BODY ART: TATTOOS

The word "tattoo", that today we all know so well and it comes from Polynesia, are all those ornaments and drawings that are painted on human bodies forever. Always men in their past lives have left traces and signs, drawing their caves, like in Altamira, Santander, to make them more intimate and enjoyable. We can also talk about an old art, which the mummified bodies of prehistoric men were tattooed, and also the tools used to "paint their bodies" were recently found. In the antiquity, tattoos are considered to identify lower classes as slaves or prisoners. The Romans saw it as something antisocial, and those which were sentenced to prison, or later carried by sailors. Seeing tattoo had been transformed into something ugly and evil, something to think about poverty. Later on, tattoo was seen as a symbol of transgression, as they were in the 60`s, 70's and later in the 80`s. The punkies were those who were wearing piercings and tattoos. Nowadays, since 90`s, tattoo seems to be more than a symbol, it`s a lifestyle.
Body art changes the body to make it more attractive and desirable, and is also one of the best known practices of antiquity that we know. Our body belongs to us, nobody else, and we could decorate it with what we like best.