Brooks, David

. (27 August, 2006). “Nonconformity is Skin Deep.” The New York Times.

OVERVIEW

According to Brooks, we now have to work under the assumption that every American has a tattoo. A day at the beach, after all, “looks like a New Age symbology conference with love handles.” But the irony of the boom in body-inking is that pretty soon an unmarked body will be the actual sign of nonconformity. Brooks cites a study in the Journal of the AmericanAcademy of Dermatology which reports 24 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 to 50 have at least one tattoo. (That is up from 15 percent in 2003). And if one focuses on the younger crowd – 18 to 20 year-olds – the percentage hits 36.

Somewhat humorously, Brooks reminds readers that traditional religions generally prohibit tattoos “on the grounds that they encourage superficial thinking.” But such strictures can’t compete with the consumer impulse. Middle-class types, especially, have been appropriating symbols of marginalized peoples for a long time, and now the fad is in full force.

Tattoos may make people feel better about themselves, but like any consumer fashion fad, their ubiquitous success makes them ironically mainstream. Brooks mockingly imagines how today’s ‘nonconformists’ have begun to realize “there is nothing more conformist than displays of individuality. . . nothing more conservative than youth culture.”

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

1.      Do you or teenagers you know have tattoos?

2.      What do you think is the motivation behind this?

3.      Are displays of individuality a natural need?

4.      What does Brooks mean by calling youth culture “conservative”?

IMPLICATIONS

Brooks’ ability to say, essentially, that the emperor wears no clothes is refreshing and humorous. We need to ask ourselves to what extent we do things to our bodies based on a consumer impulse? And yet, it is important to keep in mind that tattoos and body piercings, especially among teenagers, may testify to other deeply felt needs for expression, identity, and so on.