Thursday Mar 30, 2023

All About Tattoos, Part 1: Trends, Fashion, Violence and the Tramp Stamp

This week is Part 1 of my two-part series on tattoos in Berlin! Tattoos are an “anthropological constant” according to German tattoo scholar Ole Wittman: from the body art of prehistoric humanity all the way to the famous tramp stamp. Seeing so many tattoo artists in Berlin made me want to investigate why it thrives here, and this led me to the fascinating history of body art.

I discuss Issey Miyake’s and Jean-Paul Gaultier’s tattoos on the runway, how studying prison tattoos can help us understand the social and cultural importance of the tattoo, and the forced tattooing of prisoners in concentration camps.

Digressions include an (admittedly half-hearted) uplifting of girlies out there with a Harry Potter tattoo, a rumination on the bimbo aesthetic, and my favorite song from Lana Del Rey’s new album (changes daily tbh)

The 2000s tramp stamp tattoo trend is back

Are temporary tattoos ruining tattoo culture?

A Rumination about Tattoos and Fashion - Documenting Fashion.

https://www.vogue.co.uk/beauty/article/tattoo-history-fashion

The controversial relationship between tattoos and fashion

Introducing the queer Berlin tattoo collective banning toxic masculinity from the studio | Sleek Magazine

The Tattoo Industry Is Having Its Own Wrenching, Revelatory #MeToo Moment

How Tattoos Are Entering the World of Fine Art - The Atlantic

The Tattoo as a Document - ResearchGate

A brief history of tattoos | Wellcome Collection

Looking back in Tattoo History

Ole Wittmann: Tattoos in der Kunst. Materialität – Motive – Rezeption, Reimer 2017 :: Portal Kunstgeschichte