Influx

David Brooks in a recent New York Times Select article (available to members only) that the tattoo was now so mainstream that everyone has one and therefore its power as a totem of individuality and rebellion has been somewhat diluted.

“The most delightful thing about the whole tattoo fad. A cadre of fashion-forward types thought they were doing something to separate themselves from the vanilla middle classes but are now discovering that the signs etched into their skins are absolutely mainstream. They are at the beach looking across the acres of similar markings and learning there is nothing more conformist than displays of individuality, nothing more risk-free than rebellion, nothing more conservative than youth culture.”

Influx decided to see if Brooks was right and this weekend attended the San Francisco Body Arts Expo, to see if the suburban Target Moms and Home Depot Dads where out in force getting their tats done.

Once we had fought our way around the drunk and felonfights video booths, we found an extraordinary cross section of society; there were teen girls who had small tattoos on their ankles and nothing else, but in equal measure there were lots of people who had taken the whole thing to 11.

Those keen to show that when the masses pour in, they take it to the next level. A crowd gathered around a woman who was getting a bolt put in her neck, there were lots of full body tattoos, but what was most interesting was to see the range of sub-cultures represented; Latinos, Asians, bikers, gays and lesbians, 50s throwback rockers, hippies, Yakuza wannabes, etc.

So Brooks maybe right that just having a tattoo is no longer a symbol of rebellion, but those looking for rebellion make moves to the world of body modification. However, Brooks is missing a point, the tattoo is still a powerful symbol of individuality, something that people are looking for more of these days.

At the Expo the range and diversity of the art was astounding. So for the people who really get the culture, rather than those who get a tattoo for a bet one drunken night in Vegas, it’s about how they represent your personality and/or affiliation to your tribal sub-culture.

So it may be a mass-market phenomenon, lots of people have tattoos, like they have clothing, but it’s what they are and what they represent that’s the important thing.

Photos can be seen here.