Tattoos

Tattoos are markings made by inserting ink into the layers of skin to change the pigment for decorative or other reasons. A Tattoo on humans are a type of decorative body modification, but when used on animals they are most commonly used for identification or branding.

The word tattoo itself was introduced into English and other European languages from Tahiti, where it was first recorded by James Cook's expedition in 1769.

Tattoos have experienced a resurgence in popularity in many parts of the world, particularly in North and South America, Japan, and Europe. The growth in tattoo culture has seen an influx of new artists into the industry, many of whom have technical and fine arts training.

Tattooing proper has been practiced in most parts of the world, though it is rare among populations with the darkest skin colour and absent from most of China (at least in recent centuries).

After the advent of Christianity, Tattoos were forbidden in Europe, but it persisted in the Middle East and in other parts of the world.

Coupled with advancements in tattoo pigments and the ongoing refinement of the equipment used for tattooing, this has led to an improvement in the quality of Tattoos being produced.

The decoration of blues singer Janis Joplin with a wristlet and a small heart on her left breast, by the San Francisco tattoo artist Lyle Tuttle, has been called a "seminal moment in the popular acceptance of Tattoos as art".

In many traditional cultures tattooing has also enjoyed a resurgence, partially in deference to cultural heritage. Historically, a decline in traditional tribal tattooing in Europe occurred with the spread of Christianity.

However, some Christian groups, such as the Knights of St. John of Malta, sported Tattoos to show their allegiance. A decline often occurred in other cultures following European efforts to convert aboriginal and indigenous people to Western religious and cultural practices that held tattooing to be a "pagan" or "heathen" activity.

Many studies have been done of the tattooed population and society's view of tattoos.

In June 2006 the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology published the results of a telephone survey which took place in 2004.

It found that the numbers of American people having a Tattoo were;

• 36% of Americans ages 18–29, 
• 24% of those 30-40
• 15% of those 41-51

In January 2008, a survey conducted online by Harris Interactive estimated that 14% of all adults in the United States have a tattoo, just slightly down from 2003, when 16% had Tattoos.