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Tattooed In Prison

With the popularity of tattoos today a prison style tattoo is being flaunted by even those who have never spent a day behind bars. A prison tattoo design done in any color other that black or blue is definitely not an original one. A prison tattoo design is very big and bold, made to make a statement. If one wants to get a prison style tattoo it is important that a proper study be done or else you might send out a message which you do not intend doing. The "swastika" is probably the most popular among these tattoos.







The lifestyle of prisoners is one major concern as irresponsible sexual behavior and drug abuse is a major part of their lives. Such people are at high risk to be infected with diseases such as AIDS. Therefore, one must be careful while getting a prison tattoo design made as it is a means for spreading diseases. An infected needle can easily do this as it penetrates into the skin. Tattooing should be done only in well-respected places where hygiene is given top priority.





Thanks to Wincent Loh

Inked Brotherhood

As it is difficult to get ink inside the prison most of the prison tattoo design would be made in either black or blue. Ink is made in a crude fashion by melting rubber or candles. This is then mixed with water and used. In case a motor is not available the whole process becomes very slow as compared to a tattoo gun. But in the absence of a motor, the tattooing process is very quiet as it should be in a prison.




If some prisoner is not part of a gang, chances are he would be part of one before he comes out of the place. Gangs give a person a feeling of brotherhood that they share with other gang members. The police give special attention to the prison style tattoo as this helps in identification of criminals at a later date. They can also be identified to a particular gang. In a nutshell, tattoos play a major part in crime solving.

Cell Tatz Adolf

In Germany during the Nazi reign, tattoos were used amongst the arrested Jews.






Today, however, the prisoners use tattoos to show their link to a particular gang or to show their solidarity amongst a few other prisoners. It can also be to make them a little more daunting. The tattoo gun is prohibited inside the prison but this is hardly a hurdle for those who know how to find a loophole. It is very easy to make a tattoo gun with things easily available inside the prison such as needles, shavers and the like. All one needs is a motor and you are in business.




As it is difficult to get ink inside the prison most of the prison tattoo design would be made in either black or blue. Ink is made in a crude fashion by melting rubber or candles. This is then mixed with water and used. In case a motor is not available the whole process becomes very slow as compared to a tattoo gun. But in the absence of a motor, the tattooing process is very quiet as it should be in a prison.

Inked Behind Bars

Tattoos have been associated with criminals and on closer look you will find that most criminals have tattoos on them. These are referred to as prison style tattoo. A prison tattoo design is different from the regular tattoo that you see around.




However, the beginning of tattoos being linked with offenders is a far outcry from the style statement it is making today. For a long time tattoos were used as a means to identify criminals. With one look the person could easily be identified as an offender, at times even the person's crime would be known by just looking at the tattoo.

Barbie Got Inked

A major transformation is now completed. The worlds’ most famous doll is now officially inked. Or should I say, “The oldest teenager in the world” now entered in the realm of tattoos.

Mattell, the manufacturer of Barbie offers a range of 40 tats to disfigure Barbie’s beautiful clear skin, including a strategically designed tramp stamp which declares her love for Ken.

Barbie and Ken broke up on Valentine's Day in 2004 after being together more than 43 years.




Barbie is 50 years old and her full name is Barbie Millicent Roberts.




Her first boyfriend, Ken, was brought out two years after Barbie herself in 1961 and was named after the son of Mattel founders Ruth and Elliot Handler.

Barbie, the world’s most infamous celebrity blonde is approaching 50; and like many of her middle-aged friends, Barbie is desperately trying to reinvent herself as a celebrity bad girl with tattoos. We know that Madonna is the master of “reinvention” but not anymore… Right Barbie?


Barbie has lived an ageless life since she first graced us with her presence in 1959. Her savvy fashion trends, fabulously long golden blond hair, and an unrealistic fit, trim body are some of her attributes that earned her celebrity status as America’s everything girl icon.






But it seems the years are catching up with Barbie and she is discovering she is not nearly as cool and hip as she used to be. Barbie, now older, tattooed, and less of an icon is extremely nervous about her future celebrity status.
But all of this isn’t making Barbie become a girl that retreats to her Dream House to soothe her woes; no Barbie is working hard, perhaps too hard to get back in with the cool crowd.



Barbie Millicent Roberts is one girl who is not afraid to change. Over the past 49 years, Barbie has had 75 careers including rock star, astronaut, and presidential candidate. Barbie is one Baby Boomer who has definitely experienced her share of highs and lows.


1997 was a particularly hard year for Barbie in terms of celebrity media and controversy. Then in her 40’s, Barbie got a butterfly tattoo on her stomach, as an attempt to stay hip and cool.




But it didn’t take long for Barbie’s tattoos to take off and brand her name (the word Barbie) as a derogatory term meaning girl or woman considered shallow. The term “Barbie” exploded as an Urban Slang word with the release of 1997 pop song “Barbie Girl.”



In 1999, rumors spread of Barbie’s intentions of hanging out with new friends with trendy tattoos, nose rings, and extra body piercings. Then the peer pressure got to Barbie, and as a result she underwent plastic surgery transformation.








Barbie had her waistline increased in size in order to have a less perfect figure, which others would view as a more realistic, average body shape.
Barbie became an outlaw in part of the World in 2003.








Denounced as a symbol of depravity of the perverted West, with her revealing clothes, tattoos, and shameful postures Barbie was banned by Saudi Arabia’s religious police and forbidden from the kingdom.





The 2004 announcement of Barbie’s split with Ken; longtime boyfriend of 43 years came as a shock to many, but like other celebrity couples, their Hollywood romance had come to an end.





And while Barbie admits the breakup was a painful time of great heartache, she also jokes about being glad she decided on a butterfly tattoo instead of a tattoo of Ken’s name.




Apparently having to go through tattoo removal to remove a tattoo of “Ken’s” name would have been much more painful than the breakup.




In 2006, Barbie ranked as No. 43 on the list of 101 “Most Influential People.” Among the list of fictitious cultural icons in myths, legends, television, and movies that have impacted, shaped, and changed society were Buffy the Vampire Slayer (No. 44), Batman (No. 60), Cinderella (No. 26), Santa Claus (No. 4), Luke Skywalker (No. 85), Mickey Mouse (No. 18), G.I. Joe (No. 48) and Barbie (No. 43).




But the more Barbie seems to slip in popularity, the harder Barbie searches for ways to reinvent herself before turning 50 years old.
Barbie has always been the responsible, smart, girl-next-door type. The popular cheerleader, prom queen or farmer’s daughter any boy would be proud to bring home to meet his parents. Barbie’s latest debut has her looking as though she has hit her all time low.




Wearing fishnet stockings, a motorcycle jacket, black gloves, tattoos, and boots Black Canary Barbie is definitely a new hard look, that is sure to create another derogatory stereotype for this bewildered, age-old, ageless celebrity icon woman.
Hopefully, Barbie’s three younger sisters, Skipper, Stacie, and Kelly have the good sense not to follow in the same footsteps of their older sister, and avoid provocative tasteless tattoos and trashy clothing.

The Evolution Of Tattoos: From Ancient To Present

Tattooing is an art form that has been practiced in every corner of the globe for thousands of years now. We are still in the stage of browsing back the pages of history in quest of knowledge about this old and significant art form.


















The practice of tattooing means different things in different cultures. In early practice, decoration appears to have been the most common motive for tattooing, and that still holds true today. In some cultures, tattoos served as identification of the wearer’s rank or status in a group. For example, the early Romans tattooed slaves and criminals.




Tahitian tattoos served as rites of passage, telling the history of the wearer’s life. Boys reaching manhood received one tattoo to mark the occasion, while men had another style done when they married. Sailors traveling to exotic foreign lands began to collect tattoos as souvenirs of their journeys (a dragon showed that the seaman had served on a China station), and tattoo parlors sprang up in port cities around the globe.




Kings and commoners. Sailors and prisoners. Tribesmen and sweethearts. All have shared one thing: the art of the tattoo.

Evidence from ancient Egypt, Greenland, Siberia, and New Zealand shows how truly global the tattooer's art is — and how old. In fact, tattooing had existed for thousands of years before England's Captain Cook encountered it in the South Pacific in 1769. Merchant and naval seamen soon spread the art to Europe and America. But while its meaning has varied from people to people and from place to place, tattooing has most often served as a sign of social status, as a mark of one's passage through life, or simply as a way to beautify the body.

Once regarded in the West as frightening and repulsive, the tattoo has enjoyed great popularity in our own culture in recent years. Everywhere we look today — movies, advertisements, television-are signs that people of all walks of life appreciate and practice the art of the tattoo.

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To Pierce or Not to Pierce

Body piercings have been very interesting in the past two decades and are now part of the ever evolving mainstream Western culture. Just click on your TV remote and you will find movie stars, rock and rap artists, celebrities, and famous personalities with body piercings, like navel rings or a labret. This ancient body art is practiced by our ancestors for thousands of years. It is a form of expression that most ancient civilizations utilize as a part of their culture.

Egyptian body piercings reflected status and love of beauty



The earliest known mummified remains of a human that was pierced is over 5,000 years old. This worthy gentleman had his ears pierced with larger-gauge plugs in his ears, so plugs may be one of the oldest forms of body modification there is! We also know that the Egyptians loved to adorn themselves elaborately, and even restricted certain types of body piercings to the royal family. In fact, only pharaoh himself could have his navel pierced. Anyone else who tried to get a belly button ring could be executed. (Tell that to Britney Spears!)




Almost every well-to-do Egyptian wore earrings, though, to display their wealth and accent their beauty. Elaborate enameled and gold earrings frequently portrayed items in nature such as lotus blossoms.
Body piercings are also mentioned in the Bible. In the Old Testament it’s obvious that body jewelry is considered a mark of beauty and wealth, especially for Bedouin and nomadic tribes. In many cases, body jewelry was given as a bridal gift or as part of a dowry. It is clear that piercing was a sign of status and attractiveness in Biblical times.

Romans were practical piercers




Romans were very practical people, and for them piercing almost always served a purpose. Roman centurions pierced their nipples not because they liked the way it looked, but to signify their strength and virility. It was a badge of honor that demonstrated the centurion’s dedication to the Roman Empire. As a symbol, it was important and served a specific function, unifying and bonding the army. Even Julius Caesar pierced his nipples to show his strength and his identification with his men.





Genital piercing through the head of the penis was performed on gladiators, who were almost always slaves, for two reasons. A ring through the head of the penis could be used to tie the organ back to the testicles with a length of leather. In gladiatorial combat, this prevented serious injury. With a large enough ring or bar, it also prevented the slave from having sex without the owner’s consent. Since the gladiator was “property,” a stud fee could be charged to another slave owner for the highly prized opportunity to raise the next generation of great fighter.

Making love or war, piercing makes it better

Going across the ocean at around the same time, the Aztecs, Maya and some American Indians practiced tongue piercing as part of their religious rituals. It was thought to bring them closer to their gods and was a type of ritual blood-letting. The Aztec and Maya were warrior tribes, and also practiced septum piercing in order to appear fiercer to their enemies. Nothing looks quite as frightening as an opponent sporting a huge boar tusk thrust through his nose!

This practice was also common among tribes in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Some of the materials commonly used were bone, tusks and feathers. Hundreds of years later, French fur trappers in Washington State discovered American Indian tribes who wore bones through their septum and called them the Nez Perce, meaning “Pierced Noses” in French. It’s interesting that civilizations separated by thousands of miles and even centuries often developed a love for the same kind of body piercings to enhance certain features, isn’t it?

In Central and South America, lip labrets were popular for purely aesthetic reasons – women with pierced lips were considered more attractive. In fact, the holes were often stretched to incredible size as progressively larger wooden plates were inserted to emphasize the lips as much as possible. (Kind of like collagen today). The Aztecs and Maya also sported lip labrets of gold and jade, many of them elaborately carved into mythical or religious figures or sporting gemstones. These were seen as highly attractive and to enhance sexuality.
As the world moved into the dark ages, interest in piercing died down somewhat and the medieval church began to condemn it as sinful. For a few hundred years, Western civilization abandoned the practice. As the Renaissance went into full swing, however, interest in piercing began to pick up again.

A new era and a new interest in body piercings
Sailors became convinced that piercing one ear would improve their long-distance site, and so the site of a sailor with a gold or brass ring became common. Word also spread that should a sailor be washed ashore after a shipwreck, the finder should keep the gold ring in exchange for providing a proper Christian burial. Sailors were both religious and superstitious, so they generally spent a lot for a large gold earring to hedge their bets.

Men became much more fashion-conscious during the Renaissance and Elizabethan eras, and almost any male member of the nobility would have at least one earring, if not more. Large pearl drops and enormous diamond studs were a great way to advertise your wealth and standing in the community. It could also designate royal favor if your earring was a gift from a member of the royal family.


Women, not wanting to be outshone by the men in all their finery, began to wear plunging necklines, with the Queen of Bavaria introducing the most outrageous, which consisted of not much at all above the waist. In order to adorn themselves, women began piercing their nipples to show off their jewelry. Soon they began wearing chains and even strands of pearls draped between the two.

Men and women both discovered that these nipple piercings were also delightful playthings in bed, adding sensitivity to the breasts and giving the men both visual and tactile stimulation. Men began getting pierced purely for pleasure as well. While not entirely mainstream, piercing of the nipples and, occasionally, the genitals, continued to hold interest for members of the upper crust of society in Europe on and off for the next few hundred years.

The next resurgence of interest was, surprisingly, during the Victorian age, which is usually seen as very repressed. Prince Albert, future husband of Queen Victoria, is said to have gotten the penis piercing that is named after him in order wear the tight-fitting trousers so popular at the time. The ring could then be attached to a hook on the inside of one pant leg, tucked safely away between the legs for a neat, trim look. Although we have no record of Victoria’s response to the piercing itself, there is ample evidence she was wildly in love with her husband and almost never left his side after their marriage!

Soon, Victorian men were getting Prince Albert's, frenums and a variety of other piercings purely for the pleasurable sexual effects, and women were doing the same. By the 1890’s, it was almost expected that a woman would have her nipples pierced. In fact, some doctors at the time suggested it improved conditions for breastfeeding, although not all agreed. It was an interesting double standard –- plenty of people were doing it, but no one was talking about it.

Modern-day body piercings





In the last hundred years or so, body piercings in the Western world have mostly been limited to the ears, a standard hold-over from the fact that both men and women wore earrings during Elizabethan times. The Puritan movement did away with men wearing earrings, however, and it didn’t really regain popularity until recently.
Nose rings found new interest when young people (they were called hippies then) from the U.S. began traveling in India extensively looking for enlightenment in the 1960’s. They noticed the nostril rings that most women had been wearing there since the sixteenth century. In India, this was a form of traditional, accepted adornment and was often linked to an earring by a chain. For rebellious teens from America, it was a great form of rebellion.





After bringing nose piercings back to the U.S., the interest in body piercings of all kinds quickly caught on during the 1980’s and 1990’s. Celebrities, sports stars and singers all began sporting a variety of piercings. Soon, high school students and even stay-at-home moms were flashing new body piercings. And the rest, as they say, is history!


This article on the "History of Body Piercings" reprinted with permission.
Copyright 2004 Evaluseek Publishing.

Think Before Getting Inked

Guys (and gals of course) remember that a tattoo is not permanent. It can be removed by laser or a tat cream as some tattoo artist’s claim. Either way, once you have a tattoo it will be will be ink-bedded on your skin. This video that I would like to share is one on those “what have I done and why did I it” you know what... Before thing of having a tat, think not just once but think the whole idea over and over again.
Warning!!!
Can All Tattoos Be Removed?




Most dermatologic surgeons caution that complete tattoo removal is not possible. Tattoos are meant to be permanent, so removing them is difficult. Few surgeons guarantee complete removal. Having said that, there are several methods of tattoo removal which have proven effective. The degree of remaining color variations or blemishes depends upon several factors, including size, location, the individual's ability to heal, how the tattoo was applied and how long it has been in place.

For example, a tattoo applied by a more experienced artist may be easier to remove since the pigment was evenly injected in the same level of the skin. New tattoos may also be more difficult to remove than old ones.


Doctors say they can't predict the exact degree of removal because they generally don't know which of the 100 tattoo inks available today were used. (The U.S. Food and Drug Administration currently lists tattoo pigments as "color additives," which are intended only for application to the top layer of the skin.) Consult with a removal specialist -- be sure to take a list of questions along
Excerpt from How Stuff Works.com

When They Are No Longer Wanted

Getting a tattoo often seems like a good idea at the time—especially when you are young. In later years the tattoo may not seem to have been such a good idea. A tattoo that "made a statement" in one’s youth can be an embarrassment as one matures, becomes employed, gets married, etc. Dermatologists can offer a number of methods of tattoo removal.

The choice of method depends on such factors as:

(1) the location of the tattoo on the face or body
(2)the depth of tattoo pigment in the skin and the extent to which it has migrated from the site of deposition
(3) the cost of the procedure
(4) the outcome desired by the patient.

Professionally applied tattoos are usually easier to remove than those done by an amateur because the tattoo pigment tends to be more evenly distributed under the skin. Tattoos by amateurs are frequently done by depositing India ink under the skin with a needle, at varying depths under the skin and at varying concentrations. Black and blue tattoos are the easiest to remove; green and yellow are the hardest.




The older the tattoo, the more likely it is that pigment will have migrated widely and deeply under the skin. Thus, some "old" tattoos may not be completely removable by any means other than wide and deep surgical excision. If surgery is agreed upon as the best treatment, patient and physician should discuss the probable extent of the surgical scar and how the scar can be minimized.


Other methods of tattoo removal include:

Salabrasion—Salt is used as an abrasive to peel away the tattoo surface and underlying layers. Several salabrasion treatments may be required. The salabrasion procedure can cause substantial discomfort for some patients and it cannot remove pigment in deeper layers of skin. Local anesthetic is administered to minimize discomfort. Healing requires several days.

Dermabrasion—A rapidly rotating brush is used to remove pigmented skin. Dermabrasion can often remove all pigment in a professionally-applied tattoo, but if pigment has migrated or been deposited in deep subcutaneous fat, complete removal by dermabrasion may not be possible. Surgical excision is the only way to remove all pigment when subcutaneous fat is involved. Local anesthetic is usually administered to minimize discomfort. Healing may require several days.

Chemical Peeling – Application of this acid to the skin can remove tattoos in a cost-effective method but may leave a small scar. Consult with your dermatologist to determine the best result in partial or total treatment with peeling agents.

Laser removal—Removal of tattoo pigment can be done with infrared lasers or color-specific lasers. Color-specific lasers such as the Q-switched ruby laser and alexandrite laser, and the infrared Nd:YAG and carbon dioxide lasers, have proven very effective in removing tattoos. Multiple treatments are usually necessary, especially when tattoos are multi-colored. Black tattoo pigment absorbs all laser wavelengths, making it the easiest to treat.



Other colors, such as green, selectively absorb laser light. These colors can only be treated by selected lasers based upon the pigment color. Similar to dermabrasion, results are influenced by the depth of pigment in the skin and other factors. Local anesthesia is usually given to minimize discomfort. The treated area is a burn that heals over a number of days. Infrared lasers such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and Nd:YAG are especially effective in removing large, superficial tattoos with minimal subsequent scarring. The powerful infrared laser beam can vaporize and remove pigmented tissue.

Color-specific lasers remove tattoos by color-specific absorption of laser energy by pigments in the tattoo. Destruction is limited to pigments of the same color (wavelength) of the laser beam, and at tissue depths were the laser beam can penetrate.
It may be necessary to use several color-specific laser beams over several subsequent treatments to remove pigment from a multi-colored tattoo. Q-switching technology that delivers short, powerful laser pulses has improved the effectiveness of color-specific lasers in tattoo removal.



The most common complications of tattoo removal are scarring, and residual pigment under the skin. It is helpful for a patient to know that tattoo removal almost always results in a scar of some kind. The patient and dermatologist should discuss the probability of scarring, and post-procedure treatment for scarring. In some instances a choice must be made between a more extensive procedure to remove all pigment, and a less extensive procedure that may leave pigment in deep tissues.


From the article: Tattoo Removal: When They Are No Longer Wanted
References:
• Varma S, Lanigan SW. Reasons for requesting removal of unwanted tattoos. Br J Dermatol 1999;