Determining the meaning of the tattoo. Bird as a symbol of freedom

What is a tattoo? For one, it means a close connection with a criminal past, and for another, it is simply a cute picture transferred to the skin by a skilled craftsman. Let's move away from stereotypes and not consider tattoos as a stigma. Today, such drawings have become firmly in fashion. Artistic tattoo

is now considered as real art. After all, creating such a picture sometimes takes a lot of time, first-class materials, as well as the efforts of a master of the highest category.

Here are the most popular tattoos among modern personalities: bird, infinity sign, stars on the ankle or foot, Chinese style, dream catcher, stylized cats, etc. It must be said that it is a rare person who decides to create a truly large-scale image. Most, alas, prefer monotonous and non-colored sketches. And this sometimes turns the master’s work into a banal stamping of similar pictures. However, even the simplest tattoos (a bird, for example) can become a real masterpiece.

The most common place for such creativity is the wrist, shoulder blade or forearm. This tattoo is very popular among girls. They joyfully depict on the skin several black silhouettes of birds flying in a flock or one after another. But it can be much more interesting, because such a drawing carries a very deep and interesting meaning.

The image of a bird has always symbolized freedom, the flight of thought and spirit. The Egyptians put into the image of a hawk the departing soul of a person after his death. Vultures and crows are also a kind of personification of the gloomy side and dark mysticism. As you can see, not all such tattoos (a bird in this case can mean almost anything) carry a positive charge. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully consider the sketch.

It is best to depict a specific bird. You can choose a realistic technique or add dark outlines so that the tattoo does not lose its brightness and clarity over time. But let the drawing be interesting and specific. Then he will immediately become purely individual.

Let's say you like Birds, in this case they should be very small, and small details are extremely difficult to draw. Therefore, choose one character. It will look much brighter and clearer. Which bird should you choose?

Stork - symbol eternal life, as well as the devotion of children to their parents. This noble bird has very strict and pleasant features. Therefore, her image is perfect as a tattoo.

Sparrow - sexual energy, sexual activity. In China, this lively bird carried a very specific meaning. Therefore, when making (birds or anyone else), be sure to first find out their true meaning. After all, this part of the body is almost always visible.

If you want to decorate your body with positive drawings, then in this regard best tattoos- bird dove, swallow, and also crane. You shouldn't pretend to be a swan. In some interpretations, it means tragedy and even death. But the commonplace chicken in Africa has always been associated with a guide in So this bird is not as simple as it seems at first glance. For a man best choice will become an eagle. This is a sign of honor, courage and pride. And an owl will get along well with a well-read and erudite person.

Ministry of Culture of the Sverdlovsk Region

GUK SO Sverdlovsk Regional Interethnic Library

Symbols of freedom

independence

Information and methodological publication

Ekaterinburg

67.400.581 (2)ya81 C 37

Editorial Board: Kokorina S. V. Kosovich S. A.

Koshkina E. N.

Symbols of freedom and independence:

information method. ed. / comp. E. N. Koshkina; Sverdl. region international b-ka. – Ekaterinburg: SOMB, 2008. – 127 p.

Responsible for the release: Novopashina T. Kh.

Symbols of Russia

Introduction

Studying the history of state symbols of Russia is of great importance in educating a new generation of people who love their Motherland, who feel a spiritual and blood relationship with distant ancestors who defended the honor, freedom and independence of Russia.

A special role in organizing work on the study of state symbols of Russia belongs to libraries. They should help their users in selecting literature and publications from periodicals to explain the state symbols of our country and the reasons for its veneration in society, showing samples, examples of attitudes towards state symbols from history and modern life, fiction, documentary and journalistic literature.

Fostering respect for state symbols Russian Federation, increasing their role in patriotic and civic education students is an integral part of the educational activities of cultural institutions, in this case, libraries.

Here is an informational and methodological publication “Symbols of Freedom and Independence”, intended for library workers, teachers, as well as for everyone interested in the history of the Russian state and its symbols.

Symbols of Russia

All state symbols - coats of arms, flags and anthems

- perform the same function: they designate the state to which they belong. In principle, the coat of arms, flag and anthem play the same role as the name of the country - their task is to communicate which country owns them. We can say that the name of the country, its state emblem, flag and anthem are one and the same. The name simply denotes the country in verbal form - that is, using the means of speech - words; coat of arms and flag in visual form - using the means that our vision perceives - colors and figures; and the hymn - in a musical form, accessible to our ears and deep recesses human soul who cannot remain indifferent to the sound of music.

The historical row in which the state symbols of Russia stand is symbolic. Our coat of arms arose at the turn of the 15th-16th centuries, when a unified Russian state was taking shape. It came from the times of ancient, grand-ducal and tsarist Russia. Our flag was created for the first Russian warship, built in the middle of the 17th century; the reign of Emperor Peter I the Great, his great reforms, the rapid development and growth of Russia in the 18th and 19th centuries are associated with this flag.

Symbols of Russia

The flag came from the Russian Empire and reminds of this brilliant period of our history. And finally, the anthem comes from the times of Soviet Russia and is associated with this difficult period of our past. Thus, the coat of arms, flag and anthem of Russia formed a symbolic chain that united Russian history for more than five centuries: princely and royal Russia, imperial Russia and Soviet Russia. These three periods of our history are three foundations, three pillars, three foundation stones on which modern Russia stands, Russia, whose state symbols are the double-headed eagle, the white-blue-red flag and our national anthem.

Coat of arms of Russia

The first image of the Russian state emblem, the double-headed eagle, that has survived to this day dates back to 1497. It is placed on the reverse side of the seal of the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III Vasilyevich (born 1440, reigned from 1462, died 1505), attached to the exchange and allotment letter given by the Grand Duke to his cousins- Princes Fyodor and Ivan Borisovich.

Symbols of Russia

Grand Duke Ivan III Vasilievich is one of the three greatest figures Russian history. In terms of the scale of his achievements and their significance, Ivan III can only be compared with Prince Vladimir of Kyiv, who baptized Rus' in the 10th century, and Emperor Peter I the Great, who pushed Russia onto the European path of cultural development. The significance of Ivan III in the history of our country is determined by the fact that he created a unified Russian state.

The meaning of the symbol in the era of the 15th-16th centuries is difficult to understand to modern man, but the significance was decisive. At the time when the Russian state was being created, it was important to ensure that the idea firmly entered into the consciousness of people: a fundamentally new political entity had arisen - a single Russian state, the Russian lands were united and would not be divided anymore, no matter what happened, no matter how historical history changed. and political destinies. Achieve this

Symbols of Russia

It was symbolic forms that helped in many ways to turn the consciousness around.

The symbols of the new state itself and state power were of particular importance. Ivan III took the title "Sovereign of All Rus'", clearly declaring his claims to possession of all Russian lands. He married the niece of the last emperor of the Byzantine Empire - Sophia Paleologus - in order to demonstrate the equality of his power with the power of the Byzantine emperors. In relations with other countries, he sought equal honors and recognition of his power as sovereign and not inferior in importance to other countries.

The unified Russian state created by Ivan III and existing to this day needed the main symbol denoting its existence - a name. The name took a very long time to emerge and was never fully formed under Ivan III himself. The title of Ivan III and his followers on the throne contained the words “All Rus',” but the word “Rus” was not used independently to designate the Russian state. Abroad, the Russian state until the beginning of the 18th century, when the name “Russian Empire” was finally established, was predominantly called “Muscovy” (or other forms derived from the name of the country’s capital).

Symbols of Russia

The long birth of the name of our country is not surprising: it is explained by the state of political and geographical ideas of that time. This is typical not only for Russia, but also for many other states. That is why in the 15th-16th centuries another means of defining the state - the coat of arms - was of fundamental importance. The names developed slowly, changed, sounded differently in different languages and traditions. The pictorial means of identifying the country - the coat of arms - was recognized regardless of the linguistic environment in which it appeared, changed much less decisively and clearly indicated its owner in any situation.

Grand Duke Ivan III was able to understand and appreciate this meaning of the pictorial symbol. And therefore it is no coincidence and deeply symbolic that it was in his time, or rather in the 1490s. The history of the Russian state emblem began. Thus, the Russian state and the Russian state emblem are the same age. The figurative form of the name of our country - the coat of arms - was born much earlier than its name was formed.

The culture of the Russian Middle Ages had a fairly developed and unique symbolic tradition. Identification marks were used by those who had sovereignty - princes, lands that had

Symbols of Russia

republican forms of government, some church hierarchs. Such signs were placed, first of all, on coins and seals - those most important attributes on which it was necessary to clearly show who they belonged to.

Some princes sympathized with one type of signs and used them more often than any others. Thus, the family of Moscow princes, to which Ivan III belonged, relatively often used the figure of a horseman. Ivan III’s father, Grand Duke Vasily II, more often than others used the image of a horseman with a spear, sometimes a horseman slaying a dragon with a spear (this type of horseman was called “rider” for several centuries). Ivan III quite actively used this same emblem as his personal symbol.

The image of the rider was understood by contemporaries as the image of the owner of the sign himself - the prince. On coins and seals, the rider was usually accompanied by an inscription indicating the title and name of the prince. The title inscription and the rider were perceived in a complex: the rider - as an image of the prince, and the title inscription - as a signature on the image, explaining who exactly is depicted on a given coin or seal.

Most coins and seals had images on both sides. And if on one side the sign of the prince was placed (for example, a rider), then on the other - some other

Symbols of Russia

a symbol associated with him, such as an image of his patron saint.

In the system of attributes of power of the 15th century, the press occupied a particularly important place. At that time, the institution of signature did not exist, and it was the seal that performed the function of authenticating the document, a message that the document was really issued on behalf of the one who attached the seal to it, that the one who attached the seal agrees with the document and obeys it. It was from the moment the seal was applied that the document came into force and was considered valid. The right to use the press meant the right to exercise power. Crime against the press

- tearing it away from a document, damaging it, falsifying it - were regarded as one of the most serious, and were considered, among other things, as a crime against the personality and rights of the person who owns the seal.

This important significance of the seal determines the fact that it is on the seal that the image of the state emblem first appears. Having established his power in a fundamentally new - unified Russian state, Ivan III took care to reflect this in the main means of demonstrating his rights - the press. The seal of 1497 is such a fundamentally new seal.

The 1497 seal has a front and back side. The sides of the seals are determined by how the stamp is placed on them.

Many people in the world have a tattoo of the Statue of Liberty. At the same time, not all of them have at least some connection to the United States. The statue itself was erected in New York, on the island. Freedom. It is a worldwide symbol of the ideals of a democratic society that have triumphed in the country. There are many people in the world who share these ideas and values. They come to tattoo artists to order such a sketch for themselves.

Statue of Liberty

If you are planning similar changes on your body, we recommend that you read a short description of this tattoo. We have collected information about symbolism and existing sketches. There are also options for the styles in which the image can be made. This is not so much a guide to action as a set of useful data that will help you make your choice.

When trying to understand the meaning of the Statue of Liberty tattoo, it is enough to look at the history of the United States of America. The country has gone through a difficult path from a colony and a semi-recognized state, with slavery and internal conflict, to a world leader and hegemon. It seemed that this was impossible. However, the very fact that the United States exists on the map says otherwise.

The tattoo statues themselves can completely copy a huge statue installed near Manhattan, or be a free interpretation of it. Standard option – female figure with a torch and a book. There is a star-shaped crown on the head. There is an inscription on the book, a reference to the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. With one foot Freedom tramples the torn shackles.

Tattoo of the Statue of Liberty with a city background

It is interesting that in America itself the popularity of the statue and tattoos with it is falling, while in other countries of the world it is growing. This is due to the fact that Americans believe that they have already achieved what they want, while many peoples are still only striving for certain rights and freedoms of a democratic society.

However, not all clients order an image, demanding that it be made canonical. When it comes to fans traditional ideas, they often ask for a tattoo of the Statue of Liberty with a flag, the American symbol - the bald eagle. Such sketches are drawn by the customer and usually occupy a large area. If you are not American, you can use the flag and coat of arms of your country.

Statue of Liberty tattoo with American flag and eagle

When we are not talking about precise execution, then any liberties are possible. For example, changing the original face to the appearance of a real person or a fictional character. Often they draw in the same pose cartoon characters, for example, Marge Simpson from m/s “The Simpsons”.

There are times when the image of a statue is used in a negative way. She is depicted with a machine gun in her hands, wearing a soldier’s helmet. This usually means a person's attitude towards the militaristic foreign policy of the United States. In most cases, customers are young men and women, activists of any public and political associations.

Tattoo of the Statue of Liberty with a weapon in her hands

You can often see various non-standard objects in the hands of the statue, from an iPhone to a Jedi lightsaber. This is nothing more than a person’s desire to stand out, or to show his attitude to modern society.

Tattoo Statue of Liberty with a microphone and tape recorder in hand

The inscription next to the main image can significantly change the overall meaning of the image.

Every country in the world has some monuments and statues that are of key cultural significance. Such colossi constantly remind us of important things that concern every person and citizen. Brazilian Christ with outstretched arms, Motherland, Victorious Warrior, huge Buddhas. They all carry a message to society and the world as a whole. The same is true for the Statue of Liberty.

Tattoo of the Motherland statue and the Statue of Liberty without a head

Values may vary not only depending on the country. Different social groups also have their own interpretation options. If the statue of liberty tattoo is made on the zone, it most likely means that the bars are not capable of making a person less free in his soul. After all, the true concept of freedom is not at all the ability to go wherever you want and do what you want.

At the same time, the meaning in prison depends on the country. For example, in the post-Soviet space, where people remember the Cold War, many perceive American symbols negatively. But this phenomenon is not widespread. The image can mean a person’s desire to be released, or regret that he ended up behind bars.

Selecting and creating a sketch

Numerous sketches of Statue of Liberty tattoos found on the Internet confuse many salon visitors. How can you find your ideal option that would suit you personally, look beautiful, and harmonize with other tattoos on your body?

Many masters believe that it is necessary to use similar styles and color scheme. That is, if the image does not fit at all, we change its shade and redraw it using a different technique. It’s not difficult to make three to five options on paper or in Photoshop.

Some people think that each drawing of the Statue of Liberty should be unique, other people say that there is no point in this, because there is only one original.

The color of the drawing is a matter of dispute. Some people think it should be green. But those who have seen old photographs know that this is far from the original shade. The initial option is copper, and “green” is the result chemical reactions, which included a coating of copper sheets. That is, oxidation caused the red-brown surface to turn green. So both options can be considered canon.

Green Statue of Liberty Copper Oxidation

Sometimes religious people ask to hand over the lady on the pedestal not a tablet and a torch, but a Bible and a cross, or other symbols traditional specifically for their beliefs. This is quite simple to do, and tattoo artists are willing to accommodate clients who want to make adjustments to the original version.

Whether there will be a flag, coat of arms, or other signs or symbols nearby depends on what meaning is put into the image itself. It is important to remember that the statue is not just a pretentious building. It is a sign that faith, work and struggle of people can change the course of history. After all, who would have thought that the colonists would be able to gain independence from Great Britain, and years later become one of the superpowers, displacing the former metropolis from its pedestal. Freedom is not an illusion. And your tattoo is not just a pretentious picture. She is an expression of your inner struggle. After all, the world is still not ideal, and what our ancestors fought against has not been 100% eradicated.

For this reason, many people prefer to order the development of a sketch from scratch. Some bring their own sketches, or explain what the final version should look like.

Where would a Statue of Liberty tattoo look best?

American patriots and fighters for democracy in different countries the world is used to apply the left side chest. This means that these values are in their heart. Typically, the image rarely exceeds 10 - 12 cm in height. The second option is to get a tattoo on the side. There is plenty of space here to draw all the details.

The optimal area of skin for a Statue of Liberty tattoo is the back. If she already has tattoos, ask the artist to figure out how to fit a new image into the overall picture. It should be understood that if there are old green tattoos nearby, you will either have to cover them up with a background, or simply redo them using the same technique and color scheme, as the statue.

Statue of Liberty on the back

Another option is the hip. The distance from the underwear line to the knee joint is large enough to accommodate a large vertical design. You can also get a tattoo on your arm - forearm, shoulder, or even wrist.

Tattoo of the Statue of Liberty on the hand and shoulder

Choosing a tattoo style

There are a lot of styles and their branches in the world. It’s worth immediately understanding that each of them is someone’s specialization. Some artists work better in realism, others prefer bright and original solutions - watercolor, new school, trash polka. Some people still rely on old-school options. Sometimes a client wants high precision, while another salon visitor prefers a miniature in the form of a simple outline made with black paint.

Photo

Photos of tattoos of the Statue of Liberty - the national symbol of the United States on various parts of the body, made by different artists.

Nowadays, tattooing is something ultra-modern and youthful, one of the most fashionable ways“decorating oneself” among not only teenagers and young people, but also adults. It is difficult to say what has more influence - fashion, environmental influence or the desire to stand out.

But, as they say, everything new is well forgotten old. And the fashion for modifying one’s body is an ancient phenomenon, existing for thousands of years among non-Christian peoples and African tribes. Could they then have imagined that someday tattoos would become an element of youth fashion in the third millennium?
What does a tattoo mean, how did it appear in the everyday life of our society, and what meaning does it carry and does it carry? Let's try to understand these issues.

A little history

So, the word “tatoo” is derived from the Tahitian word “tatau” and the Marquesan “tatu”, which means “sign”, “wound”, “mark”. According to one of the most common versions, tattoos appeared by accident. Having noticed that if a coloring substance, such as soot, got under damaged skin (wounds, cuts), then bizarre, indelible patterns were formed on its surface, people began to cause damage intentionally.

The first examples of tattoos were found during excavations of the Egyptian pyramids. On the mummies discovered there, which according to experts are at least 4 thousand years old, tattoos are clearly visible.

It is believed that the body marks of ancient people were more informative (indicating the sign of the tribe, clan, social status owner), protective (against diseases, troubles, misfortunes) and magical functions than decorative. The location, pattern and size of the tattoo were determined by the customs and traditions of the tribe. Tattoos were also applied by the ancient Slavs, Greeks, Gauls and Germans - but only in order to perform magical rituals of the ancient cult.

After the Christian religion established itself in Europe, tattoos practically disappeared, except for the tradition of branding criminals. For example, sharpers were given a sign in the form of a hexagon on their bodies, those sentenced to the galleys were given the inscription “GAL”, vicious women had a lily pricked on their shoulder.

Decorative tattoos in Europe were remembered again many centuries later, when the navigator James Cook discovered islands in Polynesia and Melanesia, previously unknown to the inhabitants of the Old World. Having visited Tahiti in 1773, he was surprised to discover that the inhabitants of the island used tattoos to decorate their appearance.

Tattoos have long been the most important attribute of the criminal subculture. And in our time, at law faculties and in police schools, students and cadets can study entire atlases devoted to the meaning of this or that drawing from representatives of the criminal world.

Since the early 1960s, tattoos have come into use among youth groups operating on the edge of the law, and often crossing it. It became widespread among bikers, among whom neo-Nazi ideas were often circulated in the United States. The fashion for tattoos came to Russia only in the mid-1990s. This period became a time of romanticization and glorification of everything that was once called antisocial behavior. It was then that the process of applying a tattoo acquired particular significance as an indicator of a person’s familiarization with the group values of a non-traditional culture. In the new conditions, tattoos began to play a decorative and demonstrative function, and their wearers believed and still believe that they are demonstrating their superiority, strength, originality, and uniqueness. Once upon a time, for people, body painting was both a sign of masculinity, a sign of belonging to a certain community, and a short biography.

Tattoo and youth

Tattoos are often perceived as a symbol of protest. For some, a tattoo is a way to express their romantic feelings in such a specific way. Doctors say that in more than 30% of cases, tattoos are removed from teenage girls who want to get rid of their ex-boyfriend's name. For others, a tattoo is a work of art, for others it is a symbol of independence. For some young people, a tattoo gives them the opportunity to try something new - to feel that they have power over their appearance. Tattoos can also be a symbol of protest or an unconventional lifestyle. This explains why some of them contain offensive words and pictures, as well as offensive phrases.

However, for most young people, a tattoo is just a tribute to fashion. It is known that fashion reflects the cohesion of society and its psychology, offering certain patterns that help each of its members feel more or less comfortable. But, on the other hand, fashion is a terrible thing that creates standards. False standards are the result of following changing fashions.

What effect do young people want to achieve from wearing tattoos? Surely, if you ask them why he needs such an extensive tattoo, he will, without hesitation, give a bunch of arguments in favor of having it.

From the point of view of psychiatry, tattooing often refers to a psychopathic-individual environment and in most cases the phenomenon of tattooing accompanies mass events and changes in society. And yet, applying a tattoo to the body indicates a certain motivation of a person. We asked Archpriest Alexander Nemchinov, psychologist Natalya Kozhushkina and surgeon Igor Barinov to talk about what motivates people, especially young people, when they decide to get a tattoo and what risks they are exposed to.

Spiritual risks. Expert opinion (Archpriest Alexander Nemchinov, head of catechesis courses of the Dnepropetrovsk diocese)

The fashion for tattoos and the expanding infrastructure of tattoo parlors, to be honest, are not only surprising, but also alarming. Just 25-30 years ago, a tattoo was a clear sign of belonging to the criminal world or simply youthful frivolity and recklessness. Today, “body painting” is applied to themselves by students and doctors, representatives of the creative and technical intelligentsia. Why, young people who consider themselves completely Orthodox come to church, confess, take communion, and can approach the priest and ask: “why does the Church prohibit tattoos?” Or even ask for a blessing for this. Moreover, these can be not only boys, but also girls...

There are many reasons for this. This is also a youth subculture, where a certain tattoo design can be a sign of belonging to a particular movement. It could also be a desire to stand out in some way, to somehow show one’s “individuality.” Although today a tattoo no longer impresses anyone and therefore practically does not act as a means of shocking. In the end, many people apply them simply for “beauty”, it’s “glamorous” after all. In any case, this is a pursuit of fashion, and the time will inevitably come when this fashion will pass and the majority of owners of painted bodies, of course, will regret it. In general, we can safely talk about fashion as one of the forms of addiction. And “fashion-addicted” people often look funny without realizing it. I remember how somewhere in the late seventies, early eighties, imported women's T-shirts were common, which, of course, girls bought from speculators, I think not so cheap. The T-shirt bore the inscription: “I’M EASY ACCESSIBLE.” Poor girls, their level of English did not allow them to understand what was written there: “I am easily accessible.” But if the T-shirt gets worn out and forgotten, then getting rid of the tattoo is much more difficult. Removing it is difficult, dangerous, and scars still remain. Therefore, most stupid tattoos applied at a young age will brand their owner for the rest of his days.

But this is not the worst thing about tattoos. The craze for “body graphics” indicates, first of all, that people today are completely incomprehensible to the immorality of drawings on the body. You can, of course, simply refer to the irrefutable authority of Holy Scripture, where corporal cutting and writing are strictly prohibited. (Lev.19.28) But for a modern person, including a believer, it is most often not enough to show that this is written. It is important to provide a reasoned explanation as to why it is written this way. And explaining this to a person with gaps in their upbringing can be just as difficult as explaining why, for example, it is indecent to keep your hands in your pockets, sit cross-legged, or whistle. This is not to mention the fact that many today sincerely do not even understand that profanity and nudism are bad...

To better feel the baseness of this phenomenon, imagine the state of an artist who has worked long and painstakingly on a portrait, and someone, even the one who posed, will paint his work with ink, ink and lipstick. Of course, this will be deeply offensive for the author. But man is not just a creation of God, but His image. It’s scary to think, but this means that every person is, in a sense, a SELF-PORTRAIT of God Himself, which we distort internally with our sinfulness, and externally we can pick it apart and poke it with “tattoos.”

So, if it nevertheless occurred to you to get a tattoo on your body, and you cannot overcome your own contradictions, then, first of all, you need to stock up on the virtue of humility and simply accept on faith that it is obscene and shameful, that the desire to stand out in you are driven by pride. Well, and finally, the fact that you will never get rid of this.

Psychological risks. Expert opinion (Natalia Kozhushkina, psychologist)

“The first - the most common motive - is a way of self-expression caused by the desire to be more original and even more fashionable than others. Such tattoos are most often done in youth and, as a rule, their owner gets tired of them after a few years. Youthful maximalism is understandable: following the anarchist fashion is a demonstrative statement against all laws and order. “How brave we are, we are not afraid of anything, and if something happens, we are!..”

The second motive is beliefs. People apply religious signs, emblems of clubs and organizations they belong to, the name of the team they play for, the flag of their homeland, or other similar symbol. The reason for this step lies in the desire to show others who you are, and also to convince yourself that you are truly committed to your idea.
The third motive is caused by an inferiority complex and a feeling of insecurity and one’s own weakness. People with this complex get tattoos in the form of frightening animals or mythological heroes. This is an attempt by the weak to protect themselves from external influences. Talks about lack of self-confidence. The design that a person chooses for a tattoo often emphasizes or reveals some psychological traits.

Cosmetic motivation - to correct the mistakes of the past, to disguise scars or age spots.

Status motivation applies exclusively to the criminal world - where tattoos really serve as a document, confirmation of rank and status.
To summarize, we can say that through a certain symbol or drawing, a person tries to change the attitude of society towards himself. He also emphasizes his self-expression in relation to this society. Society means everyone, indiscriminately.

Physical risks. Expert opinion (Igor Barinov, surgeon at the Regional Hospital named after I. Mechnikov, Dnepropetrovsk)

– Tell me, what dangers exist when applying a tattoo?

– Firstly, during tattooing, the paint is injected into the sub-epidermal layer of the skin so that the pigment is retained and does not peel off. Tattoo inks contain heavy metals (lead and arsenic), which can cause cancer, and often congenital diseases (if the mother decided to “decorate” herself with a design during pregnancy), and disrupt the reproductive system.

Secondly, the dye is a strong allergen. An allergen entering the human body provokes the development of a lifelong allergy to sunscreens, painkillers, as well as clothing and cosmetics that contain this substance. This dye can lead to the development of a number of dermatological diseases, such as eczema, dermatitis, etc.

A tattoo made with black ink is especially dangerous, since the ink, in addition to traditional henna, contains a substance such as paraphenylene diamine. This is a chemical substance approved for use in several types of cosmetic products in strictly defined small quantities.
You should also pay attention to the fact that during a tattoo there is a high risk of introducing microbes and viruses under the skin. You can become infected with HIV, hepatitis, and syphilis. Tattooing causes prolonged irritation of nerve fibers, a decrease in local immunity, after which even herpetic rashes may appear.

– If a person realizes that he has done something stupid, are there methods for removing tattoos?

– There are various methods for removing tattoos, but the scars that remain do not bring joy to their owner.

It seems to me that, having weighed all this, a sane the person will pass passing a tattoo salon, thinking about true beauty. After all, a person’s beauty is not in his appearance, true beauty is reflected in his soul, and eyes are beautiful when they shine with love and kindness.

Today we have prepared something interesting for you. I am sure that you are well aware of the Statue of Liberty - a woman with a torch in her hand, towering in the very center of the largest metropolis in the world. It is a true symbol of the United States of America, not only adorning one of the most populous and economically developed cities in the world, but also considered part of the world's cultural heritage.

Without further explanation, it is clear that the classical meaning of the Statue of Liberty tattoo is the same freedom, equality and tradition American people. This could be the end of the article, if not for one BUT.

Interesting fact: in recent decades, fewer and fewer Americans have been getting tattoos with the Statue of Liberty, and more and more representatives of other countries. Moreover, the meanings of such tattoos do not at all coincide with the usual ones! We tried our best collect for you the most interesting options this picture and tell us a little about each.

Statue of Liberty with guns

It is very common to find a tattoo of the Statue of Liberty holding a weapon or banknotes. Such a symbol expresses protest to the American government, which is often accused of interfering in the affairs of other countries, pursuing irresponsible monetary policies, and so on. We are far from politics, but the very idea of such execution appeals to us!

Statue of Liberty with flag background

The picture against the background of the flag is considered to be the classic patriotic tattoo with the Statue of Liberty, praising traditional American values. It only remains to add that in addition to realistic tattoos, you can think about using other styles. In particular, we invite you to evaluate the old-school option!

Other options

In this block we have collected several interesting works, in which a famous monument is drawn in unnatural poses and with unusual objects. The depiction of organic parts on the body of the statue, hands covering the face, inscriptions and other details - all this gives the tattoo additional meaning.

All that remains is to show you our extensive gallery of photos and sketches of the Statue of Liberty tattoo and find out your opinion - what do you think about it? Write in the comments!