Wednesday, October 12, 2011
In recent years, we have witnesses the incredible rise in popularity of tattoos for girls. Setting the trend are Hollywood stars like Angelina Jolie, Amy Winehouse and Megan Fox to name just a few. With so much exposure to the media, it is not surprising that this trend has taken off to the extent it has. But what is driving it?
A strong parallel trend in recent years is the move to individuality. Where's in the past, people have been more inclined to associate with a group or groups, there is now much more emphasis on the individual. Young people in particular want to develop an image of themselves that is unique and differentiated from the normal every day. You will often hear young people say such thinks as "it's my look", or "my style".
Being seen to be different or individualistic is not always easy. This is where a tattoo can make a real difference. Some girls prefer to be more discrete and will select a small and more discerning tattoo in a place on their body that is less exposed. The lower back tattoo is a great example of this. Others are more adventurous and will take on a design that is more noticeable.
How are tattoos for girls selected? In my research I have found a few main reasons why girls choose to have a tattoo. Firstly, girls like their tattoo to mean something to them. Put another way, they select tattoos that have meaning for them. Examples include marking special occasions, like an engagement or the birth of the first child. Other forms of meaning can be association with groups. This is especially common in some cultures, where a tattoo design can be associated with a tribe. Perhaps the use of tattoos by biker gangs is another example of this? A more recent trend is to select a word or phrase that has meaning and place it on the wrist. One girl commented to me that she uses hers as a constant reminder of how she would like to live her life. So the words are a guiding principle by which she wishes to live her life.
On line websites today have thousands of designs of tattoos for girls from artists around the world. This is a great way to find tattoo ideas and is low cost. If you are reading this and are interested in some of the best tattoo design websites then have a look at the links at the bottom of this article.
There are advantages to searching online for at tattoo pictures. However, beware because some designs will not look the same on you as they do on other people. One reason could be because of your skin tone. Another could be related to the positioning of the tattoo on the body. Interestingly, girls in Australia and New Zealand seem to have been early adopters and this is now spreading to England, UK, Canada and more recently the United States of America. Greater acceptance is driving the trend but as more girls decide to get a tattoo, it becomes more common and there is less perceived risk to getting one. I realize that this kind of flies in the face of the early hypothesis that having a tattoo in the first place is about individualism. As time goes by, that individualism will be portrayed in the design rather than just having one.
