Do you recognise him?
And what's your impression of the person featured in the photo below? Is it the same for the previous two photos you have seen?
I do not have a tattoo by the way....The word "tattoo" comes from the Tahitian "tatau" which simply means to mark.
Tattoos serve different purposes and carry a variety of meanings for various people. For some people, it may represent a symbol of faith, identity, and memory for lost love ones . For others, it could just well be a fashion statement.
Tattoos have the power to leave a strong impression on people, how they perceive you as a person, and maybe even create a strong social stigma.
In the past, tattoo-ing was often associated with triads, gangsters and secret societies. Each gang had its own distinct tattoo, and members who owed allegiance to the group had to have the mark of a tattoo on themselves. Tattooing therefore came to be associated with anti-social activities and people with tattoos were looked down upon.
Recently, I have noticed an increasing number of youths with tattoos walking along the streets. Interestingly enough, an online study indicates that getting tattoos is an increasing popular trend amongst the youths worldwide. Hence I thought maybe this would be an interesting topic to work on for the research project, in a local context. As we move into the 21st century, it would be interesting to find out how the general public percieves youths of generation Y having tattoos. Does having a tattoo carry any social implications on them these days? Are these youths with tattoos still considered deviant or are we open minded enough in today's society to accept their behaviour? Having the answers to these questions, tattoo-ing studios may then be able to develop better strategies to change people's mindset about the art, making people more receptive to tattoo-ing, which will in turn improve their business.
In a nutshell, here's what i propose.
Issue presented:
Increasing trends of youths (GEN Y) getting tattoos in Singapore.
Possible research question:
Do youths (GEN Y) with tattoos carry a social stigma these days? Generation Y population refers to the people born in from 1982 to the mid-1990s.
Survey required?
Yes. Survey is required to get a general opinion on whether there is a social stigma that tags along with a Generation Y individual. If it is proven to carry a social stigma, what are its implications? If proven otherwise, why is it so? People being surveyed will include people from both Generation X and Generation Y to cut down biasness.
Hypothesis:
Having tattoos no longer carry a social stigma for our Generation Y population.
Purpose Statement:
The objective of the report is to determine whether having tattoos carry any social stigma in our Generation Y population these days. Results will then allow tattoo-ing services companies in Singapore to come up with business strategies that overcome possible stereotypes people have and better promote the art of tattoo-ing. The report is also prepared for the general public. The purpose is to let them have a better insight on the current perspective that people have on tattoo-ing among youths these days.
4 comments:
hi there. Interesting topic! Why didn't I think of that? haha.
During my stay in US, the people I met with tattoos were overwhelming. I would say out of 10 people I see on the streets, at least half of them had tattoos on their body. It appears to be a norm in their culture. Interestingly, the more encounters I had with these people with tattoo, the less 'bothered' I become. However, in singapore, I think the social stigma is , without a doubtful, still amongst us. That's why i thought your research question was specific enough as it pertains to only the generation Y. It would be interesting to find out what this generation perceive tattoo as!
I thought the whole idea was great! =)
Hey Edwin, I like your topic too! Let me know what your findings are and maybe I'll get a tattoo myself. Haha.
I feel that both the topic and the conducting a survey are both definitely feasible, but care has to be taken in ensuring an even distribution of all ages are included in the survey. I do not think my grandmother would approve if I wanted to get one. Haha.
The research question is also clear and to the point. Though here's a little thought. Would youths with tattoos carry a social stigma if they are not openly visible?
Just ignore me if you feel that is totally out of point from your angle of study. Haha.
Hi Edwin, this is an interesting topic to study. People often relate to generation gap when the mindset of the older generation is different from the younger generation. Generation to generation, people are getting more and more open minded, and tend to see things in a different light. I guess that explains the reason for the increasing trend of youths getting tattoo.
However, I feel that it is quite obvious that youths with tattoo will social stigma from the older generation, especially in Singapore. I think most of the youths started tattooing behind their parents' back. This suggest the disapproval that they may face from their parents. Parents may have bad impression about tattooing or even afraid how other people will see their kids.
This is something I really want to know! Is there social stigma for people with tattoo? Or perhaps, how serious the social stigma is in the 21st century Singapore? A friend of mine actually told me that there was a family rule that he could bring any girlfriend back home but a girl with tattoo. This sounds ridiculous to me. With this no-tattoo rule, no matter how nice a girl is, she can’t even pass the first line to be accepted. Personally, I used to have this idea of having a tattoo on my ankle, and I told my parents about it. Surprisingly they had no objection at all. But because I was afraid of pain, I wasn’t daring enough to go for it eventually. However it would be really interesting to find out how many people have drawn a fine line towards someone with a tattoo.
For the survey, a suggestion is to have two different sets of questions for young people and older people respectively. It’s easy to find young people in school, but we got to go somewhere else to collect the information from the older people.
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