by Jonathan Corral
Assistant Editor
Walking down the street most stop and have to take a second look. People stare and wonder why a person would do such a thing. They stare at the body art that depicts pictures of Jesus Christ, pictures of devils and skulls.
In some ways Jason Reyes, 25, is your typical twentysomething. He works a full-time job, has his own place and a girlfriend. The main difference is he is covered from head to toe with tattoos.
Tattoos have been part of some cultures and religious traditions for thousands of years; today tattoos are more-or-less mainstream, with a huge increase in young adults adorning their bodies with these permanent pictures.
Reyes began getting his tattoo collage at the age of 16, when he got flaming dice showing the numbers 666.
“I got the first one just because I have always loved tattoos,” Reyes said. “After that first one it became an addiction, kind of like a drug.”
And not unlike some drugs, tattoos popularity in recent years has increased; 31 percent of all adults in the United have at least one tattoo, according to an online poll conducted last year.
As commonplace as tattoos have become, Reyes’ multi-tattooed body still gets stares.
Reyes’ daily routine includes, going to work, where he is a manager at a utility rental company. After work he is off to the gym where he says he gets looks from people who are either scared or envious.
“That used to bother me,” Reyes said. “People would judge me just because of the tattoos on my body, they would do this without even getting to know me. Now it is no big deal because I know who I am as a person.”
The only parts of his body that do not have tattoos are his neck and face. Everywhere else is covered with carefully drawn designs representing everything from disturbing images of naked women with shotguns in their hands, or monkeys on crosses, to religious drawings of angels floating in the sky and a large cross with his mother’s name on it.
“When I decided to cover my body, I got tattoos that represent me and where I come from,” Reyes said. “Every tattoo on my body, I could tell why I got it and why I put it in that place.”
According to another recent study, the number of tattoo parlors in the United States increased from roughly 300 20 years ago to more than 4,000 today.The increase has begun to change attitudes toward them.
One of the reasons for tattoos’ increased popularity, according to Jose Austin, a tattoo artist at Skin Tight Tattoo in Pico Rivera, is that “people are more rebellious than they have ever been.
“People today just want to express themselves in a different way, but now with so many people getting tattoos its not different,” he said.
So why tattoos?
According to the online poll 34 percent tattooed people polled said it makes them feel sexier, 29 percent felt more rebellious and 26 percent more attractive.
“Tattoos express the things that mean most to people such as their patriotism, beauty or names and pictures of people they love,” said Rebecca Hastings, who was getting her first tattoo, a heart with her boyfriends name on her upper thigh at Skin Tight.
“I’m getting mine because I have wanted one for a long time and I love my boyfriend with all of my heart.”
“My tattoos mirror my personality,” said Teresa Sanchez, whose boyfriend is a tattoo artist at Skin Tight. “Before I got them I felt something had been missing on my body.”
Some believe the media has contributed to tattoos’ increased popularity. According to a recent article in the St. Louis Post Dispatch: “(Professional athletes) made them visible, socially acceptable and desirable.
“Tattoos have become the sport’s world’s most flaunted form of self-expression. Ten years ago, only boxers or wrestlers had visible tattoos; today, they are everywhere, in every sport.”
Another survey found 45 percent of NBA players have tattoos. But not everyone is happy once they’ve been permanently marked.
According to the online poll, 36 percent of Americans with tattoos surveyed said they regretted getting marked for various reasons.
“It was stupid,” said Lisa Dotan, a manager at Marie Calendar’s Restaurant. “I thought it was cool and everybody I knew was getting a tattoo, so I wanted one too.
“It seemed like it was something good then, but now, I’ve had enough but the laser removal is too expensive, so I guess I am stuck with it.”
With the advanced technology of the 21st Century people can now have their tattoos removed through an advanced laser treatment but at a hefty price – about $275 to $375, compared with the average cost of a tattoo at $50 to $100.
“Everyone who decides to get a tattoo needs to think very hard about what he or she really wants and why they are doing it,” said Motty Stern who has been a tattoo artist for 10 years. “A tattoo is something great but shouldn’t be done because of social pressure, unfortunately that is why a lot of people get them.”
Jonathan Corral
