I really like what Carol Delaney points out in this passage from her Investigating Cultures book. This is from her passage in her chapter titled "Our Bodies, Our Selves": "Some extreme practices of marking the body could also be interpreted as a means of rebellion; however, according to one advocate, "the most important thing you learn is that you are not your body, you just live in it." (Vale and Juno 1989:29) These "modern primitives" as they are called, are of the opinion that you have rather than you are your body. Overcoming pain and daring to step outside of conventional society is expressed in terms of control in the last place where they feel they can exercise this- the body (not unlike explanations given by anorexics). Some of them also feel that their practices are part of a spiritual processes that puts then in touch with authentic primitives and the types of rituals they have had to endure."
There are millions of reasons why people get tattoos. Some more understandable and respectable than others, but all valid I suppose. I believe that if something is truly meaningful to you and has some significance in your life, and you want it to be tattooed on you, then go for it. I feel that otherwise, you will "outgrow" your tattoo, and not want it to remain on your body. But if you get something as meaningful as the men and women who got tattoos commemorating their loved ones who were lost in the 9/11 tragedy, then that is something that will stay with you forever.
As we learned in Strange Harvest by Leslie Sharp, everyone defines the body differently. How much our soul connected with our bodies is debatable: is there an obvious connection, or are our bodies separate entities entirely? Some people feel a deeper connection between body and mind and soul than others. This controversial ethnography discusses the ins and outs and positives and negatives of organ transplants. I had never considered any of these factors. I learned that the intertwinement between ourselves and our bodies is so incredibly intimate. This is something that is weighed heavily during organ transplants as it is often difficult for families and friends to know that their loved one does not look the same as a result of the procedure, and that their organs are living on in someone else.
In one of our labs we discussed how our bodies affect our perception of ourself. My answer was yes, that I thought I would be a slightly different person if I inhibited another body. My confidence and my demeanor might be different. Of course, essentially I would have the same soul and the same values, but some small aspects of myself might be different. I identify with my body significantly. I feel like if I were to put something permanent on my body, it would be representative of myself. BUT, that is not necessarily a bad thing. Tattooing is a way of representation, and my research has opened my eyes up to that.
1. Delaney, Carol.
Investigating Culture: An Experiential Introduction to Anthropology.
Malden, MA.: Wiley-Blackwell, 2004. (page 244)
2. Sharp, Lesley a. A. Strange Harvest: Organ Transplants, Denatured Bodies, and the Transformed Self.
Berkeley: University of California Press, 2006.
