Nowadays, it seems like everybody’s got a tattoo. Studies show that between 30% and 40% of all Americans have at least one tattoo. The percentage of people having two or more tattoos has increased in the past decade. Tattoos have become completely normal, and an undeniable part of self-expression in the modern-day and age.

But, are we all aware of the meaning behind our tattoos? Do we take into consideration that we might be culturally appropriating certain designs just to make ourselves satisfied with the design? These are the questions that have arisen in the past few years during the global discussion of cultural appropriation.

Turns out, people are aware their tattoos are inspired by a certain culture or tradition, but a great number of people don’t even know that their tattoos are culturally appropriated.

In the following paragraphs, we’ll talk more in detail about the connection between tattoos and cultural appropriation, and why your tattoo might be problematic. So, without further ado, let’s get started!

Cultural Appropriation and Tattoos

What Is Cultural Appropriation?

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, cultural appropriation is;

The act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect this culture.

So, to culturally appropriate something means to adopt the cultural elements of certain group or minority who are the member of this culture. This issue has become highly relevant in the past few years, when more and more people started to casually adopt certain cultures’ garments, hairstyles, accessories, etc.

To this day, cultural appropriation as a topic is still controversial, as some people think they have the right to wear whatever they want so long it doesn’t offend anybody, while others think that other people’s cultural elements shouldn’t be used by anyone else other than the members of the culture.