Tattooing is a form of beauty art with a long history. To this day, it is still growing very strongly and is loved by many people. However, there are still many conservative stereotypes about tattoos: they see having tattoos on the body as a sign of crime and lower class in society.
The reason for these bad stereotypes
stems from around the 19th century when baseball jersey design criminals often operated in clans, each faction had its own logo tattoo. Typically, Japan's largest criminal gang called the Yakuza. They engrave full-body tattoos in the traditional Tebori tattoo style. Since then, many people consider tattoos as a sign to identify criminals.
In Vietnam, since ancient history, tattoos have been a feature of identity. But in the 1970s and 1980s, tattoo culture began to emerge, popular mainly among "brothers and sisters", criminal gangs. Tattoos are here as a way of expressing class and asserting yourself. Tattoos play the role and meaning of flaunting strength and power, and at the same time enhancing the ability to oppress others. Therefore, the "brothers and sisters" often choose tattoos that symbolize brash, menacing, and aggressive power such as dragons, tigers, phoenixes, snakes, leopards, wolves, skulls, etc.
Not only in Vietnam, in contemporary culture of many countries around the world, tattoos are also synonymous with criminal images. Names like Bario 18 or Mara Salvatrucha are one of the reasons for this.
Gradually
the art of tattooing is invisibly associated with the tattoo inspired clothing image of "brothers and sisters", criminal gangs and even prostitutes. This is considered the main reason for the long-standing prejudices about tattoo art in general or tattooists in particular.
Nowadays, the old stereotypes about tattoos have become blurred. People no longer see tattoos as a sign of crime or low class culture. Instead, people have more positive thinking about it as a special art of beauty.