Tattooing and the human body

I want to begin this editorial from the principle, accepted by everyone, that there are various skin tones of different colors. There is not the slightest doubt about that. These skin tones in various colors come in forms as diverse as the number of individuals who wear them. Tall, short; fat, thin, round, slender; corpulent, bulky, with or without any visible or invisible physical disability. All perfect human bodies. I do not dispute that.

With origins dating back more than 5,300 years, tattooing relates to human beings, especially men, much as the hue of flower petals does. It distinguishes one specimen from another. What leads a person to get tattooed is what differs from the nature that acts on the flower’s DNA, so to speak.

Organized into groups and tribes, men (I will prioritize the male sex because of the history of the species) have always needed acceptance by those groups, which often forced them to use symbols, signs, and other marks identifying them as members of one group or another. That is exactly how I see the proliferation of tattoos in very limited spaces.

From the vantage point of the age I have reached, looking back, it is easy to conclude that there has never been such a need for acceptance as there is today. Men and women (yes, now at a point of balance) today need, require, seek, and want to be accepted into groups at any cost. And the price they have been paying is very high, from my point of view.

People have been mutilating themselves in order to get their club membership card. Without assessing the risks, consequences, and future cost. People grow old. Correct? A good number of them do. Aging brings certain marks to the skin, such as dehydration and the resulting appearance of wrinkles. From the face to the feet, the body’s covering, the skin, is subject to this dryness.

Some signs, marks, and other adornments may compromise access to certain positions, public or private. In other words, have you ever thought that a detail of vanity might prevent you from earning the salary of your dreams? Consider that there are no other halves wandering around the world. What there are are complete people, with a whole face, whole body, legs and arms walking here and there until one day they identify compatible tastes, goals, and plans and decide to marry, live together, have a stable relationship—it does not matter. But what if the young woman or young man does not really like that permanent stamp on your skin?

There is not even a verse in the Bible that condemns tattooing as we know it. But before applying to yourself something that is very painful, bear in mind that it lasts a very long time. And changing your mind is just as painful, or even more so. Besides being costly.