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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 5 page paper looks at the trends through several sociological perspectives including the functionalist school, the conflict perspective and the theory of symbolic interactionism. Bibliography lists 7 sources.
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5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_Bodtat.doc
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is certainly commonplace in American society today are the trends of body piercing and tattooing. While such may seem like a simple fad, just like Nehru jackets or MIA
bracelets, the trend is actually an aspect of society that serves to define a generation. It is perhaps more important than it appears on the surface as the act itself
is symbolic in nature and perhaps has several larger meanings. Some might suggest that body piercing and tattooing are behaviors indicative of deviance just as in past generations, those who
wore granny glasses and painted flowers on their cheeks were duly labeled and set apart from the larger society. A study of more than 2,100 (Lord and Lehmann-Haupt 67)adolescents from
schools in eight states, revealed that 1 in 10 had a tattoo and more than half of the respondents were interested in obtaining one. It appeared that income level and
ethnic group were insignificant (67) in this particular study. University of Missouri psychiatrist Armando Favazza is an authority on self-mutilation and contends that the new trend is nothing pathological
(67). And it is more common than many would think. Over the past two decades, body piercing has been more popular with the counter-culture in the United States; however, it
is now considered to be part of mainstream culture (Armstrong 236). Iverson contends that the discomfort society has with tattoos is gradually easing, and the once automatic associations of tattoos
with prison inmates and perversion is changing (84). More and more tattoos are being sported by fashion models (84) and celebrities. While women have pierced their ears in America for
decades, things are different today. In contemporary society, body holes can be anywhere including the tongue, eyebrow, nostril, lips, nipples, navel, and genitals (Armstrong 236).While the fad may be psychologically
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