Swedish researcher Andreas Johansson interviewed 30 members of a Japanese Yakuza clan in 2015.
An illustration of Japanese courtesans by Utagawa Toyokuni (1769-1825), with one courtesan showing another the
tattoo on her upper arm.
Prints of Japan
From images of knives to cupcakes, foodies are increasingly etching their identity on their skin. And for chefs, tattoos are markers of non-conformity, self promotion and resilience, as a new book testifies.
Of the 49 inks tested, only four complied with the European standards. Carcinogens were found in more than one-fifth of the samples, and in 83% of the black inks.
Think twice before copying Tyson’s tattoo.
Mario Anzuoni/Reuters
Tattoos are a part of mainstream culture and an everyday expression of our aesthetic impulses. That wasn’t always the case, and the history of the tattoo lets us chart changing ideas about the human body.
Evolutionary biologists argue that we humans climbed to the pinnacle of our mammalian tree as a result of a penchant for sun and sex. And that our human prowess was guided, if not driven by our adaptation…
Professor of Dermatological Science, and Director of the UCD Charles Institute of Dermatology. University College Dublin, Ireland, EU., University of Bradford