Customizing The Body: The Art and Culture of Tattooing [Paperback]

Clinton R. Sanders (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 11, 1990

'After looking at the sizable collection of tattoo memorabilia, I entered the tattoo studio adjacent to the museum and, like many first-time visitors to tattoo establishments, impulsively decided to join the ranks of the tattooed. After choosing a small scarab design from the wall 'flash,' I submitted to the unexpectedly painful tattoo experience'. So began sociologist Clinton Sanders' seven-year involvement in the world of tattoo culture. "Customizing the Body" discusses tattooing as a highly social act as a manipulation of self-image, as a symbolically meaningful form of body alteration in contemporary society. A tattoo changes 'how the person experiences his or her self and, in turn, how he or she will be defined and treated by others'.Tattoos continue to be a mark of alienation from the mainstream, but they also have an affiliative effect, identifying one as a member of a select group. Common wisdom associates tattoos with life-long regret, but Sanders introduces passionate collectors those who cannot resist the desire to 'get more ink' and tattoos who are very content with modest coverage. 'In the future when I'm sitting around and bored with my life and I wonder if I was ever young once and did exciting things, I can look at the tattoo and remember'.Sanders' immersion in this hidden social world his years of hanging out in tattoo parlors and participating in conventions of enthusiasts enable him to draw compelling portraits of tattoo collectors and artists. His interviews and observations reveal the ways in which artists are drawn into the work, their concerns in building their careers, and the nature of commercial exchange in tattoo studios. He juxtaposes an institutional view of art with the work done by highly skilled tattoo artists who are dedicated to erasing the negative stereotypes of their production and earning recognition for this marginally accepted form of body decoration. Clinton R. Sanders is Professor of Sociology at the University of Connecticut.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[U]nequalled insight into the world of tattooing... Sanders concerns himself with comparing tattooing with things like pottery, computer graphics and graffiti, which have recently moved closer to acceptance within the 'art world.'" --Body Art "This is the most intelligent book available to date on the modern aspects of an increasingly popular form of body decoration." --Kirkus Reviews "The author, tattooed himself knowledgeably discusses both the symbolic and social meanings of tattooing. He presents a thorough overview of the development of tattooing in western society from the eighteenth century to the present. The book is a wellspring for the novice fan seeking information about tattooing, and it will give even those who think they know all about tattooing a fresh look at many aspects of the art and the people involved, as, well as the relationship between practitioners and clients. Sanders' book is both intelligent and entertaining." --Tattoo "A fascinating and well-written study, one that finely sharpens the distinction between deviance and respectability." --Choice "The book's comprehensive treatment--involving both historical and cross-cultural analysis, both tattooists and tattooees as subjects, and parlor, convention, and gallery settings--ought to inform communications research on topics ranging from symbolization of deviance to clothing, fashion, and art." --Communications Research

From the Publisher

Describes the seven-year involvement of a sociologist in the world of tattoo culture --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 229 pages
• Publisher: Temple University Press (May 11, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877227640
• ISBN-13: 978-0877227649
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #815,044 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interestinginly Informative, July 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Customizing The Body: The Art and Culture of Tattooing (Paperback)

Customizing the Body is an academic study of tattooing and the whole culture that surrounds it. For most people the best part of the book is its introduction, which provides an excellent mini-history of tattooing and how it found it's way into western society. The rest of the book covers modern tattoo culture -- Becoming tattooed, tattooing as a career, and other issues surrounding tattooing and tattooists. The study is complete on an academic and informative level, yet is also easy and impelling reading that should appeal to anyone with a serious and non-voyeuristic interest in tattooing -- this is not a picture book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very informative book, May 8, 2002

By 

kevnm "kevnm" (Costa Mesa, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Customizing The Body: The Art and Culture of Tattooing (Paperback)

I first read this book several years ago, and although its academic tone may be dry in spots for some readers, it's full of valuable information on tattooing. Sanders' studies show that many people getting their first tattoo have never even been in a studio before. A book like this can provide a lot of background on how the transactions works, how not to embarrass oneself and how to be an informed consumer. I started collecting several years after having read this book, and found the information I gleaned from it invaluable.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Clean-skinned reviewer enjoys tattoo book., January 30, 2001

By 

jeff turboff (New York City, NY, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Customizing The Body: The Art and Culture of Tattooing (Paperback)

If you have ever considered getting tattooed, have ever wondered what possesses someone to get one, what kind of people get them, how your life would change after getting one, why so many people are getting them these days, and why very few of them today look like the ones your grandfather or his war buddies had, this book addresses all these questions and many more in a most thorough and mostly unbiased way. The book is actually an academic study written by a university professor who, during the course of researching and writing the book, became a tattooed person. It contains plenty of statistics as you would expect in an academic study, but also lots of colorful anecdotes: tattooists talking about the types of tattoos or customers they refuse, women who explain why they got their first tattoo, various customers on pride and regret. There are so many interesting facts in this book, it really does read like an anthropological study, which it is, and I believe it would make interesting reading for nearly anyone who's ever found themselves looking at an inked armed and muttering "Why?!" or especially those who might look and say, "Hey, why not?!"

A few interesting facts from the book . . . Some classically trained fine artists are gaining acceptance in tattooing doing custom, commissioned, one-of-a-kind pieces . . . Women often get tattooed after a breakup . . . Most tattoo regret comes from getting one with poor craftsmanship . . . Men's first tattoos tend to be on the arm, women's on the breast . . . your social life will change if you get one . . . They really do hurt.

This book is unique in that nearly every other book on the subject falls under the rubric of tattoo fandom.

I read the book several years ago, and I'm still "clean skinned".