In today’s society many people are making the decision to have artwork permanently tattooed on their body. Tattooing is known as a way for one to express his or her thoughts and feelings. As the years progress tattoos are becoming more popular. Getting a tattoo is as common as buying a new pair of shoes when the latest style comes out, or an upgraded cell phone, and most often they are expensive. Numerous arguments come up about tattoos as it is a divided topic, especially among the older and the younger generation. Some people may consider tattoos completely unacceptable and others believe that it is a good way of self-expression. As the popularity of body art increases, most workplaces are accepting tattoos as long as it can be covered …show more content…
A few questions that get asked are why did you get a tattoo or what does the tattoo mean? Every person who has a tattoo will have a different answer and some may have a story to tell. In pacific cultures tattooing has a huge historic significance. Polynesian tattoos are bold, symbolic and a piece of art. The traditions behind these tattoos are centuries old. They use two styles in their tattoo designs. The first style is known as Etua, which has a religious and spiritual significance. This style also makes use of magical symbols, which are believed to offer protection from the Gods. The second style is called Enata. This style has natural designs, which depict a person's social status, identity, occupation, island of origin, and his history (Buzzle 2015). Many Polynesian tattoos have different meaning. A turtle tattoo symbolizes Turtles symbolize longevity as they live for a very long time. Getting a tiki tattoo in the Polynesian culture was considered to be ancestors of humans and was believed to be the forces that drove out bad energy. Tikis are usually portrayed with their eyes closed, as they are known to have the ability to smell approaching trouble (Buzzle