My research project is going to be about Tattooing and Body Piercing. Should teenagers be allowed to get a tattoo or body piercing even with an adults consent? What about the long term effects this has on the body? Does a teenager really know what he or she will want on his body in 20, 30 or 50 years from now? I think some evidence needs to be pointed out about the long term effects these have on the body. The drinking age has been raised to 21, maybe tattooing and body piercings should be the same.
I planned to research the laws on ages for these two things. I want to find any studies that may have been conducted on this. I also plan to talk to some people who have had tattoos/piercings, recently and years ago. I believe young people need more facts to this decision, not just what they see as acceptable in today's society. What about infections that arise from this, or the possibility of contracting HIV or other diseases from these procedures? What about scarring? Even though it is socially accepted now, what about 25 years from now? How could this tattoo or body piercing change according to color or shape after a few years? Do we as the public need to see all these body piercings or tattoos? What effect will this have on their job searching in later life?
The two articles I plan to use for this research project from the MOA book are The Modern Primitives and Belly-Baring Fad Not Cute as a Button. Both articles talk about body modification, which is one aspect I plan to explore. My thought is to focus more on the long term effects of body piercing and tattooing.
I believe young people need to be more informed about this more visible culture now. Tattooing and body piercing is a decision that will affect their body the rest of their life. They need to get all the facts and wait until after they are 21 years old to make this life changing decision.
Research Questions:
Should teenagers be allowed to get a tattoo or body piercing even with an adults consent?
What about the long term effects this has on the body?
Does a teenager really know what he or she will want on his body in 20, 30 or 50 years from now?
Search Terms:
Tattoo, body piercing, body manipulation.
More and more people are getting tattoos or body piercings these days. What does this mean in society nowadays? Is it more fashionable to have these? Does it tie you into a certain group or belief system? Or is it just art and freedom of choices? At what age should one be aloud to make the decision to have one of these on their body? How does society judge a person who has a tattoo or their body pierced? There was a time that a person with a tattoo was a military person who had gotten their tattoo overseas on duty. In my father's day, a gypsy was the only person who pierced their ears. Today, people consider this body art. I believe that one should wait until their adult years to make the decision to permanently change their body. I plan to use the articles The "Modern Primitives" and Belly-Baring Fad Not Cute as a Button for my research paper.