History of the tatto culture in New York city Essay

History of the tatto culture in New York city - Essay Example Tattooing culture was re- introduced in the Western world in the sixteenth century with Anglo- Saxons kings of England getting tattooed. Since then, the culture of tattooing has been gaining prominence gradually across the world. Presently, it is normal to find people with a tattoo in virtually all parts of the world including those countries that are considered too religious and conservative. In fact, since the 1990s, tattoos have been considered as one of the major parts of Western and indeed global fashion, that cuts across gender, age, and economic classes (Gilbert 6-7). This discussion will focus on the history of the tattoo with specific reference to New York City (NYC), United States. Before discussing the history of tattoo in NYC, it is important to understand what tattoo means. A tattoo refers to a design, which is carved permanently into the skin through the insertion of indelible ink into the skin’s dermis layer in order to change the pigment. On humans, tattoos are a type of modification to the body while on animals they are mostly used for identification purposes. The word tattoo came from the term ‘tatua’, which a Tahitian word is meaning to mark (Rainer 11). In recent times, the tattoo has gained social acceptance and is very popular in the US. It is estimated that, in 2010, about 38% of the US’ Generation Y had tattoos. The culture of tattooing in the US dominantly took root in the 1800s. This art was sparked by the immigrants around this time.