The Other End of the Needle: Continuity and Change Among Tattoo Workers (Inequality at Work: Perspectives on Race, Gender, Class, and Labor) - Hardcover

Lane, David C.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1978807481 ISBN 13: 9781978807488

Verlag: Rutgers University Press, 2020

Inhaltsangabe

The Other End of the Needle demonstrates that tattooing is more complex than simply the tattoos that people wear. Using qualitative data and an accessible writing style, sociologist Dave Lane explains the complexity of tattoo work as a type of social activity. His central argument is that tattooing is a social world, where people must be socialized, manage a system of stratification, create spaces conducive for labor, develop sets of beliefs and values, struggle to retain control over their tools, and contend with changes that in turn affect their labor. Earlier research has examined tattoos and their meanings.

Yet, Lane notes, prior research has focused almost exclusively on the tattoos-the outcome of an intricate social process-and have ignored the significance of tattoo workers themselves. "Tattooists," as Lane dubs them, make decisions, but they work within a social world that constrains and shapes the outcome of their labor-the tattoo. The goal of this book is to help readers understand the world of tattoo work as an intricate and nuanced form of work. Lane ultimately asks new questions about the social processes occurring prior to the tattoo's existence.

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DAVID C. LANE is an assistant professor of sociology in the Department of Criminal Justice Sciences at Illinois State University in Normal.
 

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Introduction: Tattooing for Beginners

Madison, a first-year college student, sits in the front room of a tattoo shop; she’s decided to get a tattoo today. As machines buzz in the back of the shop, she looks nervous while waiting for the tattooist, Kevin, to finish drawing a design for her. She is successful in school and possesses excellent relationships with her family, friends, and coworkers. Like some of her peers she has decided to get a small tattoo on the top of her foot. The design she has chosen is a small lily, and for her, it is not just a tattoo, but a symbolic mark in remembrance of her late grandmother. Once finished, she will join the more than 40% of those aged 18-25 who have at least one tattoo in the United States.[1]

While Madison is waiting for her drawing, Kevin is making a series of decisions that will affect the outcome of the tattoo. He considers the location—the foot, which has relatively thin skin—and considers how to design the flower in a way that will fit the foot. He worries that Madison will not like the design and request another drawing, requiring more of his time. He decides it best to keep the flower within the conventional expectations of what most customers’ request. He assumes that Madison is like many other college students, and just wants a small tattoo to show that she dabbled in deviance while in college, and that too much variation might deter her. Finished with his drawing, he moves to the front of the tattoo shop to show Madison. She finds it beautiful, and Kevin invites her beyond the dummy rail and back to his tattoo booth.[2]

With the smell of green soap lingering in the air, Kevin applies a thermal fax outline to Madison’s foot and tries to ensure that it fits. He is worried about the angle of the flower, how it flows, and if it looks right on her body. The first attempt to apply the outline looks good, but Kevin is unsatisfied. He rotates it slightly, almost unnoticeable to the untrained eye, and reapplies it in a position that seems to fit Madison’s foot a little better. She approves, and he begins to assemble the materials needed to apply the tattoo. He pulls out the first needle he will use, it is a 5RL (short for 5 round liner), and he places it, still in its pre-sterilized, blister package, on the table. He chooses to outline using one of the coil machines his late mentor left him. Later, when he shades and colors the tattoo, he will use the rotary machine he has been bragging about for the past couple of months. Then, Kevin puts heaving dollop of petroleum jelly on the table. He spreads a tiny amount of it across his workspace. In the spread petroleum jelly, he places several small, plastic cups, 12mm in diameter and about a half inch tall. Then, Kevin takes three different bottles of ink, each pigmented black, green, and purple, and squeezes several drops from each into the separate cups. 

For a moment he pauses, and says, “You wanted the flower part blue, right?” Madison confirms this. Kevin’s eyes begin to dart between several different bottles containing hues of blue ink. He wonders whether the blue ink he just purchased a couple of months ago from an older tattooist at a convention would work for this, or if he should stick with the blue he has been using for the past year. It would be the time to test out that new blue as foot tattoos are not always visible to others. However, he starts to think she is probably not coming back for another tattoo. If she does not come back, he will not be able to evaluate how the ink looks in several months or years. He selects the older blue that he is confident with using. 

After taking the needle out of its package, and putting it in the machine, Kevin presses his foot down on the switch that provides power. ‘BZZZZZZZZZ,’ the machine whirs for a split second. Kevin turns a knob up on his power supply, hits the foot switch, and the machine buzzes for a few brief seconds. Unsatisfied, Kevin turns the knob again. He holds the machine close to his ear and pushes down on the foot switch. Blankly staring at the floor, he concentrates on the sound of the machine and how it feels in his hand. He adjusts the knob again, this time only moving it slightly. The machine’s vibrations barely change, but Kevin notices a major difference. 

The entire time Kevin was assembling these materials he was talking to Madison. He was doing this to gain her trust. A comfortable client is ideal. The more rapport they develop the easier the tattoo will be to produce. “Are you ready?” he finally asks, before starting the tattoo. Madison nervously nods, not knowing what to expect or how painful it may be. Kevin senses this tension and tries to increase rapport by cracking a foot fetish joke. Previously he told me that tattooing feet is one of the most socially awkward and uncomfortable places to be touching someone’s body—especially someone you do not know. Kevin was relieved when she laughed, otherwise this quick small tattoo was going to seem like a long and demanding tattoo to complete. Throughout the application of the tattoo Kevin continues to talk Madison up, by asking questions and telling entertaining stories. This tattoo seemed to pass by more quickly than the others that day. Soon enough, Kevin was asking for one final picture—documenting what he produced—before he bandaged this fresh tattoo, and Madison walked out the door with some care instructions. 

Each day, clients walk into one of the over 10,000 tattoo shops that currently exist in the United States. Like Madison, some are getting their first tattoo, while others may be working on larger tattoos, such as a sleeve or bodysuit. In seeking out an expert to apply the tattoo, someone like Madison must enter the social world of tattooing—Kevin’s world. It is a world that exists in the margins of formal institutions. It has its own cultural code with its members carrying out practices, holding sets of beliefs, and sustaining values. Every day, tattooists like Kevin must not only apply tattoos to people, but also navigate the complex cultural matrix that is the social world of tattooing. 

For example, for Kevin to create Madison’s tattoo, he had to acquire the necessary materials. This seems relatively simple. However, the materials for this kind of activity are not readily available. Kevin needs pigment, and a tool—or machine—that will push that pigment into the skin. Most stores do not carry these kinds of items on their shelves. Tattooists rely on contacts within their world for these supplies. Tattooists cultivate these contacts as they earn the right to become full-fledged members of the occupation.

In producing this single tattoo, Kevin was concerned with the kinds of feedback he would receive. Many others can see a single tattoo, and their reactions can have complex effects on Kevin’s career. On the one hand, he was concerned with Madison’s reaction, and the reactions of her immediate friends and family members. To attain her business, she needed to be pleased with a drawing of the tentative tattoo. Typically, word of mouth refers tattooists to potential clients. Kevin was also considering the reactions from Madison’s friends and family. Their reactions could hurt or help Kevin’s reputation among potential and current clients. 

On the other hand, Kevin was also worried about how his colleagues would interpret the tattoo. Tattooists, like those responsible for producing other types of cultural goods, need evaluation and feedback to perfect their...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Rutgers University Press
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2020
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1978807481
• ISBN 13: 9781978807488
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Anzahl der Seiten: 244
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Mare Nostrum Group B.V.; gpsr@mare-nostrum.co.uk; ; Doelen 72; Breda; 4831 GR; Niederlande