Societal views on tattoos are changing. They are not longer seen as purely belonging to countercultures. Although most professional settings require tattoos to be in a concealable area, such as upper arms covered by sleeves, jobs such as tattoo artists are encouraged to show off their body artwork.

Going from taboo, to mainstream, especially with the help of the many heavily-tattooed celebrities in pop culture and media such as David Beckham, Harry Styles, and many more, It’s estimated that as many as 1 in every 5 Brit has at least one tattoo. as well as 29% of those between the ages of 16 and 44. In America, the total percentage of those with tattoos make up 14% of the population.

Gone are the days of tattoos just belonging on rebellious teenagers and those who part of unconventional parts of society. In the West, they are widely used as a place marker to commemorate important events or parts of one’s life. Some ex-military members get tattoos to remember their time in service, while some devout religious followers may get them to honor their faith.

It is also a form of art and it is deeply ingrained into many societies’ tradition. Years and years before media’s favorite celebrities were seen sporting ink and bringing it more into the public eye, ancient civilizations were wearing them not just as a fashion statement or preference, but carried a lot of cultural meaning. Native American tribes, they can denote the specific tribe or region they come from. It holds significance with its often spiritual meaning, such as the superstition that getting a tattoo of an animal would give them the strength of that animal. In India, which is one of the areas that the art of henna originally hailed from, they are also used as cultural symbols. Called pachakutharathu in the South and godna in the North, they were directly tied to denoting what position in the caste system an individual was a part of.

No matter whether someone gets a tattoo to remember an important of their lives, honor their culture, or just because they want to use their bodies as a real life canvas for artwork, tattoos play an enormous part in societies from all parts of the world.