1 00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:03,680 Speaker 1: Okay, So why exactly did folks in ancient times start 2 00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:06,960 Speaker 1: doing body art and why is it so popular today? 3 00:00:07,680 --> 00:00:11,760 Speaker 1: What motivated us then and now? A five thousand year 4 00:00:11,800 --> 00:00:15,160 Speaker 1: old mummy has offered some clues on what the old 5 00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:19,239 Speaker 1: motivation was. I'm Patty Steele. A surprising look into the 6 00:00:19,320 --> 00:00:23,759 Speaker 1: emotional and physical reasons we ink our bodies. That's next 7 00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:31,480 Speaker 1: on the backstory. We're back with the backstory. Tattoos are 8 00:00:31,560 --> 00:00:36,720 Speaker 1: everywhere now, from intricate sleeves to tiny, minimalist designs little flowers. 9 00:00:37,080 --> 00:00:39,919 Speaker 1: They are a form of self expression that's accepted and 10 00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 1: even celebrated all over the world. But it wasn't always 11 00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:47,080 Speaker 1: that way. The story of tattoos through history is a 12 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:52,240 Speaker 1: tale of rebellion, art, culture, and transformation as well as health. 13 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:55,400 Speaker 1: Believe it or not, it's been used to celebrate people 14 00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:59,320 Speaker 1: and to stigmatize them. What about you? Do you think 15 00:00:59,360 --> 00:01:01,400 Speaker 1: body art is a way to share a little bit 16 00:01:01,440 --> 00:01:03,320 Speaker 1: of who you are with the rest of the world. 17 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:07,200 Speaker 1: Or maybe you have a tiny, discrete tattoo in a 18 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:11,360 Speaker 1: spot nobody can see except you and maybe your insiders, 19 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:15,560 Speaker 1: or just maybe you totally don't get the whole tattoo 20 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:19,880 Speaker 1: thing and wouldn't dream of getting one. But tattooing didn't 21 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:24,040 Speaker 1: start out simply as self expression. There were physical, societal, 22 00:01:24,120 --> 00:01:28,080 Speaker 1: and spiritual reasons behind it. So what's the first tattoo 23 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:32,120 Speaker 1: we have evidence of? Okay, it's five thousand years ago. 24 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:35,440 Speaker 1: You live in the Tyrolean Alps what is now the 25 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:39,880 Speaker 1: border region of Austria and Italy. It's really cold. Maybe 26 00:01:39,880 --> 00:01:42,600 Speaker 1: you have a little bit of arthritis pain. What do 27 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:45,760 Speaker 1: you do for relief? Can't pop a pill? Right? So 28 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:49,760 Speaker 1: maybe you do what Utzi did the Iceman of the Alps. 29 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:53,480 Speaker 1: The Iceman's well preserved body was found by two German 30 00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:57,680 Speaker 1: hikers in nineteen ninety one. It was mummified and frozen, 31 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:00,320 Speaker 1: with part of his upper body sticking out of the 32 00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:03,480 Speaker 1: eyes due to a very warm summer that year. Who 33 00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:07,040 Speaker 1: was he Letzee was probably a shepherd in the mountains 34 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:09,800 Speaker 1: where he died. He was about forty five years old 35 00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:12,760 Speaker 1: and on the small side at least these days, five 36 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:16,000 Speaker 1: foot three, weighing about one hundred and ten pounds, probably 37 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:19,560 Speaker 1: not unusual in size in those days. Researchers think he 38 00:02:19,720 --> 00:02:22,600 Speaker 1: was killed by arrival, since an arrow made of flint 39 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:26,480 Speaker 1: was found deep in his shoulder blade. For thirty years. 40 00:02:26,560 --> 00:02:30,400 Speaker 1: They have studied his body from DNA to stomach contents 41 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:33,040 Speaker 1: to illnesses, and he had a bunch of those. The 42 00:02:33,040 --> 00:02:37,600 Speaker 1: Iceman is thought to have had cavities, arthritis, arterial sclerosis, 43 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:43,200 Speaker 1: maybe lime disease, a stomach infection, and also lactose intolerance 44 00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:46,720 Speaker 1: and stress. How do they know all that? That's interesting? 45 00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:50,359 Speaker 1: So how did he find relief from all that? Back 46 00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:54,280 Speaker 1: to the tattoos. Letzee was also found to have sixty 47 00:02:54,360 --> 00:02:58,280 Speaker 1: one now fairly faint tattoos on his body. He had 48 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:01,520 Speaker 1: small dots and crosses on his lower spine and his 49 00:03:01,639 --> 00:03:05,080 Speaker 1: right knee as well as his ankle joints, and those 50 00:03:05,160 --> 00:03:10,760 Speaker 1: joints all show arthritis, so voila. Researchers think he got 51 00:03:10,760 --> 00:03:14,040 Speaker 1: ink to help alleviate joint pain, not to show off 52 00:03:14,040 --> 00:03:18,680 Speaker 1: his status or even body art. So tattoos had mystical 53 00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 1: powers associated with them in a lot of societies going 54 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:26,320 Speaker 1: back in Iceman's case, well over five thousand years. But 55 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:30,240 Speaker 1: when it comes to spiritual and artistic motivations for body art, 56 00:03:30,680 --> 00:03:33,799 Speaker 1: there's plenty of evidence there as well. Tattoos have been 57 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:37,520 Speaker 1: discovered on mummified bodies from ancient Egypt, where there were 58 00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:42,040 Speaker 1: probably protective symbols placed on the thighs, bellies, and breasts 59 00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:46,880 Speaker 1: to help women through childbirth. In Polynesian cultures, tattoos were 60 00:03:46,880 --> 00:03:50,120 Speaker 1: created to tell a person's life story, who they were, 61 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:54,040 Speaker 1: what they'd achieved, their rank and society, and their connections 62 00:03:54,040 --> 00:03:57,240 Speaker 1: in the community. In fact, the word tattoo actually comes 63 00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:01,640 Speaker 1: from the Polynesian word tatao, meaning to, and in Japan, 64 00:04:01,880 --> 00:04:06,120 Speaker 1: tattoos evolved into a really complex art form, but they 65 00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:09,160 Speaker 1: also sometimes had a dark history since they were used 66 00:04:09,160 --> 00:04:13,240 Speaker 1: to permanently mark criminals, and twenty five hundred years ago 67 00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:17,120 Speaker 1: in what is now Siberia, tattoos were essential if you 68 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:20,000 Speaker 1: were an aristocrat. To not have one meant you were 69 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:24,400 Speaker 1: of low birth, really not worth anybody's time. Moving ahead, though, 70 00:04:24,760 --> 00:04:28,520 Speaker 1: we see the darker attitude toward tattoos take hold as 71 00:04:28,520 --> 00:04:31,240 Speaker 1: they arrived in the Western world in the fifteen and 72 00:04:31,320 --> 00:04:35,719 Speaker 1: sixteen hundreds thanks to sailors. These guys saw tattoos on 73 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:39,400 Speaker 1: the indigenous people of the South Pacific and Africa, and 74 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:43,440 Speaker 1: they admired them. Sailors began telling their own stories through 75 00:04:43,480 --> 00:04:47,039 Speaker 1: body art. They'd returned to Europe with all this exotic ink, 76 00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:51,320 Speaker 1: and pretty soon tattoos were associated with the seafaring life. 77 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:55,279 Speaker 1: For the sailors, tattoos were badges of honor, proof of 78 00:04:55,320 --> 00:04:58,560 Speaker 1: the places they'd been, the battles they'd survived, and even 79 00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:03,960 Speaker 1: their superstitions. Anchor tattoos symbolize stability and hope, while swallows 80 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:08,920 Speaker 1: meant safe returns. But mainstream society saw tattoos in a 81 00:05:08,960 --> 00:05:13,000 Speaker 1: whole different light. They represented the rough and rebellious life 82 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:16,440 Speaker 1: of a sailor. They marked you as an outsider, and 83 00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:19,120 Speaker 1: for a long time, that's how they remained right up 84 00:05:19,160 --> 00:05:22,520 Speaker 1: into the middle of the twentieth century, symbols of rebellion, 85 00:05:22,680 --> 00:05:25,839 Speaker 1: commitment to a subculture, or signs that you were part 86 00:05:25,880 --> 00:05:29,760 Speaker 1: of an underground community, and that attitude would only deepen. 87 00:05:30,360 --> 00:05:33,800 Speaker 1: In fact, among traditional Jewish people, tattoos were looked at 88 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:37,320 Speaker 1: really negatively. They saw it as a mark of prisoners 89 00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:40,640 Speaker 1: and slaves, kind of mutilating our bodies, which were a 90 00:05:40,640 --> 00:05:44,640 Speaker 1: gift from God. The numbered tattoos given to Jewish people 91 00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:47,880 Speaker 1: who were put in concentration camps by the Nazis in 92 00:05:47,920 --> 00:05:52,000 Speaker 1: the nineteen thirties and forties only strengthen that belief. But 93 00:05:52,279 --> 00:05:57,200 Speaker 1: those attitudes are changing. In the nineteen sixties and seventies, 94 00:05:57,440 --> 00:05:59,760 Speaker 1: tattoos took on a whole new meaning thanks to the 95 00:06:00,279 --> 00:06:04,839 Speaker 1: culture movements. As people started questioning authority, tattoos became a 96 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:09,120 Speaker 1: way to make a statement of saying I don't conform. Suddenly, 97 00:06:09,200 --> 00:06:12,039 Speaker 1: tattoos were cool, but only if you were part of 98 00:06:12,040 --> 00:06:16,960 Speaker 1: the counterculture. The next big transformation came in the nineteen seventies, eighties, 99 00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:21,200 Speaker 1: and nineties thanks to music and celebrity culture. Rock stars 100 00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:25,080 Speaker 1: and punk icons like the Sex Pistols, Motley Crew, Guns N' 101 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:28,520 Speaker 1: Roses showed off their tattoos. They were a part of 102 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:32,839 Speaker 1: their image and for their fans, getting inked honored their heroes. 103 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:36,080 Speaker 1: By the early two thousands, we started to see more 104 00:06:36,120 --> 00:06:40,800 Speaker 1: acceptance by everyday people and even in the workplace. Celebrities 105 00:06:40,920 --> 00:06:44,240 Speaker 1: also played a huge role in this shift. Actors, athletes, 106 00:06:44,279 --> 00:06:48,359 Speaker 1: and again pop stars began showing off their ink. Everybody, 107 00:06:48,360 --> 00:06:51,720 Speaker 1: from Angelina, Joe Lee, and David Beckham to Rihanna and 108 00:06:51,880 --> 00:06:56,600 Speaker 1: Justin Bieber. Suddenly having a tattoo wasn't just okay, it 109 00:06:56,680 --> 00:07:00,480 Speaker 1: was cool and fashionable. It's hard to imagine a time 110 00:07:00,520 --> 00:07:03,600 Speaker 1: when tattoos were seen as scandalous considering how common they 111 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:07,279 Speaker 1: are now. A twenty nineteen survey says almost forty percent 112 00:07:07,320 --> 00:07:10,560 Speaker 1: of Americans between eighteen and thirty four have at least 113 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:14,120 Speaker 1: one tattoo. Wow. That is a huge shift from just 114 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:18,280 Speaker 1: a few decades ago. Right, Tattoos are now embraced across 115 00:07:18,320 --> 00:07:23,080 Speaker 1: all walks of life, from blue collar workers to CEOs, teachers, doctors, 116 00:07:23,080 --> 00:07:26,200 Speaker 1: and everybody in between. At the end of the day, 117 00:07:26,400 --> 00:07:30,160 Speaker 1: all of this is a reminder of how society's views evolve. 118 00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:35,640 Speaker 1: What was rebellious, dangerous, scandalous or other is now mainstream. 119 00:07:35,880 --> 00:07:40,000 Speaker 1: Tattoos went from being stigmatized marks of sailors, criminals, and 120 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:44,720 Speaker 1: rebels to being an art form that shows your individuality, milestones, 121 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:50,080 Speaker 1: or simply tells your personal story. Perceptions can shift, something 122 00:07:50,160 --> 00:07:54,240 Speaker 1: marginalized can become celebrated, and the stories we tell with 123 00:07:54,320 --> 00:07:58,160 Speaker 1: our skin can be just as meaningful as any written word. 124 00:08:03,080 --> 00:08:06,640 Speaker 1: Hope you're enjoying the backstory with Patty Steele. Follow or 125 00:08:06,720 --> 00:08:11,000 Speaker 1: subscribe for free to get new episodes delivered automatically, and 126 00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:13,239 Speaker 1: feel free to dm me if you have a story 127 00:08:13,280 --> 00:08:16,080 Speaker 1: you'd like me to cover. On Facebook, It's Patty Steele 128 00:08:16,440 --> 00:08:22,280 Speaker 1: and on Instagram reel Patty Steele. I'm Patty Steele. The 129 00:08:22,320 --> 00:08:27,200 Speaker 1: Backstories a production of iHeartMedia, Premiere Networks, the Elvis Duran Group, 130 00:08:27,280 --> 00:08:31,040 Speaker 1: and Steel Trap Productions. Our producer is Doug Fraser. Our 131 00:08:31,080 --> 00:08:35,240 Speaker 1: writer Jake Kushner. We have new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. 132 00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:37,800 Speaker 1: Feel free to reach out to me with comments and 133 00:08:37,880 --> 00:08:41,840 Speaker 1: even story suggestions on Instagram at Real Patty Steele and 134 00:08:41,880 --> 00:08:44,880 Speaker 1: on Facebook at Patty Steele. Thanks for listening to the 135 00:08:44,920 --> 00:08:48,680 Speaker 1: Backstory with Patty Steele, the pieces of history you didn't 136 00:08:48,760 --> 00:08:49,840 Speaker 1: know you needed to know.