Reflections of a Skull Tattoo
When it comes to selecting a design for a tattoo, it is
critical that the design that is selected it selected wisely.
Now, for many, wisely often refers to being É?content.É? In other
words, when you
have a tattoo inked into your skin you must be sure that
it is a tattoo that you like because if the tattoo ultimately
turns out to be a tattoo that the person who has the tattoo
inked turns out to be a design the person is unhappy with then
the tattoo thoroughly deflates the reason for having a tattoo
in the first place is undermined. In other words, why get a
tattoo you will hate? Sometimes, it is not the tattoo that the
person who is É?inkedÉ? hates, but rather it is the reaction that
the tattoo may invoke. In the case of a skull tattoo,
there is the risk that the response to the tattoo may be
somewhat negative so the person considering such a tattoo
should think wisely before having the image of a skull tattoo
inked.
The Meaning of a Skull Tattoo
When it comes to understanding the meaning of a skull
tattoo, one must first understand the traditional symbolism of
the skull in art and imagery. A skull was NOT original
conceived as a symbol of fear or danger. Instead, it was
representative of great change. While it is possible change to
be a bad thing, change is also often a good thing. As such,
change should be welcome. In ancient society, death was often
associated with change because death was symbolic of changing
over to the afterlife. Since the skull was associated with
death it became associated with change. Hence, the symbol of
the skull was associated with an antiquated (but benign) notion
of great change. Unfortunately, the bulk of the population has
no idea about the history of the image of the skull in
antiquity and associates it with its more modern symbolism:
horror films.
The image of the skull is often associated with B movie
horror and cheap thrills. As such, it loses much of its
original meaning and symbolism. Hence, the presence of a skull
tattoo may not invoke the intended symbolism or imagery depth.
Instead, it may invoke dismissal due to its common association
with Halloween, B movies, etc. This is not to condemn the image
of a skull on a tattoo. It is simply a means of putting the
tattoo in perspective. After all, if the image does not invoke
what it is originally intended what would be the purpose of
having one?
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