the history behind this thing called body art...(draft)

The History Behind Tattoo’s and Piercings

Many people today get tattoos and piercings to make a fashion statement, in remembrance of someone, to rebel, or just to look cool. People do things to be able to fit into what’s “in” today in society. But, I’m sure if you were to ask 20 different who were the first people in history to bring about tattoos and piercings, maybe 2 out of those 20 people will be able to answer that question. Here you will learn where both tattoos and piecings originated from.
Tattoo in Greek is tatu, which means mar something. Tattoos began during the construction period in Ancient Egypt in 2000 B.C. They were most common on female Egyptians who would have various patterns and figurines from this time period tattooed on their bodies. Tattoos developed from Nubians and later flourished in the Middle Kingdom, where women would get tattoos done for ritualistic processes. It was found that women who got tattooed were either dancing girls or were concubines to someone of royalty.
It later became popular in Japan, and other Asian cultures, especially during the Yayoi period. In which during this period men were tattooed accordingly to their rank. The Ainu people in Asia would tattoo women according to their religion and social status, and the coming of age and growing up. During the Edo period, tattoos were marks of criminals and those in gangs. They were marked with stripes either across their face or on their arms. Tattoos later became something voluntary. In Borneo females were the tattoo artist. It was tradition for the females to design tattoos that represented their owner’s status and the tribe they belonged to. The Kayan women would get delicate tattoos that looked like lace and the Dayak warriors would get tattoos on their hands representing them “taking a head”.
Piercings which started as far back as 5 thousand years ago originally identified with royalty, and represented courage and virility. Piercings were done for many different reasons. Egyptian Pharaohs would get their naval (belly button) pierced as a rite of passage (a ritual that changes a persons social or sexual status), Roman soldiers would pierce their nipples to represent manhood, and Mayans would pierce their tongues as a spiritual ritual. Many of the piercings people get today have much more reason then they will really know.
Earlobe piercings, practiced as early as 5 thousand years ago, were the first piercings ever attempted. During this time, many tribes believed that evil spirits and demons would enter a person’s body through their ears, and metal would keep them from entering. So, by piercing their ear the metal from the jewelry would prevent the spirits and demons from going in. Sailors believed that piercing their ears would improve their eyesight while on a voyage. In many other societies, they were a sign of puberty, and in some cases, both parents of a child would pierce one side of their ear to show the dependency of the child.
Nose piercings originally came about in the Middle East 4 thousand years ago. In the Bible’s Book of Genesis, it was known that Abraham had given a “shanf” also known as a golden nose ring to his son’s first wife Rebekah. Nose piercings were originally brought by the Monghul Emperors, and were mainly used by females in India. They believed piercing the left side of their nose would make child birth much easier and less painful. The ideas of nose piercings were later taken by the hippies that had traveled to India. This was later taken by the punk rockers that used this idea as a form of rebelling against the conservatives.
Labret piercings go all the way back to Dogon tribes where they were used as religious sacrifices. Tribes in Africa would get their labret stretched large enough so that wooden plates of clay could be inserted. Getting a labret piercing in Ancient Aztec and Mayan tribes meant they were members of a higher social class. In the Makololo tribe, members, especially females, would get their upper lip pierced as a sign of beauty. Men wouldn’t really want to marry any female without one. It brought something more appealing to a woman’s face, as a beard would for a man.
Tongue piercings were used by the Ancient Aztecs and Central Mayans to draw blood to please the gods. They were also an altered state of consciousness so priest can communicate with the gods. Naval piercings as stated earlier, were used by Egyptian Pharaohs as a sign of manhood. They are more of a modern society piercing. They became really popular during the bikini period in the 1980’s. They were considered sexy, yet provocative.
Nipple piercing originally started as a fashion statement in the 14th century. Originally men would carry capes on them. Before clit piercings were used as a sexual stimulus, the clitoris was considered the “devils teat”. Females who would get caught having one would be accused of being a witch and prosecuted. Penis piercings also known as the “Prince Albert” originally got its name from Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria. Not only was the “Prince Albert” used for sexual pleasure, but it was originally used to hold the penis down on one side so the bulge wouldn’t be seen though the men’s tight pants.
Tattoos and piercings have their own significant meaning. They were more than just something nice to look at. They were gotten for religious purposes; they were used to show a distinction between social classes. They were a form of showing a females coming of age. And were a type of beauty and self expression. The meaning behind the two hasn’t changed so much over time either. Today, they are still a form of self expression and beauty, and they hold meaning to anyone who gets them. We owe a lot of appreciation to the Egyptians and the Japanese. Without them, tattoos and piercings wouldn’t be around and we wouldn’t have another more entertaining yet meaningful way of expressing ourselves.

is it art?

full body tattoos ------>
<----- a pierced corset into someones back

so now i ask you, is this art? or nonsense? want my opinion? im going to give it to you anyway.
i call it beautiful. i call this art.




When people think about art the most common things they come up with are drawing, painting, coloring, graffiti, the mosaics they see in the train stations, collages, or just anything that is used to express yourself nowadays. So why is it when I say piercings and tattoos are a form of art, I get looked at as if im crazy, or weird. I mean wouldn’t tattoos and piercings be considered art? They are a form of self expression, and isn’t art all about expressing yourself? I would think so.
Today the main question with tattoos and piercings are why did you get that? And there are many reasons as to why people get tattoos and piercings. Some are as follows. Many people get tattoos and piercings because they think its attractive, they want to stand out against society, or to sometimes even fit in with a group, to remember an event, or in memory of someone who passed or they loved. Some people even get them to “reclaim” them selves after a break up, some couples use it as a sign of making their relationship more official. But mainly people get them as an expression of themselves, their attitudes and what they believe in. They are not afraid to stand out against societal norms.
Although, nowadays tattoos and piercings have become more acceptable in society, it wasn’t like this in the past. Back in time, tattoos and piercings would be something too extreme to be right. And even farther in time, pirates and people who were in gangs were the ones with the tattoos. Tattoos and piercings where also used in different tribes. In many religions today tattoos and piercings are not very acceptable. To very religious people, piercing or tattooing your body means you are not happy with what god gave you as a person. And changing it would mean god did something wrong, which is wrong because god is perfect.
Although today they are becoming more acceptable with teens and adults, it is the seniors of our times who don’t find tattoos and piercings to be too exciting.
If you were to ask a grandparent who was in the early 1900’s they would tell you that their either unnecessary, or it’s a mess. And my favorite, its unnecessary pain that you’re putting yourself through. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not only the seniors that think its extra pain and nonsense, there are many teens and young adults how believe tattoos and peircings are a form of self mutilation. Those who get tattoos and piercings like pain. And are rebelling against the social norms in society.
Society becomes more accepting when the tattoos and piercings can’t be seen. This in my opinion is ridiculous. Although tattoos and piercings are for a persons own liking and use, I don’t feel the need for them to be covered up. I feel it’s a form of expression. In my opinion tattoos and piercings are a form of art. They are beautiful. Regardless if the piercing is visible or not. In my opinion I say let them show. If the person wants to express themselves in that way let them, it’s not like their hurting anyone in the process. This is how they express themselves. This is their form of art.

chills ---->people?

ok so a little while ago i was online talking to some people on AIM when all of a sudden i started getting a bad case of the chills. at first i thought i was cold, but then i remembered the heater was on, then im thinking maybe im getting sick, but i dont feel any different. so then i thought long and hard and came to the conclusion that as soon as i started talking to one specific person i got these chills. and i started to question why? well recently me and this person had tension between us. so im guessing the reason why i got these chills was because of the tension me and this person has. its not bad tension, its just we have some questions up in the air and some issues we havent resolved. so i thought, am i the only one who goes through this? why does it happend. and i found out im not the only one this happends too. and my reason for this happening is simple.
u know when you get butterlies when you like someone and their talking to you, or when you get nervous around someone...?
this is sort of the same thing. being that theres tension and unfinished business with me and this person its a combination of my nerves and coldness that runs through my body when i speak to this person.
now, i dont know if this is a bad thing or a good thing, but i sure would like to find out. i dont get these chills very often, not with people at least...something i may need to look up for myself =)

quote from the labyrinth

"not all are so fortunate as to discover the stone, and those who find it do not always know how to use it effectively"

not everyone is lucky enough to have it all. theres people who dont have anything. who have to work hard for what they need and want. and then theres those people who have it all. who never had to work a day in their life, who had everything handed to them. these are the people who take things for granted. i feel the less you have, or the harder you work, the more you appreciate the smaller things in life. i feel everything has a more special meaning. and you never take anything for granted.
and this has a lot of meaning to me. just because ive alway had to work for what i need and wanted. and i value anything and everything. im sure im not the only one.
just something to think about...

the things you see on the train....

i was on my way to work when i came across this advertisement for halls cough drops. if you cant see what it is, its a rollerblade and on the break is a halls cough drop. the slogan is "protect yourself". i thought this was one of the best advertisemnts ive ever seen. why? its so simple....

the break is supposed to be what helps a person, it stops them from falling. and the job of halls is to protect a person from a cold, or to help "slow down" and keep the person safe and healthy. just as a break would do for a skater.

just something interesting i wanted to share with you guys =)

another quote...im gonna choose to elaborate on this one =)

"it's so simple to be afraid"

this is a quote from a song called its so simple by saosin. i chose to post this quote just because i agree with it. when things get to hard for people they run and hide. it's easy to run from the things your afraid of. but its not easy to have to face what your afraid of. when people are faced with a challenge some reasons they run from are failing, rejection, falling down and not being able to get back up. but in my opinion, the hardest part is falling down, but when you get up, it gets easier everytime.

lady madeline in her coffin

There was a time when stillness meant nothing to me
Once, silence meant lack of sound;
Fall came once a year
I danced, redcheeked, Each year's first snow,
Tongue out to taste each flake's welcome sting
I laughed, distinct from nature's cycles,
A scrap of wonder, floating in a torrent of sorrow I couldn't grasp
That laugh, mouth open, sums up my past,
I craved fulfillment, too shallow to knowI could never be fully filled again

~i am ghost-lady madeline in her coffin~

"Blueprint of the fall"

Imagine a place where freedoms just a word on the wall
surrounded by the wreckage of towers that could never fall
the company will avenge imagine the lies like bombs turn the shock and the awe
for justice in time and a land for justice never was one thief
to rule them all along the Potomac and west toward the sea through the ghettos past the monuments we all built to house the weak
it's the blueprint to the fall of our place in history
the end to what we all believed to be the hope to save this place and I walk among the flagstones through the graves an apocalypse is blooming in the sage dead presidents lined coffin text in biblical unrest the blind pride home genocide and the secret wars we all missedit's the blueprint to the fall of the entire human race the end to what we all believed would be the hope to save this placeand I walk among the flagstones through the graves

~strung out-blue print of the fall~

different quotes i like...

"life is to short to be taken seriously"
~oscar wilde~

"the only normal people are the ones you dont knw very well"
~anonymous~

"die young and save yourself"
~brand new~

"i know now this is who i really am"
~30 seconds to mars~

the theft

He bends and he breaks
If he gives they will take awayHis passion, his pain, his grace
He exhales,A thousand black flowers explode
Into butterflies as they're away
Rip them out, take them,Burn to coals as they crush and leave nothing
That resembles a soul of a man
See him numb, see him crushed (see him numb, see him crushed)
Rip them out, take them Burn to coals as they crush and leave nothing That resembles a soul of a manLeave them numb, leave them crushed (leave them numb, leave them crushed)
Took the fire inside One too many times He's burning over and out now,He flailsUp against the raging tides,
No more sides Everything you ever wanted to see,See it in his eyes
One more time, one more time
Climb down to test the waters,My hands feel like they're rusting away, yeah, yeah, yeah,So I'll pace around like a limb before the slaughterI'll stay here as long as you let me,
Decision's been made obvious so I will returnWhere I started I'll stay hereWhen I'm finished I'll whither away

Atreyu - the theft

WTF?!?!?!?!?!

ok...so can we talk about how expensive college is??? its like im paying so much money and to be perfectly honest its being wasted!!! im not learning anything....i came to college to learn. i like to be taught new things. i love to learn and i dont know if its stjohns or all colleges but im not learning anything. i feel like im forgetting everything instead of learning anything.
and why is it if every professor in this school has their PHD, why am i teaching myself. yea whatever...i know this is the time where im supposed to be all independant and blah blah blah. but being independent is not something that should be brought to my attention. i have been independent since as long as i can remember.
but when someone tells me to read a book and learn on my own because we're gonna be tested...i ask myself...what the hell am i paying 40 thousand dollars a year for? i can learn from a book for free...im so dissapointed in college right now its not even funny.
everyone said college is going to be the best 4 years of my life...well i would like to know when does those 4 years start because i still feel like im in high school. its kind of sad because as much as i love school, being in college has given me second thoughts on whether or not i should stay in school or not. but i stay because i have too, because to get somewhere in life you need to have some type of degree. and its sad that i have these thoughts because shcool has never been a question to me. its just i go and thats it, i love it. but now its like going to class is a drag. because either the professor rambles, or is getting off topic at least 10 times in every discussion.
and what makes it more upseting is im paying for college by myself. i wanna get my money's worth. i work hard for the money i make to pay off my tuition. i want to get something out of it. AN EDUCATION!!!!!

But what does it mean???

"we get used to the chains we wear and we miss them when removed"

In other words, after we get attached to something or someone, we adjust our lives to being a certain way. we become comfortable with these changes, and when they are gone / removed, its hard to feel the same way you did before you got attached to these things or people. and you begin to miss it because you've been attached to it for so long and it changed everything.

example:
when people are in a relatinship whether it be romantic, a friendship, or a relatiomship with a family member they adjust in ways that make the relationship work. instead of it being just one person to think about it becomes more. and when you break away from it, whether it be going to college, breaking up, a death, moving away, or anything that just seperates you from that relationship you miss it. just because you were used to a certain way for so long.

another example that we can use is when people are in abusive relationships. it becomes so normal for them that after the relationship is over they start to miss the person and the action. same thing goes for when someone is abused as a child. they have become so used to it, that when they get in a relationship and it is abusive they dont see it as anything wrong. when in fact it is completely wrong.

one more example that fits perfect with this quote is the movie the shaw shank redemption. brooks was an old man who was in jail most of his life. who was later set free after his time in jail was up. when he got back to his old neighborhood everything was so different. he tried to adjust to it, but being that he was in jail for so long he just couldnt. he found himself not sleeping at night and thinking about commiting crimes just so he can go back to jail. but instead of doing so, he gave up, the changes became to hard for him and he decided to hang himself.

its dangerous to get to attached to something or someone. all i have to say is be careful and always have some type of guard up. its good to be prepared...=-/

what it must feel like to be a computer....

i was walking back to my dorm one afternoon and being that im pretty random i have some pretty random thoughts haha. andone random thought that popped into my head was i wonder what it must feel like to be a computer?? random right?? yea i guess. ok so i thought and thought and ive come to the conclusion they must feel hurt and used more than any human being could ever. why?? its simple.
think about what it must feel like to constantly be opened and closed. to have your heart on your sleeve or to have every single or thought you have had laid out in the public?
to be used for all that you have and then be turned away when your not needed anymore. to have your buttons pushed on a regular basis. all the little things that go on with a computer are things we as human beings cant deal with for to long.
if computers were human beings, im sure they would be the most screwed up, depressed people in the world. haha...think about it though. if they had feelings and could speak imagine what they would say. imagine your a computer and someone is typing a hw assignment that they've been typing for 2 hours now, and did 5 hours of research on it, and listening to music all at the same time. how would you feel?? i know i would be ready to break down. as a human its hard to deal with just one issue let alone having to deal with 3 at once.
so the way i see it is, let your computer rest sometimes...give it a break. you dont want it to have a breakdown...then you'd never be able to use it again...LOL ~.^