Tattoos Taboo in St Andrews?
By Sarah Pinkerton
Monday 19th October 2009
Monday 19th October 2009
As a third-year student visiting from the US, I have had a startling realisation about St Andrews: very few people here have visible tattoos. At first I told myself that the chilly weather meant that people were more inclined to cover up, which seemed like a fitting explanation. Upon observing fellow students in hall, however, I honestly feel that many fewer students here have tattoos than at my home university.
Part of me was surprised that this fact startled me, but in many ways finding fewer tattoos makes sense. My home university is in New Orleans, a city known for being almost excessively liberal and fun loving. New Orleans is also balmy at its coldest. St Andrews weather, as students already know, is both cold and windy. The town itself also has a much more traditional feel to it than New Orleans (though of course St Andrews students certainly know how to have a good time).
This sense of tradition can permeate an area, and in many cases it affects people’s actions. Some students here may not have tattoos because of relatively limited exposure to them — not that anyone truly has limited exposure to anything given the availability of the Internet. However some of my acquaintances from home were only recently exposed to the novelty of the tattooing process after watching a mutual friend get a tattoo. I’ve also found that many people who do have them know friends who likewise have them. That’s not to say that those who aren’t tattooed will feel pressured to remain that way simply because their friends don’t have any tattoos. I mean that many people feel more comfortable about getting tattooed when the idea is viewed as acceptable (or even common) among their peers.
I also have the impression that getting a tattoo here is harder than it is in New Orleans. From what I’ve gathered, there is but one tattoo parlor in St Andrews. Last year, I was within easy walking distance of two parlors, with many more accessible by taking the streetcar. Though I didn’t get a tattoo while I was in the city, I watched three of my friends get tattooed. The process was fascinating and intriguingly addictive.
The addictive nature of getting tattoos is a worth noting, for people who get one tattoo are likelier to get another, and the human body is only covered by so much skin. Therefore the people likely to have tattoos are also likelier to have visible ones, at least to a point. Many people definitely enjoy displaying their tattoos, as they are usually symbols of something deeply important or personally meaningful. But this sense of visibility broaches a thorny topic: a substantial amount of the extremely visible tattoos I’ve seen in my time are ones I haven’t liked.
Perhaps I have a skewed perception, having worked in a lingerie store for years, but I have found that very few of the tattoos imprinted on people’s chests and necks are actually aesthetically pleasing. Obviously art is subjective and the value of aesthetics is going to depend heavily on one’s personal feelings. Many people dislike visible tattoos because they seem, viscerally, to go against traditional values, but this issue — that tattoos fly in the face of tradition — is not my issue at all. To be honest, my issue is more of a surface one: some tattoos are just really, really ugly.
I’m a bit conflicted about the fact that ugly tattoos bother me. On the one hand, it’s natural to dislike displeasing things. On the other hand, a person with a tattoo shouldn’t worry about pleasing other people, as their bodies are definitely not property meant for public consumption. They’re allowed to do with their bodies what they wish, provided they’re not actually hurting anyone. All the same, there are many tattoos that are so wildly gorgeous that I mentally cringe when I see the also ever-present ugly ones.
Part of the reason ugly tattoos exist is obviously going to centre on a difference of opinion regarding beauty. However I think another part of the issue is that many people don’t think about their tattoo design for long enough before having it inked onto their skin. The biggest piece of tattoo advice I can give that doesn’t pertain to health or hygiene is to think about your design for a very long time before making it permanent. This isn’t meant to keep others from subjecting the world to what I consider ugly tattoos, but with so many designs available, rushing into a decision may well lead someone to get a tattoo that won’t maintain its novelty over time. Plus, the more visible and remarkable someone’s tattoo is, the more that person will have to explain its meaning to others, which can get annoying — so it’s essential to make sure you enjoy the sight of your tattoo above all else. Not only will it be staring you in the face day after day, but other people are also going to draw your attention to it.
To be fair, my own tattoo is not readily visible, but I really do wish I spotted more tattoos on a day-to-day basis, if only so I could observe them and perhaps indulge my curiosity by asking about them. I find them fascinating, and people’s reasons for getting them even more so. Displaying tattoos allows for appreciation from the surrounding population, and while public appreciation is not a good enough reason to get tattooed, it can help promote the art form as the valid and interesting one it is.
Part of me was surprised that this fact startled me, but in many ways finding fewer tattoos makes sense. My home university is in New Orleans, a city known for being almost excessively liberal and fun loving. New Orleans is also balmy at its coldest. St Andrews weather, as students already know, is both cold and windy. The town itself also has a much more traditional feel to it than New Orleans (though of course St Andrews students certainly know how to have a good time).
This sense of tradition can permeate an area, and in many cases it affects people’s actions. Some students here may not have tattoos because of relatively limited exposure to them — not that anyone truly has limited exposure to anything given the availability of the Internet. However some of my acquaintances from home were only recently exposed to the novelty of the tattooing process after watching a mutual friend get a tattoo. I’ve also found that many people who do have them know friends who likewise have them. That’s not to say that those who aren’t tattooed will feel pressured to remain that way simply because their friends don’t have any tattoos. I mean that many people feel more comfortable about getting tattooed when the idea is viewed as acceptable (or even common) among their peers.
I also have the impression that getting a tattoo here is harder than it is in New Orleans. From what I’ve gathered, there is but one tattoo parlor in St Andrews. Last year, I was within easy walking distance of two parlors, with many more accessible by taking the streetcar. Though I didn’t get a tattoo while I was in the city, I watched three of my friends get tattooed. The process was fascinating and intriguingly addictive.
The addictive nature of getting tattoos is a worth noting, for people who get one tattoo are likelier to get another, and the human body is only covered by so much skin. Therefore the people likely to have tattoos are also likelier to have visible ones, at least to a point. Many people definitely enjoy displaying their tattoos, as they are usually symbols of something deeply important or personally meaningful. But this sense of visibility broaches a thorny topic: a substantial amount of the extremely visible tattoos I’ve seen in my time are ones I haven’t liked.
Perhaps I have a skewed perception, having worked in a lingerie store for years, but I have found that very few of the tattoos imprinted on people’s chests and necks are actually aesthetically pleasing. Obviously art is subjective and the value of aesthetics is going to depend heavily on one’s personal feelings. Many people dislike visible tattoos because they seem, viscerally, to go against traditional values, but this issue — that tattoos fly in the face of tradition — is not my issue at all. To be honest, my issue is more of a surface one: some tattoos are just really, really ugly.
I’m a bit conflicted about the fact that ugly tattoos bother me. On the one hand, it’s natural to dislike displeasing things. On the other hand, a person with a tattoo shouldn’t worry about pleasing other people, as their bodies are definitely not property meant for public consumption. They’re allowed to do with their bodies what they wish, provided they’re not actually hurting anyone. All the same, there are many tattoos that are so wildly gorgeous that I mentally cringe when I see the also ever-present ugly ones.
Part of the reason ugly tattoos exist is obviously going to centre on a difference of opinion regarding beauty. However I think another part of the issue is that many people don’t think about their tattoo design for long enough before having it inked onto their skin. The biggest piece of tattoo advice I can give that doesn’t pertain to health or hygiene is to think about your design for a very long time before making it permanent. This isn’t meant to keep others from subjecting the world to what I consider ugly tattoos, but with so many designs available, rushing into a decision may well lead someone to get a tattoo that won’t maintain its novelty over time. Plus, the more visible and remarkable someone’s tattoo is, the more that person will have to explain its meaning to others, which can get annoying — so it’s essential to make sure you enjoy the sight of your tattoo above all else. Not only will it be staring you in the face day after day, but other people are also going to draw your attention to it.
To be fair, my own tattoo is not readily visible, but I really do wish I spotted more tattoos on a day-to-day basis, if only so I could observe them and perhaps indulge my curiosity by asking about them. I find them fascinating, and people’s reasons for getting them even more so. Displaying tattoos allows for appreciation from the surrounding population, and while public appreciation is not a good enough reason to get tattooed, it can help promote the art form as the valid and interesting one it is.