100% Locally Owned, Independent and Free

Jane Stephens: how tattoos trends have changed over time

Do you have a news tip? Click here to send to our news team.

Dive icon marks 20 years beneath the waves

A Sunshine Coast underwater treasure is turning 20 and three of the first people to dive it are reuniting to mark the milestone. The ex-HMAS More

Sweet news: chocolatier to open new stores

Chocoholics will soon be able to "choose their own adventure" when a popular Coast chocolate retailer opens a new concept store in early August. Despite More

I had to fight my demons, says swimming golden girl

Kaylee McKeown thought she'd better fight her demons sooner than later. True to form, she won. The Sunshine Coast swimmer has kept Australia atop the medal More

B2B: Using a family guarantee to buy a Queensland home

Buying your first home in Queensland can feel like a big leap, especially with rising property prices. One way to make the dream more More

Photo of the day: cruising by

Carnival Splendor cruises past Dicky Beach, turning heads as it glides down the Coast. Lesley Evans snapped this photo. If you have a photo of More

High-rise hub: 15-storey tower ‘tops out’

A landmark building in the Maroochydore city centre is nearing completion, with the pouring of the rooftop slab this week marking the end of More

Remember when tattoos were a sign of rebellion?

The time when to be inked was to be anti-establishment, a rogue, or edgy with a splash of criminality?

Those days are long gone.

Tattoos are very mainstream – to the point where among the youngsters, it is becoming a statement to be a cleanskin.

Tattoos are like piercings used to be.

Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor at Sunshine Coast News via news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. You must include your name and suburb.

The punk movement, which emerged in the 1970s when Britain was in a deep recession, began with radicals putting multiple holes in their faces and showing them boldly to the world.

But pretty soon, what was edgy became mainstream and by the 1990s, plenty of men as well as women had holes in brows, noses, lips and especially ears.

Tattoos stay with you. Picture: Shutterstock

But now, piercings are much less numerous or a reason to raise an eyebrow.

Tattoos are on a similar path.

There may be some differences in perception, depending on the professional or cultural context but, overall, tattoos are considered a common part of modern Australian culture.

Unless they are facial tattoos or otherwise confronting, tattoos are considered completely unremarkable – no longer screaming ‘rebel’ or ‘rocker’.

Some of the most conservative men and women I know have inscriptions and pictures on their skin.

And even though Australia has no national laws that make it illegal for employers to ban visible body ink in their workplace or a venue to deny entry because of ink, rejections are relatively rare.

There is now some suggestion the trend is abating.

Micro tattoos – with tiny pictures, fine lines and two dimensions – are cool now.

But it was once hip to get tribal bands on arms, moustaches on fingers and sailor-style anchors on shoulders.

Tattoos for two. Picture: Shutterstock

Those images have fallen from favour.

Perhaps the micro art is the last gasp of the tattoo trend.

Maybe the mini movement means we are past the point of peak tattoo.

Or maybe people have run out of unblemished skin.

One thing is for sure: we are in an era where those in their late teens are likely to have a parent with tattoos, and that makes them less attractive to those who want to rebel.

Unlike piercings, you can’t just take a tattoo out.

Absolute removal is impossible.

Prevention is certainly better than cure.

I like this axiom that my pretty, classy young friend used to explain her lack of tattoos: you would not put a bumper sticker on a Bentley.

Dr Jane Stephens is a UniSC journalism lecturer, media commentator and writer.

Subscribe to SCN’s free daily news email

This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
[scn_go_back_button] Return Home
Share