The following is my critique of David Brooks’ article–Nonconformity is Skin Deep– on the NY Times. (http://cf1.netmegs.com/memestream/nonconformity.htm)
In the past, tattoo shops were usually hidden in a dark, shady alley where people would hurriedly pass by, ignoring them. The symbolic image of tattoo even until recently was equivalent to that of the Scarlet Letter; many people associated tattoo with crime. But these days, it is not hard to find tattoo parlors in a more developed or affluent neighborhoods. Sometimes they operate along with tanning shops that cater to beachgoers who want to show off their new tattoos on their beautifully tanned skins. People’s opinions and thoughts of wearing a tattoo still vary, however, it seems clear the number of people who have tattoos is growing. David Brook’s article Nonconformity is Skin Deep explains how wearing a tattoo became a way of self-expression and even a part of the consumerism.
Generally speaking, people look for ways to express themselves whether they are through clothes, hairstyle, accessories, or tattoos. For some, tattoo has become a way to express one’s passion. It is a well-known fact that the popular actress Angelina Jolie tattooed the longitudes and latitudes of locations where she adopted her children. For others, tattoos convey message of one being sexy, powerful, cute, and edgy.
People’s general views toward tattoos have also changed in recent years. In the past, a typical first reaction of seeing a person with tattoos would have been “I’d better not mess up with that person.” Nowadays the reaction is, “that looks cool, I want to wear one too.” Brooks points out the relevant change: wearing tattoo is no longer equalized with being anti-social and nonconformists; rather, it is mainstream and conformists. How has wearing tattoos, once prohibited, become a trend? Brooks gives one answer to this: the modern society, which is surrounded by various media that enables people to communicate around the globe. Fashion trends move so fast that the ones originated from Death Row arrives Wal-Mart in a week, according to the article. Once tattoos became popular among some group of people, likely celebrities and artists, they soon became a trend, mainstream. Here, Brooks points out the irony of the situation that tattoos, free from prohibition and negative views, lost its sprit of being hip, rebellious and countercultural.
The article makes us think about the concept of self-expression when people are responding to the current trends and celebrities’ styles, and the images tattooed on their shoulder or ankle can no longer explain who or what they are. As the article indicates, there may be some hipsters who think tattoos have become a victim of consumerism that even a child can wear without any second thought. On the other hand, there are people who enjoy the boom of this latest trend as one type of body art. However, in my opinion, self-expression includes not only expressing who they are, but also expressing who they want to be or what they dream of. We have seen people gain confidence by owning luxury goods, or feel sexy by wearing high-end clothes. Not all drivers of Hummers are big, strong, and powerful, nor all customers of Victoria’s Secret look like models of that lingerie brand. Still, many people use fashion styles as a way of self-expression regardless of whether they truly match with the chosen styles. There will be some people who lead trends, while others follow them, but no one can judge easily that only leaders’ style is self-expression. However, if self-expression understood as portraying individual identity, differed from others, then wearing a tattoo as fashion trend no longer becomes a unique identity. In fact, it is hard for us as consumers to truly stand out from the crowd these days when we rapidly replicate to each other surrounded by various media.
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