http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=survival-of-the-tattooed
Check out this article-- pretty intriguing. Give it a read and I'd like to know what you think-- why do *you* get tattooed/pierced and do you have any theories about why others do, or what it means evolutionarily?
Check out this article-- pretty intriguing. Give it a read and I'd like to know what you think-- why do *you* get tattooed/pierced and do you have any theories about why others do, or what it means evolutionarily?
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What's clear to me is that having tattoos and piercings has become far more common and socially acceptable in recent years than it ever was throughout the previous years of my lifetime. The ready availability of colored inks is one factor, especially for girls. There definitely is an aspect of social approval involved, especially for younger people. More than that, I would have to say that in 2010, any girl in her late teens or early twenties who has zero tattoos or piercings (setting religion-based abstinence aside) is likely to be seen as a social outcast.
But when you try to figure out what it all means, things get murky very fast. It's possible there could be some important long-term social significance, but it's also possible it could simply be a fad. I doubt that there's any definitive scientific answer to the question right now. Time will tell...