A WORKING committee of junior protection under the Chinese State Council last week published a series of regulations forbidding any institution or individual to offer tattoo services to those under 18.
Tattoos have never been accepted by mainstream society in China. In the long history up to Emperor Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), having one’s face tattooed was a punishment for criminals. Ying Bu (died 195 B.C.), a prominent insurgent in history, in his early life under the Qin Dynasty (221-207 B.C.), was convicted and sentenced to qing, a form of punishment which involved branding a criminal by tattooing his face.
The doctrines of Confucius tell us that our skin, hair and other parts of the body are gifts from our parents, and therefore should be left alone. It’s not until recent times that tattoos have been accepted as a source of personal expression in China. Previously, we only saw gangsters flaunting their fully-tattooed arms and torsos. In “Red Cherry,” a 1995 Chinese movie, a 13-year-old girl Chu Chu was sent to study in Moscow in 1940 but fell prey to Germans during WWII. A German officer, also a fan of tattoos, drugged the girl and left a tattoo of a Nazi eagle on her back, which became the origin of her lifelong trauma.
In neighboring Japan, the tattoo had also been used as a criminal punishment for 150 years until it was banned during the reign of the Meiji government in 1870. However, in the previous Edo era, some sex workers and gangsters voluntarily had their body tattooed, hoping to impress others as charming or tough. The trend also spread to couriers, porters, fishermen and other laborers who would bare parts of their bodies at work.
In the United States in the 1960s, bikers and sailors were the ones most often seen with tattoos, which were associated with antisocial sentiments. When many trained professionals started to offer more delicate and artsy tattoo services in the 1970s, it gradually became a fashion statement embraced by much of the public. Tattoos have since become increasingly mainstream in the United States. Although it’s hard to know exactly how many people have tattoos, a 2019 poll from the market research firm Ipsos found that three in 10 people in the country have at least one tattoo. According to the market research firm IBISWorld, the tattoo industry annually generates an estimated US$1.6 billion in revenue. Tattooing is the 6th fastest-growing American industry. There are 21,000 tattoo parlors in the U.S., and this number grows by one each day.
The trend is perhaps driven in part by celebrities who have a lot of exposure in the media. Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has 24 tattoos, including a crowned lion on his right bicep. From inspirational quotes to tattoos representing his love for his loved ones, every new addition to his collection of body inks brings him into the limelight among his fans.
However, there are also those who choose to leave their bodies free of ink. Giannis Antetokounmpo, arguably the best NBA player, and Klay Thompson, one of “Splash Brothers,” don’t have any tattoos.
In fact, many celebrities regret getting tattooed. Actress Megan Fox wants to have a few of her tattoos removed and has already gotten rid of one, a large Marilyn Monroe on her forearm. While getting a tattoo is not that bad, she once told Jay Leno on “The Tonight Show,” removing it really is. She described the pain brought by the laser being as if “your skin sort of explodes and looks like little kernels of popcorn popping up.” She also said she got many of her tattoos as a teenager and thought she would “love it forever,” which isn’t the case at all.
At 16, Nicki Minaj got a tattoo of Chinese characters on her arm that say “God is with me always.” The singer-songwriter wished she never got it, saying “Way too young. You have no idea what you want to put on your body at the age of 16.”
In Hong Kong, a law also bans offering tattoo services to those under 18, with violators liable to a fine as much as HK$5,000 (US$650) and three months’ imprisonment. The rules in Taiwan are similar. In Australia, although it’s not illegal to tattoo youngsters, those who offer the service without the consent from their parents will be fined A$500 (US$355).
It’s true that getting a tattoo is no big deal in today’s open-minded society and it’s totally a personal choice. However, due to the huge cost of having a tattoo removed, both in the form of physical pain and a large sum of money charged, it requires deliberate thought and wise judgment before getting one in the first place. In the impulsive and bold years of one’s adolescence, a person may do things they regret later, and getting a tattoo can be one of them.
While not thinking about how their tastes and aesthetics may evolve with time, some also had no idea that getting tattooed may stop them from such careers as becoming a police officer or an airline stewardess.
(The author is an editor of the Features Department of Shenzhen Daily.)