Why Do People Get Tattoos

Discovered over 5000 years ago a man by the name of ‘Otzi the ice man’ made news worldwide when he was found on a mountain between Austria and Italy. He was known for his corpse being in the best preserved state and because he had almost 60 tattoos. Most believed that his tattoos were made/applied (mostly behind his knees) for therapeutic reasons.
Tattoo comes from the Tahitian word tatau which is the definition to mark. It is believed that tattoos have been around longer than ‘Otzi the ice man’. It has been said that tattoos have been practiced in places like Egypt, Japan, China, Polynesia Indonesia, New Zealand, India Thailand, Africa, ancient Greece and Rome. I am providing history for the sheer purpose of explaining how long they have been around and that tattoos are more popular now than they have been before.
Tattoos have been looked upon years ago as being for those of “low lives”, bikers or gang bangers, so to speak. But now tattoos have made a comeback to many as a form of art. People would now get tattoos for several different reasons; people get tattoos to express their lost for a loved one. It was said that ancient Hawaiians would tattoo their tongues as a sign of mourning when a loved on died. During the modern Western culture people would only get a tattoo as a sign of remembrance, nothing more. A similar reason is to remember a special event or to state their preference for one activity or another. Some say that it’s a way to declare oneself without saying a