“Millennials” is a term that gets used quite a bit. They’re blamed for changing the face of America’s workforce. They’re called lazy, unreliable, and a few other names I’d rather not get into. The point is that Millennials are a part of the population which has brought on changes to various parts of our economy and overall way of living.
One such change is how tattoos are perceived.
In 2010 about 40% of millennials had at least one tattoo and that number has increased in the last six years.
Millennials are so well-known for their love of ink that even Whole Foods considered installing tattoo parlors in its format “365” stores to get more millennial shoppers through the door. Another clue that they’re as big as everyone says they are is the fact that the United States Navy has changed its body art policies to allow for more and larger tattoos in the hopes of drawing in more millennial recruits.
Instagram and fashion models often sport small tattoos that adorn their bodies. The exposure of tattooing to the mainstream could be a big reason why tattoos went from being something that was worn by convicted felons and gang members to something that is sexy and beautiful.
A study conducted at the University of Arkansas found that tattoos may be important because at their core, tattoos signify a means of cementing the permanence of identity.
“We continue to be struck by rapid and unpredictable change...Some theorists talk it about in terms of postmodernism, which is one way of saying that our culture has become fractured...the result is a loss of personal anchors needed for identity. We found that tattoos provide this anchor. Their popularity reflects a need for stability, predictability, permanence and identity.”
- Co-author University of Arkansas study, Dr. Jeff Murray
Even when everything else about the world is in constant flux - right down to the body changes - tattoos are something that never change. This helps make tattoos more of an identity meter for millennials and so we see them a lot more than in years past.
This is a trend I can get behind.
Interested in the stories behind the study?
Read here.
