellious became the social norm. I wonder what comes next in the rebellion department--neck rings and lip plates, maybe.

So these days tattoos are everywhere. Nothing special about chefs.

-Paul W.

I wonder what rebellious Maori youths do to stand apart - refuse to get any tattoos?

But you guys are probably right - wonder how long it will take for tattoos to be seen as too establishment, and what will the next sign of rebellion be....hopefully not Larry' neck rings Looked it up and the issues caused by that include reduced respiratory function, decreased blood circulation to the brain, and compression fractures in the upper back.

[Jenise]

So these days tattoos are everywhere. Nothing special about chefs.

-Paul W.

I think you're wrong about that, Paul. Yes, tattoo's are everywhere. Angelina Jolie has the names and birthdates of all her children tattooed on her body. Bob's son, now age 50, got a tiny tat for every significant life change--wedding, daughters' births, etc. It was a quasi religious experience for him but they're not in visible locations. And that was 20 years ago, I would be surprised if he's kept up with it.

But tatts in the chef profession is definitely a thing nowadays. Especially those who show up bare armed on TV. Anthony Bourdain was a fan and got some in episodes of his show; I've wondered if admiration for him fostered some of the wider acceptance in that community. There's hardly any under 50 that DON'T have tatts. I remember when Brooke Williamson didn't have any; she does now.

"Faded San Francisco Art Nouveau..." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBJB1VtMkNU

In my world, here in cowboy land, also known as the wild west, and when I worked at Redding Police, I learned a little about tattoos. I was talking with my supervisor as a newbie, saying I was getting lots of calls at the crime prevention office for new folks in town wanting to know which alarm company to go with. He told me RPD could not tell them which alarm company to go with, but that if I had any experience with a business, I could share MY experience. In confidence, he told me not to go with such and such because many of the employees were once in prison. I asked him how he knew that, and he stated because of all the tattoos they have. Apparently, it was prisoners or men who had been in the service who had the tattoos. That was over 40 years ago.
In my personal opinion and from what my esthetician tells me, tattoos make one look dirty. As we age, any tattoos get ugly sinking into the wrinkles or dry skin. I have a family member who is a beautiful lady, and she got tattoos on her arms. Yes, the artwork is pretty, but for me, it ruined her beauty. To me, a well-taken care of skin on a man or woman is beautiful, good grooming and proper dress are much nicer.

I was told once, by someone who spent some time in a prison in the Middle East, that it was suggested to prisoners that they get a religious symbol -- star, cross, crescent -- tattooed on their arm. This made it easier on the staff to perform a proper burial, just in case their body was unrecognizable any other way.

I've never tried to determine whether this is a true story.

I did not hear that story, Jeff, but when my supervisor and I, along with our CSO, took a tour of Folsom State Prison for an entire day, I saw many tattoos and scary-looking dudes. We were told not to make eye contact with them, but I was the one who did the opposite and saw lots of sad stories on those faces. I was happy to be with an officer who was 6ft 5 inches tall and knew how to handle himself. Very interesting experience, but I was happy when we got back to our vehicle and headed for home.

[Jenise]

Last night the chef who very recently was voted best in this county in a popular poll two years running (deservedly so, IMO) had me over for dinner. Tatts up and down both arms. His lovely wife, a local realtor who wore a cute spaghetti strapped top, had a heavily decorated right arm and on her left arm a single long feather. Obviously since we've become friends I've spent a fair bit of time around both, and yet I don't remember noticing the tatts before. It's become just that common.

I cannot understand why A. Jolie would do that, we kept baby books for such things for our babies. Then, when they got married and had their first little one, they were given their baby books and a new one to start for their kids. As our kids grew up, they loved looking in their baby books now and then, asking questions, and learning more about themselves.

I recently saw some family pictures of a friend's daughter's wedding. After showing them all to me, she asked, "What did you think of her dress?" I never noticed the dress, sadly, because her tattoos were all I saw. I believe my esthetician was correct when she told me that when those tattooed folks get older, they are going to wish they never got those tats. I've already seen the results, especially on men, who have the tats on the back of their neck...many are ugly, faded, and sunk into the wrinkles. A terrible thing to do to a beautiful body organ.

[Jenise]

Karen, that's a matter of opinion--that they get ugly. Certain populations have been tattooing for centuries, like the Maori of New Zealand. Their art form is spectacular and second to none, and what I understand is that the designs tell of tribal affiliations and other life stories. That it has been adopted as beautification by other cultures--like what I saw of my friends last night--shouldn't bother you. I found a stat just now that some poll indicated that now about 30% of us have tatts, up almost 10% from ten years before by the same pollster. That would include major visible tattooing and even the little martini glass a friend of mine has near her ankle, which she got after surviving a major illness to remind her to keep having fun. You're an afternoon martini kind of a girl, maybe you should get one!

I have no idea why, but they have become an accepted way of making a statement regarding who you are and what's important to you. For chefs and bartenders, tattoos seem to have become a badge of honor, with the more the better. I suppose at some point, they'll start to be seen as too stereotypical, and younger folks coming up the ranks will find a different way of expressing themselves. (Or maybe not.)

In our family, my brother and sister both got themselves inked many years ago. My older daughter, now in her early 30's, has several including one that matches the cover photo of a book my mom wrote. The younger daughter, OTOH, has no tatts and apparently no plans to get any. Over the years, I've been mildly tempted but I could never think of anything I wanted permanently drawn on some part of my body.

...but I could never think of anything I wanted permanently drawn on some part of my body.

Bingo. That's exactly it. Life goes on, stuff changes, but that ink won't budge.

Custom embroidery is actually pretty cheap these days so a shirt, a hat, a tote bag, ....

Jenise, yes, I am an afternoon martini kind of gal. It has nothing to do with tattoos, however. It is simply MHO that they make a person look dirty. If one likes tattoos, that is fine, but they are definitely not for me. I have never even been tempted to get one. I remember when Trader Joe's opened here in Redding, if one had a tattoo, they had to keep it covered if hired to work there. Not sure if they still have that ruling because I have not been there for a long time. Our banks and some medical offices did the same thing. Now, they are all over, and I do mean all over. I don't even like those T-shirts with the crazy sayings on them. What I do like are several brands of women's tees, which I used to buy on yearly trips to Cambria, CA. Tees from Jess and Jane, Christine Alexander, Mona Lisa, Cactus, and more. They had beautiful artwork on them, with bling, and many of my T's have the name of great wines associated with artwork from the world's beautiful cities. They are subtle and well-made. Many are not made anymore, have no idea why, as they are beautiful, and I have and still get compliments on them. To each their own...
This reminded me of a funny story, when Gene and I were visiting family away from home. Two young mothers popped into the room, pulled up their shirts, and showed us their new belly button piercings. I thought Gene was going to faint.

As an outside observer, all the tattooed bodies and limbs simply look like human wallpaper or graffiti to me. And when I sit with people that are marked up, I have no knowledge of nor interest in their painted story. This topic is one I have discussed with the young people in my life. I have a couple nephews who started tattooing their bodies early on with nonsensical characters/information (Asian characters they couldn't read; the Space Needle, mama's name on the neck). As they grew tired of or outgrew those markings, they had the tattoos modified, which grew to larger and larger blots on their skin. I have a grand niece who is a professional basketball player. She got her first tatt about 5 years ago. The last time I saw her, that tattoo has been modified and she now has a large Koi fish swimming up her arm. I asked her why a fish, and she told me because she thinks they're beautiful. I informed her that, just like she grew tired of the prior tattoo, she was not going to want that fish on her arm by the time she's 30. And I asked her to stop doing that. I informed her that "life changes and there will always be something new that inspires you. It is not necessary for those temporary moments of delight to be permanently etched on your skin." I asked her to think about dedicating a room in her home to her life's journey and have artists draw murals. Then, when the her journey expands or changes, paint over the pieces on the wall that are no longer relevant and draw what's new and providing you additional inspiration in your life. She and her other two siblings got matching tattoos a couple of years ago, "because" (they couldn't offer me further explanation). Neither of my children have tattoos because we had the discussion decades ago about chattel slavery and one of the ways to keep track of or mark problem slaves was through branding. Tattooing is simply a modern day version of that, which gives authority figures an easy way to identify you, matched up against all other common identifying characteristics. It seems that is all too true now that we have an administration comfortable with rounding people up, sometimes only based on the markings on their bodies and offering an interpretation to those markings that fits the narrative they need to justify mistreatment of entire swaths of our population -- so far the brown and black members. But, trust me, it's coming to a neighborhood near you!

Asian characters they couldn't read

I've always wondered how many of these say "kick me" or something ridiculous, unpleasant, nonsensical, or obscene.

-Paul W.

Very well said JoAnn...thank you.

[Jenise]

As an outside observer, all the tattooed bodies and limbs simply look like human wallpaper or graffiti to me. And when I sit with people that are marked up, I have no knowledge of nor interest in their painted story. This topic is one I have discussed with the young people in my life. I have a couple nephews who started tattooing their bodies early on with nonsensical characters/information (Asian characters they couldn't read; the Space Needle, mama's name on the neck). As they grew tired of or outgrew those markings, they had the tattoos modified, which grew to larger and larger blots on their skin. I have a grand niece who is a professional basketball player. She got her first tatt about 5 years ago. The last time I saw her, that tattoo has been modified and she now has a large Koi fish swimming up her arm. I asked her why a fish, and she told me because she thinks they're beautiful. I informed her that, just like she grew tired of the prior tattoo, she was not going to want that fish on her arm by the time she's 30. And I asked her to stop doing that. I informed her that "life changes and there will always be something new that inspires you. It is not necessary for those temporary moments of delight to be permanently etched on your skin." I asked her to think about dedicating a room in her home to her life's journey and have artists draw murals. Then, when the her journey expands or changes, paint over the pieces on the wall that are no longer relevant and draw what's new and providing you additional inspiration in your life. She and her other two siblings got matching tattoos a couple of years ago, "because" (they couldn't offer me further explanation). Neither of my children have tattoos because we had the discussion decades ago about chattel slavery and one of the ways to keep track of or mark problem slaves was through branding. Tattooing is simply a modern day version of that, which gives authority figures an easy way to identify you, matched up against all other common identifying characteristics. It seems that is all too true now that we have an administration comfortable with rounding people up, sometimes only based on the markings on their bodies and offering an interpretation to those markings that fits the narrative they need to justify mistreatment of entire swaths of our population -- so far the brown and black members. But, trust me, it's coming to a neighborhood near you!

The branding of slaves is a powerful argument, Jo Ann, for anyone who's black.

I'm not sure that for the rest parental disapproval does anything but pour fuel on the fire. I had a friend who forbade her children from considering tattoos, but her youngest daughter got engaged and to prove the forever-ness of her love and independence had LARRY embossed on large letters over her right buttock.

And then they broke up. Her Mom's still laughing.

Asian characters they couldn't read

I've always wondered how many of these say "kick me" or something ridiculous, unpleasant, nonsensical, or obscene.

Plenty of them. Google for things like "ridiculous chinese tattoo" and you'll receive pages and pages of them.