I don’t have a tattoo myself and I will refrain from it, but I am fascinated by it and consider it a form of fashion, maybe not opulent fashion. When it comes to piercings mine are only in my earlobes and they were done almost at birth.
Most women now decide to have a tattoo in their adolescent years and here I am looking at the psychology behind it. As a parent myself of a teen girl, I want to find out.
A tattoo is a creative way to express yourself through body art. There are various reasons why people get tattoos and body piercings. Today teens are very eager to get tattoos and piercings on different parts of their body.
However, in many countries, teens need their parents’ permission before getting a tattoo. But have you ever wondered, what’s the adolescent psychiatry behind their idea of getting inked?
While some just do it for a fashion statement, others get tattoos and piercings done to express rage or rebellious attitude towards their parents.
The underlying reasons explain the psychology behind teens getting tattoos and piercings. Without further ado, let’s find out:
As a Fashion Statement or to Look like Their Peers
While most common response you get from a tatted person when asked about their tattoo is that they got it to express individuality. However, the reason for getting body piercings and tattoos in teens is quite different. They get tempted to get a tattoo just as a fashion statement. Besides that, some teenagers are drawn to the idea of tattoos because they want to look like their peers – as they think getting inked and show their affiliation with their college students is considered cool.
To Enhance Attractiveness & Sexuality
So e teens also get tattoos just to enhance their sexuality and attractiveness. The youngsters are exploring their sexuality as they are growing up. In a young age, they think that tattoos are perfect to enhance their attractiveness and make you appear more appealing to the opposite sex.
We’re not saying that everyone who gets a tattoo or body piercing wants to look hotter or to enhance their sexuality. But this is generally what people at a young age believe. Some take a tongue piercing, piercing of their navel, nipples & genitals or a stud near the eyebrow to do so.
Also when it comes to tattoos, there is nothing wrong in enhancing one’s appearance and exploring your sexuality. This is provided you are sure what you want to get inked permanently and that you won’t regret the decision later in life. I hope to convince my daughter first to try out a temporary tattoo before going for something more of a more permanent nature.
If deciding on a permanent one make sure to use a reputable tattoo salon that use a clean needle to perform their artwork. Dirty reused needles can lead to complications and have been known to pass on infections and even diseases like hepatitis B and HIV.
It is also recommended to use a numbing cream for pain relief of the swelling because getting a tattoo can very painful for a teenager.
To Have a Personal Narrative
Tattoos are the result of the creativity of a tattoo artist and vision of an enthusiast working together to create meaningful body art. This helps an individual to create a personal narrative. But what about piercings? Can individuals create personal narratives with piercings, too? Yes, any body decoration can help you create a personal narrative on a certain level. Body decoration is a great way to express your heritage and personal values. But teens must get it only after they attain the right age or with their parents’ consent.
As a Symbol of Resistance
Despite the increasing demand for body modification among all age groups, it’s still a subculture activity. Since there are various reasons for an individual to get a body modification, resisting the normal culture, society, parents, or government. When it comes to teenagers, they usually act out by getting tattooed and pierced to show deviant behavior to regular life or culture. With body modifications, they feel they’re the antithesis of the popular or mainstream fashion. Some also get it to rebel against their parents, guardians, or any other practice in society.
Due to Addiction
It is observed that people with body modifications can’t get enough of the piercings and tattoos. It is just an addictive thing to get body art. Maybe because of the release of adrenaline and endorphins that constantly flows through the veins when you get intense pain.
If a teenager cannot stop getting tatted or pierced because of the addictive feeling, body art is hurting you more rather than helping you. If you just love the tattoo or piercing experience out urgency or without proper research or thought, true addiction is not a factor, even if you like the rush of getting pierced or inked.
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