1. Introduction
'A study into the sociological characteristics and motivations behind body art'
- to understand the addictions/motivations behind tattoo's
- to exam tribal body art in order to understand its relevance within the tribe
- to understand the symbolic messages of gang culture body art
For my project I will be looking at Body art. There are many different aspects of body art that I will be looking
at thoroughly. Addictions and motivations behind tattoos will be one of the aspects I have decided to examine.
There are a high percentage of regular people who have tattoos, whether they be small or large, therefore it
will be interesting to know and find out what their motivations for these tattoos are and whether they have
some type of addiction that attracts them to “getting inked”.
Tribal Body art is a very deep and expressive part of tribal culture. Therefore I will be looking into the relevance
of certain aspects of the body art that tribal cultures have, whether the art has a specific meaning to the
person that has it or represents a specific attribute in their culture. Tribal cultures are very large and in some
cases the body art that certain cultures have is very sacred to them.
In gang cultures tattoos are used too mainly remember an event in a person’s life. There are many different
kinds of tattoos that a well known to many different gangs and have symbolic messages behind them that can
have great meaning behind or just represent the name of their gang.
- To understand the addictions/motivations behind tattoo's
If you were approached by two people.One who wore a suit and looked highly intelligent and one who had
tattoos up his arms and on his neck, which one who you feel inclined to approach or make a business related
conversation with?

2. Would your opinion of a person change purely based on the fact that they have tattoos or don’t dress smartly
on a regular basis?
Tattoos have been around for 5000 and have grown even more popular over the recent years. 1 in 10 people
now have one or more tattoos. There are many different types of tattoos from tribal and Chinese tattoos to
bull dogs and fairies. People will get tattoos for many different reasons, these reasons can include; a highly
important change in someone’s life, death of a loved one or other reasons that have helped them to become
who they are now. Other people will purely get a tattoo because they think it looks nice and they want to
decorate their body with art.
People often rely on physical appearance of another person to create their first impression of them. By judging
a person on their physical appearance such as; what they’re wearing, their hair, if they have body
modifications; can inevitably create false image of that person’s personality and the way they act. Would you
judge someone depending on the type or tattoos that they have?
There is a huge discrimination against tattoos in the work place. A long debate that has and probably will
always be carried on about how tattoos aren’t acceptable for a work place and the person that has them do
not look respectable or presentable enough. However when a celebrity chooses to get a tattoo the only
discussion is about whether it looks nice or it’s spelt correctly.
(Joseph Farah, 2006)“WASHINGTON – You run a fashionable restaurant with a dress code for employees and
customers that discourage pierced tongues and noses. You are a personnel director at an upscale department
store known for customer service and refuse to hire women with prominent tattoos. You supervise a
supermarket and require those with pierced body parts who handle food to remove the piercings before
reporting to work. According to legal experts in employment law, if you fit any of these categories, you are
setting yourself up for lawsuits from members of a new activist lobby representing the ever-growing
population of those into "body modification.
Tattoos and body modifications have become one of the most talked about topics in the 21st century, this
certain trend is being worked into television adverts by major corporations. There are even children’s books
that represent tattoos such as; “Mommy has a tattoo” and “Tattoo Colouring Book.” An interesting story line is
created in “Mommy has a tattoo” where a little body is frightened of a neighbour who happens to be heavily
tattooed. He then realises his mother has a tattoo also and realises not to be afraid of his neighbour.
Addiction is something that is highly associated with tattoos. Many people claim to be or are actually in fact
addicted to getting tattoos. There are a vast number of different reasons why someone could be addicted to
having tattoos and more or less these reasons may apply to most of the people that have multiple tattoos on

3. their body or are covered from head to toe. These explanations or reasons for being addicted to tattoos can be
either physiological or social depending on the person.
Physiological
http://www.newlookhouston.com/blog/2010/06/28/15-reasons-someone-could-become-addicted-to-
tattoos/
Adrenaline, Endorphins or pain substitution/self-mutilation are all factors of a physiological nature that can
influence a tattoo addiction. As tattoos can be painful the body responds by releasing adrenaline which most
people tend to enjoy the adrenaline rush that they get from a tattoo therefore making it one of the most likely
culprits in causing tattoo addiction. Endorphins are released when pain is caused so the pain can be relieved;
they are also associated with creating a natural “high” like exercise and orgasms. The chemical reaction
between these created an increased drive and even creates the addiction that some people have to getting
tattoos.
Often tattooing is referred to as a pain substitution, much like when someone chooses to cut themselves or
cause themselves pain in order to find a sense of control or an emotional or mental stress relief. Tattooing can
be like a release of these things for some people through the pain of the tattoo needle, therefore resulting in
someone becoming addicted to that feeling of pain which would lead them to constantly get more and more
tattoos.
Furthermore some people choose to have tattoos as a “cry for attention”. Tattoos can and are often compared
with different types of creative expression such as; piercings or brightly coloured hair. However with tattoos
being permanent they are often placed in a different category. A person that has a visible tattoo can often say
that because of that tattoo someone has spoken to them or stared therefore giving that person a feeling that
they are the center of attention which some people often crave. The need for connection or even slight
acknowledgement can create an addiction to tattoos for that person.
A massive factor relating to why people have tattoos and are addicted to them is because of self-expression.
Similar to the reason why a person would dye their hair or get a certain piercing to express the person that
they are. However tattooing is a more powerful and sometimes understandable way of expressing yourself.
Having a tattoo that represents something or someone or has a specific meaning behind it which is relevant to
the person can be seen as a way of expressing themselves or helping them overcome an event in their life or a

4. passing of a loved one through artwork. It is not uncommon for someone to has a tattoo that has a specific
meaning behind it and is one of the major factors as to why it is an addiction.
In addition, tattoos can just be a simple form of artwork. Someone could be highly interested in artwork and
would want to create a piece of artwork on their body so that they can appreciate it for the rest of their lives. .
If painters and sculptors can exhibit signs of addiction to their art, it stands to reason tattoo artists, and tattoo
aficionados could also feel a pull that resembles addiction when it comes to getting tattoos.
Social
In a social sense tattoos are widely known for different aspect of someone’s social life. Such as; Organisational
Obligations. A person may have a tattoo to represent a certain group/organization that they are a part of to
show membership to that specific group. These Tattoos are normally related in gang groups in prison or biker
groups. Because of the situations these kinds of people are in, the want to be in a gang or be accepted is very
high therefore causing an addiction to tattoos.
While the tattooed have formed a sub-culture of their own, tattoos have been important parts of many
cultures since ancient times. Many cultures practice the art of tattooing for both spiritual and ritualistic
reasons. These kinds of tattoos can also be used to specify someone into a certain religious, political or social
group. Even in western culture many individuals choose to get tattoos which identify their heritage with flags,
family crests or other iconic imagery. In UK culture often “Football thugs” as they are referred to by most
people will get tattoos such as an England flag, to represent what football team they support. Also many
“football thugs” will have a bull dog tattooed somewhere on their body. The bull dog is a symbol of pride for
Britianpeople, it shows bravery and represents the hardships that British went through during WW2. The flag
of Scotland, called the Saltire, also known as Saint Andrew’s Cross, is continuously used as a tattoo by the
Scotts.The Thistle is another popular Scottish tattoo often adopted by many Scottish gold club maker. These
both show a symbol of national pride and toughness. The thistle is also known to be many Scottish teams logo.

5. This inclination to pay homage to one’s culturally history, heritage or ancestry could feed an already addictive
inclination toward tattoos. The addiction to tattoos through heritage and culture is caused by the pressure in
needing to be accepted in their culture or to show many different forms of emotions to prove themselves to
their culture of just represent their culture due to pride.
- to understand the symbolic messages of gang culture body art
Tattoos are huge part of gang culture. There are many different tattoos that are well known that represent
certain events in a person in a gangs life. Tattoos in gang culture represent a commitment that stays with the
body even after life. Gang members are committed to the gang for life and shared tattoos are a way of
unifying members of a gang.
In many prisons around the world white inmates who are normally outnumbered and don’t tend to be gang-
organised in the prison population find it extremely important to show racial status to declare their place in
the prison. White inmates will often have tattoos of swastikas or crosses signifying membership to one of
many white supremacist groups in the prison.
An article by (Jean Casarez,2009) talks about a white inmate by the name of Joseph Bearden faced the death
penalty for repeatedly stabbing a man in 2007. Bearden has two dagger tattoos above and underneath his left
eye, a small tear drop under his right eye and on his neck another tattoo that is a copra snake poised and
ready to strike.
Before entering prison Bearden did not have these tattoos, throughout
his time in prison he was beaten so severely that he had to be admitted to hospital because of his injuries.
Bearden later got the tattoos that he now has to help him survive jail life and to be accepted. During jury
selection for his trial, potential jurors were asked individually whether the tattoos that Bearden had would
influence their decision on his guilt.
Tattoos in gang cultures mostly are done to unify a member within a gang. However tattoos in gang cultures
are used to distance a person from mass society and from other gangs. By a person from a gang tattooing

6. themselves it is meant to bring about fear and show a documentation of gang life and it’s culture.
This can be shown in many ways whether it be a tally of the number of crimes that a certain person has
committed, representing a gang, mourning or memory of the loss of a loved one or representing and showing
a life-sentence in prison.
Many different designs and symbols can be recognized by anyone as a gang tattoo. However each different
gang will have different tattoos that represent different meanings; however they can be similar but are
personalized by the gang so that they are highlighted to their certain gang, or a certain individual. Religious
devotion and cultural pride can be symbolized using things such as blood and guns which may come to shock
some people, but are generally couple on the same canvas.
Almost every single prison tattoos are done by artist convicts using homemade tattoos guns. These tattoos and
done quickly and secretly to avoid the risk of being caught which would result in a ‘major case’. Prisoners can
and may lose their privileges, be moved to a restricted wing or denied parole if convicted for this. In prison the
handiwork of a tattoo artist is the most respected skill amongst inmates.
Marks obtained in prison have significance on the streets amongst gangs. It is almost impossible to go into a
tattoo parlour without finding designs that emerged from the long, continuously evolving history of the Texas
lock-up. Rasheed, a Muslim serving 20 years in Huntsville’s Wyn unit, was a 15-year-old Houston Crip gang
member when he killed two people in a drug deal. Now 21, he reads The Koran, prays facing Mecca and fasts
during the month of Ramadan. But still displayed prominently on his chest is the barrel of a gun and the word
“kill” tattooed directly above it.
Convicts of all races seem to have teardrops tattooed directly below their eyes, giving people the impression
that they are permanently crying. This tattoo takes on different meaning depending on the place and time
when the tattoo was actually acquired. Originally each tear drop that a person had on their face would
represent a murder committed. Throughout the years this has changed and now a teardrop can represent
each of the family or gang members who died while that certain prisoner has been locked up. Due to the
location of the tattoo, it is a commitment showing how prison has almost literally scarred the inmate. In a
world where not caring about consequences is respected, tattoos declare themselves fearless. For that reason
inside the confines of the prison most hardened gang members, rather than hide their markings, display them
fearlessly.

7. These are two twins; Bless and Kojak. They are 43 years old and both have spent 19 years in prison for
stabbing a man. Bless is a member of the 28s, also more tattooed than his brother. The spider web that can be
seen on his neck symbolises how he will wait patiently for prey. The four stars on his shoulder show his high
rank in the 28s. Both Bless and Kojak have fangs tattooed underneath their lips to show that they will bite, also
devil horns tattooed on their foreheads

8. This well over 6ft tall man called Omar is covered in small tattoos. Jailed for 15 years because he stabbed a
man who had smashed a rock over his head. He was referred to as ‘King’ in prison, and very high status
member of the 28s gang. He has a tattoo of a hand on his neck which is the 28’s salute. Also a scorpion on his
arm shows his membership to the Cape Town Scorpions gang.
A common tattoo amongst gangs is the dots. The dots are usually tattooed in small groups of three or five
dots. Generally three dots located between the thumb and forefinger has many meanings, usually it will
represent the three places that most often gang members end up – Hospital, or prison or the grave.
Members of the Sur 12 often have three dots placed on their wrist, as well as a singular dot on the other wrist,
this signifies the number 13.
Sometimes refer to the three dots as the 3 I´s of the gang culture: Injury, Incarceration and Interment. The
dots may also stand for "mi vidaloca" ("my crazy life"). They may also be referred to as "party dots." And
finally, they may represent a gang known as Los Vatos Locos (The Crazy Dudes or Guys) gang. Only the person
wearing the dots knows what they mean to him or her.
Along with the pachuco cross, the number 187, and the slang tattoo "Thug Life", the "three dots", referred to
as "trespuntos" in Spanish, is a popular "generic" tattoo, particularly among Latino teenagers, and has no
positive, direct connection to gang affiliation.

9. Mexican Gang Culture
Mexican gangs are one of the large groups of gangs that have tattoos that are related to the certain gang that
a person may be involved in. Originally the Mexican mafia prison gang banned the practice of religion as a way
to show membership to the group. Mexico is generally a country deeply fixated with catholic tradition; this has
made it impossible to undermine the influence of religion all together, even when relating to violent criminal
gang members. This is why Mexican gang members tend to be found with tattoos of hand clasped together in
prayer, this tattoo generally represents a powerful image of a plea for forgiveness from God for the wrong the
gang member has done.
Many Mexican gang tattoos often have significant phrases personal to that particular gang member. These
include phrases like Mi Vida Loca (My Crazy Life” and PerdonameMi Madre (Forgive Me, Mother) which show
how they are aware of their gangster life and how it is unacceptable to their family members and loved ones.
There words or phrases are usually tattooed in Old English style letters. Some Mexican gang members also
tattoo the web of the hands with drawings relating to a special role within the gang. Sometimes these symbols
are burned into the hand. Most Mexican gangs prefer the colours of the Mexican flag as their gang’s colours.
The colours of the Mexican flag are green, white and red. That is the reason why these colours predominate in
the tattoos of Mexican gang members.
Russian Gang Culture
Russian gang members have tattoos for a much deeper reason than most. Russian mafia usually uses tattoos
as a way to display the truth to one another. By looking at a tattooed person in the Russian mafia people are
able to pretentiously work out the details of that certain person’s criminal career such as; if they have lied,
stolen, betrayed, been in prison or even murdered. Russian mafia tattoos represent what rank or position
they are in their gang and where their loyalties lay, sometimes even their sexual preference.
Since these tattoos represent the truth, if anyone is caught with fake tattoos or a tattoo that lies about who
they are, severe consequences may be put forward. If certain things are changed about a person in the Russian
mafia such as their loyalties then they are made to burn off their old tattoo and replace them with new ones
that represent their ‘new truths’.
A tattoo of a rose on the chest is normally given to a new gang member to start of their career. Higher rank
members of the gang always employ a tattoo artist for every tattoo that needs doing. Whereas in prisons the
gang member will make their own inks and guns using material available to them, this means that their tattoos

10. are usually one colour. However tattoos given to the Russian mafia are mostly situated on the torso, therefore
being covered by clothes.
Symbolism and specific meaning of many of the tattoos in the Russian mafia are generally not clear for anyone
outside the gang culture; however a few of them can be explained. A few that can be explained are stars found
of the chest; these signify a ‘career criminal’. Also a cathedral with five domes can symbolize five years in
imprisonment.
Members of the gang that disrespect or go against the gang can and most likely will be forcibly tattooed. This
mostly will occur in prison; these tattoos will often consist of derogatory words or indecent images.
Gang tattoos are a study in contradictions; they reflect a culture where life is fleeting but tattoos make the
record of life, and often life-record, immortal.
UK Gang Culture
- to exam tribal body art in order to understand its relevance within the tribe
Tribal body art is highly popular and compulsory in many different types of tribes. Different pieces of body art
have different meanings, whether they be spiritual or status related. It can also be used to express beauty of
the wearer.
African body art is used to express an certain individual’s status amongst their tribe, spiritual beliefs or ethnic
group. There are many different ways of creating body art such as;
1. Scarification
2. Body painting
3. Beadwork
4. Jewellery
5. Mutilation

11. Each of these methods of creating body art changes the wearer in an object that is shaped and created by
colour, textures, patterns and movement.
During dangerous times or events is a person’s life body art is used as a protective symbol to help them move
on to adulthood through childhood.
Scarification is used to show something about the wearer. Scarification can be anything from cutting to
burning and whipping, which for most people would be considered painful, but for the wearers of these they
are a way of showing a certain attribute they have or a stage in their life that they are progressing to. In the
Nigeian tribe, Ga’anda, pubescent girls are made to be scarred on their shoulders, backs and stomachs with
delicate and individual designs to show the transition into womanhood. For the Sudanese tribe of Shilluk, they
use scarred dots usually across the forehead to give and display details about that certain person’s heritage.
Body painting is probably one of the most common methods used to create body art, also one of the least
painful methods. Body painting s most formally used to represent sexual maturity. The colours of the tribe are
frequently used in body painting to represent it, however can be also used to give a specific message about the
wearer. The Nuba males in Sudan, unlike other tribes who usually only use body painting in times of worship
or mourning, paint and decorate almost their entire body to indicate their stage in life.
Beadwork is a highly popular form of body art that Africans are more or less famous for. The uses of colourful
beads are used in many different ways by Africans such as; on their body and in their hair, also these beads are
used on clothing. There are a number of reasons why colourful beads are used and what they represent.
Beadwork will mainly represent certain aspects of the wearer such as; gender, power within the tribe, how
many children the wearer has and more.
Jewellery is used as a way to create beauty. Mainly tribe jewellery is made from leather, hair, grasses, beads,
bones, shells and seeds. When jewellery was made from a more valuable material such as coral the wearer
would see it as more valuable.
Mutilation is the most creative way that tribes people use to express themselves are certain things in their
lives. Mutilation can include earlobe and lip plugs, neck rings. Any other similar method of changing the body’s
appearance by stretching is considered Mutilation. By doing these types of things tribes people are able to
have the result of having a strange physical feature that more than likely becomes a part of them are they may
not be able to change the effects of Mutilation.
Tribal art is used in many different cultures all over the world. In India Body and face painting have been in
Indian cultures since ancient times. When hunting, men would paint their faces and bodies to camouflage
themselves in order to give them more of a chance of killing. Face painting is mainly used when festivities are
before held or a certain drama or performance if being put on. Often during religious events people in India
will have their faces painted.

12. Henna has been around for many years. Traditionally women in India have henna painted on different parts of
their body, mainly their hands and feet, their skins and inside of their arms. This will occur for a wedding for a
any other special occasion. Henna is often linked with religious symbols.Henna history and origin is hard to
trace as it has been around for so many years now. Some of the earliest tribes and civilizations to use henna
are; Assyrians, Canaanites and Babylonians. A tablet dating back to 2100 BC shows evidence of henna used
specifically for a women or bride’s special occasion. Henna has also been used in southern China. Henna in
China would often be linked with rituals and has been for around three thousand years, during ancient
Goddess Cultures.
In central Australia tribal groups known as Aborigines have passed down specific face painting designs
throughout centuries. Aboriginies would use a mix of ground ochre and water to apply stripes and or circles to
the face. Face painting for aboriginal people has become a new language, as they use cryptic symbols for
different things. Spirtual signicificance is shown through body painting, personal adornment and decortaion.
Body painting for aborigines, like in some other cultures, is a way of showing social status and sometimes
relationship to their family. Also body painting can reflect ancetors. An Aboriginie can be completely changed
so they ‘become’ the spirit ancestor they are portaying in dance.
In Native American culture colour has specific meaning when it comes to body and face painting. Red is known
as the colour of war, Black is the colour of ‘living’. Black is usually worn during war preparations to give the
people hope. White represents peace and green is usually worn under the eyelids at night, thus giving the
wearer night vision. Yellow, unlike in many other places in the world is considered to be the colour of death
and should only really be worn when a certain person in in mourning. However yellow can also represent that
a man has lived a good life and will keep on fighting until the end.
Usualy in tribal cultures, ones that still follow the custom of face painting, the colour will be chosen due to the
materials available to them. Colours such as red, blue, yellow and white were the only colours used in anicent

13. times due to lack of materials. Tribal culturees get their inspiration for bold designs from nature, imagination
and tradtional masks that have already been made. Cultures think that painting is a way to captures a certain
emotion and or expression and gives it more meaning for a longer period of time, unlike any other form of art.
Painting is simply a mixture of lines, colours, tones, texture a space to create an interesting pattern on
someone. Sometimes by sprinkling dust or soft bird feathers, special effects were achieved. Nowadays most
tribesmen choose to use branded face paints.
Face painting is probably one of the most important types of body art in the Native American culture. Unlike
some other cultures, to Native Americans it is so much more than trying to make someone more beautiful.
However like most other cultures face painting is used on special occasions to signify social status in the group
and boost their appearance. Indian tribes tend to have their own unique way of face painting that they have
explored and perfected throughout many years. Native American Indians generally use natural materials such
are berries, tree barks and roots to create their dyes for face painting. Another material that is also used in
Native Indian face painting is clay of different hues.
Colours are applies to the nose, the rest of the face is covered with paint. Warriors in tribes would usually
paint their faces with colour clay, and then the design of their tribe would be painted onto their face. Each
specific tribe has their own designs for ceremonies and war that are included in the design on the person face.
Plain Indians would paint everything that could be painted on such as’ clothing, their homes and even their
horses. Pictures and symbols that they drew had specific and deep meaning and often told stories, however
their culture lack a specific written language, unlike most tribes. Red was the most popular used by this tribe,
they used plants, clays and duck dung to create the colours that they wanted. The natives before these
generally used a range of different colours to create their paintings. A yellow paint was made from earth from
the Yellowstone River, as well as from bull berries and pine tree moss. Blue was obtained from duck droppings
found on the shores of lakes, or from blue-coloured mud. White earth and clay were used to make white paint.
Green was made from plants, copper ore or mud. The pigments were placed over a fire to dry, then ground
into a fine powder on mortars of stone or wood. They were then mixed with tallow. The colours, kept separate
in small buckskin bags, were mixed with hot water when the artist was ready for them.
Indian artists normally used willow branches that were straight, so they could be used as a ruler to draw
straight lines, to create their paintings. Short, flat sticks could be used as well. Brushes that were used to paint
could be made from a range of things such as, buffalo bone, chewed cottonwood and willow sticks. For every
different colour there was and different brush had to be used.
In many different tribes a big part of body art would be considered ear lobe stretching. By stretching the ear
lobes of a person it is meant to signify beauty for either the male or female. Ear lobe stretching often starts at
an early age, the ear lobes are pierced and brass weights are used as earrings to stretch the earlobe to the
required size.
By elongating ear lobes in different cultures is can also represent status for a person, the long the ear lobe the

14. higher up in the tribe that certain person is considered. Due to the fact that it takes time to elongate an ear
lobe, the older a person is the longer their ear lobes will be, therefore elongated earlobes can also represent
age as well as status.
However in tribal cultures this art form is slowly dying but most jungle tribes will still attempt to do this with
many of the people in the tribes. The reason that this certain type of art form is dying is because of injuries
caused due to the size of someone’s ears, often they will get caught on something and ripped unintentionally.
However earlobe stretching and elongating has become a popular trend in modern culture but not for the
reasons it was popular in certain tribes and cultures.