From ancient tribal ritual, to the mark of a brawny military man or societal misfit, to an ever-growing fashion statement that knows no boundaries, the history of the tattoo is as wide and varied as the collection of designs that adorn the skin. An intensely personal decision that is often either made on a whim or after much contemplation, one thing is for certain – it is an act of long-lasting ramifications. And yet, that hasn’t deterred literally millions over the centuries from marking their body with ink for a variety of reasons.

The art of tattooing traces back literally thousands of years as one of the oldest forms of modifying the human body. It’s name can be traced back to the Polynesian word “tatau” which means scarification of the body but its history goes all the way back to Egyptian times, some 6,000 years ago. Its roots were spiritual in nature, with the earliest examples consisting of a series of lines and dots applied in geometrical designs. And similar to an effigy, a tattoo served as a way to identify someone in the afterlife.

As a common ritual of island nations throughout the South Pacific and the continent of Asia, the tattoo became a sign of royalty and/or privilege. In New Zealand, the Maori people employed the use of unique facial markings. In Japan, their version was less about the spiritual or magical realm and done for entirely ornamental purposes. And no matter which culture one looks at, the commonality is that rendering a tattoo was often an expensive, and always a time-consuming, process.

Applying a tattoo became much easier in the 20th century. In the 40s, electro-mechanical tools were invented to speed up the process and make it safer. Perhaps the largest segment of society to embrace the art was the military. For soldiers of WWII, a tattoo signified masculinity and, in many cases, camaraderie, a marking unique to members of a specific group such as a particular military unit – or in a more general sense, by applying an American Eagle to show one’s patriotism. Of course, many of the soldiers chose something a little less symbolic of their service, such as a scandalous image of a beautiful pin-up girl.

In the decade that followed, members of the military continued their affinity for tattoos but another segment of society embraced them as well. Biker gangs had their own sense of community that they wanted to advertise and the image of the tattoo began to change for the worse. Soon, they were common to both gang members and incarcerated prisoners and the tattoo started to suggest the mark of a deviant member of society. These negative connotations would receive a slight boost when, in the 60s, the hippies also embraced the artform. Of course, although they weren’t violent my any means, they were still a part of the undesirable counter-culture and their own tattoos didn’t garner much more respect from mainstream society.

It really took until the 1990s for the tattoo to really change its image into an accepted act of personal expression. As the stigma continued to diminish, more people from all walks of life started to consider undertaking the process as a way to convert the body into an artistic canvas. Two distinct factions of tattooing soon emerged, one of primitivism and another of ornamentalism. For the former, they harkened back to the simple designs of ancient cultures, incorporating such designs as ceremonial bands around the calves or biceps and various forms of tribal art borrowed from Native American, Celtic and Asian cultures.

For those more interested in the ornamental application, these chose a variety of symbols that might express something about themselves. It could be a dragon or flower, or something that connected them to their childhood, such as Mickey Mouse or a Unicorn. And for the more adventurous, they could merge ideas with a talented tattoo artist to create a unique and detailed design that incorporated wide varieties of imagery to create a one-of-a-kind work of art that only they possessed.

While celebrities such as Cher helped nudge the public acceptance along, there was a large segment of the population that wanted to practice this decorative art, without the ramification of their decision being permanent. This fostered the creation of the temporary tattoo. A decal similar that one might apply to a model car, these temporary markings let one skip the painful application process, only a few dabs of water were necessary, and also allowed for simple removal once was done portraying themselves as a rebel. A weekend of debauchery followed by an early Monday morning meeting with a business client – not a problem at all. A little soap and water and the illusion was a mere memory. Another popular option is known as the Henna tattoo which would temporarily dye the skin with ink and last for a few weeks at a time – sort of the best of both worlds, and one that didn’t result in someone becoming an octogenarian with a faded and stretched dragon for the grandkids to poke and make fun of.

And these days, not all tattooing is for the purpose of displaying vivid artwork. Cosmetic applications have become quite popular in recent years. The chore of applying makeup on a daily basis can be greatly diminished by having that eyeliner, lip-liner and even a healthy glow of rosy cheeks permanently affixed to the skin via a cosmetic tattoo.

Today, tattoos are an accepted ritual in society. People of all ages eagerly devise all sorts of elaborate designs for their bodily canvas, with literally every square inch of skin having the potential for a little ornamentation applied to it. And with the growing acceptance and popularity of this ancient artform, a new business has emerged – one that is growing just as popular as result – tattoo removal. And before one decides to have Mount Rushmore or the Sistine Chapel applied over their entire back, it cannot be stressed enough that the removal of a tattoo can be almost as painful, and in many cases, far more time consuming than the original application ever was. In the world of tattooing, a bit of forethought is always a good thing.