I apologize for the tardiness of my article. I had problems of a personal nature that put me several days behind. However, I collected data to support the thesis of my article and even though that put me further behind, I feel that it was necessary to create a viable article.

"Tattoos" by Dana Menello

The art of tattooins is now a mainstream form of expression for an individual growing up in our nation. Our modern society, and the culture of our nation's youth, has come to accept the art of tattoo as a simple fact of life. Tattoos were once thought of as a taboo from of art. Even so much that tattooed women were showcased as freaks in traveling sideshows. Today, many people have tattoos. Even though having the entire body covered in tats is still an extreme form of this art.

It is commonly feared among older generations that tattoos are negative. It is feared that tattoos were indiciative of a certain type of individual; the deviant. But tattoos can be found on people of nearly walk of life; from the scholar to the athlete to the religious zealot. Opponents also claim that tattoos are addictive. However, the average tattooed individual only has one or two tattoos and they are often quite diminutive. A small but significant protion of the tattoo community does indeed become addicted, but that isn't necessarily a negative thing because tattoos are neither harmful nor illegal.

The rising generation, currently making up the significant portion of college students, has accepted tattooing as simply another form of expression. A tattooed college studen barely raises and eyebrow among their peers. Nearly every sudent of this generation has professed to have considered tattoos at one point or another. The common student does not often obtain a tattoo but does not mind tattoos on another person. The truth of these statements can be seen in the increase of tattoo parlors in the towns around colleges.

Twenty years ago only a handful of tattoo parlors could be found in the area between Charleston and Huntington where three colleges reside. Today, dozens of shops can be found. Most of the college students were knowledgeable of thier locations and many had personally visited one, either for a personal piece or in support of a friend.

After visiting the most often cited establishment as well as two other businesses in the local area around West Virginia State University it was found that nearly a donzen individuals receive tattoos every day. A significant portion of clientele was between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five. The most common number of tattoos per individual was between one and three tattoos. And the most common price was under $100. The sex of the people receiving tattoos was fairly evenly divided between men and women.

As an interesting note, many tattoos purchased by customers were chosen in the shop and are quite commonly found. These tattoos were often tribal art, Chinese lettering, animals, and sports paraphernalia. For an art form grounded in individualism, it was surprisingly not individualistic. However, there was a significant portion of consumers that brought thier own artwork or requested unique takes on common themes.

Since tattoos are becoming widely accepted among rising students, several local business managers were asked during a local job fair about their willingness to accept tattooed applicants. In most cases, tattoos were widely accepted and often not even a consideration with the exception being facial tattoos and tattoos on the hands.

Oddly enough, the military recruiters had the strictest guidelines about tattoos. They did not accept recuits with tattoos below the knee, below the bicep, or above the neckline. A potential recuit with tattoos in those locations had to have a signed waiver by the military and had to undergo a rather in-depth process to obtain such a waiver. Those recruits with "acceptable" tatoos still had to have the artwork photographed and documented in order for the military to determine if the artwork was gang-related which would result in automatic denial of the applicant. This is very interesting since, traditionally, tatoos have been most often found among veteran soldiers in older generations.

The fact that area businesses accept tatooed applicants without reserve, numerous local tattoo parlors have sprung up to supply a rising demand, and local students (as well as individuals of that generation) have universally accepted tattooing as a common form of expression, tatoos have become mainstream. However, the individuality in this mainstream form of expression still has its extreme supporters; men and women who chose to cover entire parts of thier bodies in artwoek, individuals who chose to tattoo their faces, and the rare soul who chooses to dabble in a form that is considered bizarre even within the community who chooses to tatoo the whites of his or her eyes with colored ink.

Have you considered a tattoo?