Tattoos are a creative way for us to express who we are as individuals. Some people choose to draw what they believe in, others prefer to etch a reminder of who they love, and then there are those who are interested in the essence of the art itself. Not to mention, there are people who would rather keep their bodies unmarked. The point is, every individual is different when it comes to tattoos; when we traced some people’s opinions, we found that cultures have a significant influence on how people view tattoos. We know that tattoos were generally frowned upon at some point in time as they were deemed as a sign of rebellion; much like rock music. However, for men, it has always been easier to rebel rather than women. Even nowadays, men with body art aren’t under as much scrutiny as women; yet, to be fair, it all goes back to a person’s background culture.
Different countries tend to view inked women in several different manners.
European Countries
Europe, being the birthplace of art, is not really a continent where tattoos are taboos. If you take a walk down any street in Europe, you are most likely to find a tattoo shop at some point. Tattooed women there are mostly free from the tattoo-related stigma that surrounds the subject in other parts of the world. In fact, tattoos in Europe are beginning to take place as the new normal. This explains why inked women do not stand out.
The Middle East
Since the majority of middle eastern countries were under Islamic rule, certain principles have been cemented within the people. In most Arab countries tattoos are not really a normal thing to have; you will get some looks, though.
Recently, however, having body ink has been slowly spreading through countries which do not strictly abide by Islamic Laws; since, having tattoos is against the teachings of Islam. In the countries where people are allowed to have tattoos, the majority tends to view women with tattoos as indecent; but, there are others who view inked women as those of significant courage.
The United States
Tattoo culture in the U.S has spread massively among the population; especially, among the younger generations. At first, getting inked was frowned upon, it became a normal thing quite quickly. It is safe to say that women aren’t really up against much scrutiny or criticism. On the other hand, there are still some people who are a bit conservative when it comes to body art; there’s a slight chance they might frown upon tattooed women. You’ll find it also interesting to know that it is thought that laser tattoo removal originated in the States as well, which has played a huge role for women in particular to go ahead and go wild, knowing that there is always the option to get it removed.
Africa
In many African cultures and villages, women getting inked has been done for many generations. It was believed that it could cure ailments and to this very day, is deeply instilled in the culture of warding off evil spirits. What’s even more interesting it that in a lot of African cultures the tattoos are done on the face with interesting patterns. To this very day, many some African village resorts to making tattoos on their women by scarification instead to ink. It can get very complex as it doesn’t just stop at warding off evil or curing ailments, many of these tattoos would be made for the women in order to clarify social standing or ranking as well.
As you have read above, there are no cemented stereotypes regarding tattoos. There is no one country that views all tattooed women in the same manner. It’s not what truly matters, though. What matters is that you feel free as an individual. People are going to find something to criticize in everything so, why don’t you express yourself freely anyway? The interesting part is that while it may be considered taboo or just downright unacceptable in some cultures, many others have the concept of having a tattooed woman as an actual ritual or something to take much pride in because it holds a much deeper meaning than just ink.