The pride and joy of many people in today's times was once considered rare and risky. Tattoos have evolved over time and also take on different meanings. Historically, tattoos consisted of marks signifying forms of decoration, religious theories, or social status (Kang and Jones). In modern times, people use tattoos as a form of personal expression, symbolism, or even for fashion purposes. (Kang and Jones). With many different interpretations, through my research I will analyze how tattoo art has changed over time, what risks are involved and if people are judged based on their tattoos. The question I will ultimately answer is “Are tattoos considered taboo in today’s society?” » The Roots of Tattoos The art of tattooing has existed since the prehistoric times of our world. In 1991, the frozen body of a five-thousand-year-old tattooed man, “Otzi the Iceman,” was discovered in the Swiss Alps (Schmid). Even today, Otzi's body remains the oldest and best preserved body from this period. It is estimated that Otzi had at least 57 carbon tattoos, which were simple lines and dots on his left knee forming a cross, in addition to dots and lines on his right ankle and lower spine. Tattoos were also a part of many ancient cultures; in China, tattoos were considered a cruel practice. Until the Qing Dynasty, criminals had characters such as 囚 ("Prisoner") tattooed on their faces so that civilians would know about their evil deeds (Schmid). These markings also made it clear to civilians who was corrupt and unethical at the time. Additionally, slaves were marked with tattoos to display their ownership to the public. This practice was not as common but was still used by many homeowners. Dating back to the Paleol...... middle of paper ...... This happened because a significant number of soldiers were returning home with tattoos. This era created a specific type of tattoo, known as “old school”. The old school tattoo contained thick, solid, black outlines of an image, which would be filled with colored ink. Sailor Jerry aka Norman Collins was considered one of the first “old school” tattoo artists of the time (Bloom). He began tattooing as a young teenager with hand schemes and grew to become one of the most influential tattoo artists in America. A resurgence hit the United States between 1970 and 1990, known as the Modern-Primitive (Jausknechi) movement. Founder Fakir Musafar believed Modern Primitives was interested in the global history of tattoos and body modification. This movement created the style of tattooing known as "tribal tattooing", which is still popular today..