angi
Well-known member
Hey, I’ve been asked to do a piece of university coursework for my social remembering module on commemorative practises. Commemorative practises are basically things that we do which project a version of the past into the future, for example, birthday parties, monuments, funerals, religious services etc. For my commemorative practise I’ve chosen to look at tattoos.
So basically I want to look at tattoos that people have, the meaning and reasons behind them i.e. why people feel that they had them done and the meaning that they still hold for them, and I need your help.
I’m interested in any tattoos that you have that meaning, or reasons behind them, or significance to you. I’m also interested in changes of mind (i.e. cover ups) and the way that you feel you changed in order to want to project a different version or idea about yourself on your body (for example, you got a tattoo as a teenager, and had it covered up as you feel that it no longer said anything about you, and all it did was reminded you of the difficult times you went through).
Let me start with my tattoo, it’s of two flowers on my back. I thought about having a tattoo for two years, and finally got it done after a period of great emotional stress where I broke up with my long term boyfriend and was going through a really stressful time. I got it as I felt that I had experienced a great amount of emotional pain, but had not experienced any physical pain to go with it, which left the whole time period open for me. The tattoo helped to give me closure on the emotional strain I had experienced (I feel that its size is proportional and represents the amount of my emotional upset.) I also got it to remind myself that we come through these things, and that even though every day can be a struggle, it does eventually end, and new things begin. To me it shows the support of the people that I had around me (it was designed by a close friend who helped me through the time). The design itself I chose and helped create because I wanted to help project the idea that tattoos aren’t horrible, ugly things that criminals and prisoners had (i.e. from the early ideas of psychologists and philosophers) and that tattoos can often be feminine and pretty, and can suit anyone.
I would love for other people to share their tattoos, the reasons they got them, the meaning behind them, your day to day understanding and appreciation of them, and what you feel they say about you (then and now!), be it open, personal, religious etc. It would also greatly help my final year coursework!
So basically I want to look at tattoos that people have, the meaning and reasons behind them i.e. why people feel that they had them done and the meaning that they still hold for them, and I need your help.
I’m interested in any tattoos that you have that meaning, or reasons behind them, or significance to you. I’m also interested in changes of mind (i.e. cover ups) and the way that you feel you changed in order to want to project a different version or idea about yourself on your body (for example, you got a tattoo as a teenager, and had it covered up as you feel that it no longer said anything about you, and all it did was reminded you of the difficult times you went through).
Let me start with my tattoo, it’s of two flowers on my back. I thought about having a tattoo for two years, and finally got it done after a period of great emotional stress where I broke up with my long term boyfriend and was going through a really stressful time. I got it as I felt that I had experienced a great amount of emotional pain, but had not experienced any physical pain to go with it, which left the whole time period open for me. The tattoo helped to give me closure on the emotional strain I had experienced (I feel that its size is proportional and represents the amount of my emotional upset.) I also got it to remind myself that we come through these things, and that even though every day can be a struggle, it does eventually end, and new things begin. To me it shows the support of the people that I had around me (it was designed by a close friend who helped me through the time). The design itself I chose and helped create because I wanted to help project the idea that tattoos aren’t horrible, ugly things that criminals and prisoners had (i.e. from the early ideas of psychologists and philosophers) and that tattoos can often be feminine and pretty, and can suit anyone.
I would love for other people to share their tattoos, the reasons they got them, the meaning behind them, your day to day understanding and appreciation of them, and what you feel they say about you (then and now!), be it open, personal, religious etc. It would also greatly help my final year coursework!
