The reading that most interested me for this class was the Irwin “Legitimizing the First Tattoo”. She talks about the experience of middle class young people getting their first tattoo, and the contrast between The attractive deviance of getting a tattoo and what she calls the “legitimization techniques” employed to even still not be associated with a lower class.
I thought it was spot on when she described how this desire to be slightly outside of the norm, ended up driving tattoos into the mainstream, and subsequently taking away the power of the statement. It made me think of my own experience and what are considered “good” reasons to get a tattoo in my middle class, non-daring environment. Meaningful tattoos are generally accepted as appropriate, as they have been legitimized, while purely aesthetically tattoos, especially if the subject matter refers to anything un-profound are in more of a grey area, where opinions on them will really depend on the person.
It also made me reflect on how my research topic—tattoos in performance art— is one of the few ways in which the practice of tattooing remains a statement of agency. Along with extreme body modifications and such, to tattoo someone for the sake of a single occurring art performance maintains that same pungent effect of discomfort, which tattoos used to provoke when they were not in fashion.