FINAL PROJECT 2 Tattoos. Facial and body piercings. Breast augmentation. Botox. What do all of these things have in common? They are all body modifications that people pay for every day in order to alter their appearance. However, there are some members of society who believe that these actions are considered deviant behaviors; that these individuals who condone such actions are deviants. Although, people may look at these individuals and think that they are up to no good, the reality is that these modifications are innocent. While some may be extreme, they are providing the individual with a chance to show their own individuality, their own uniqueness, by having these procedures done. While some individuals believe that these deviants are criminals and up to no good, the “deviant” in question may actually just be looking for a way to express themselves and to show that they are different from the many others around them who seem to be the same. Firstly, we have to talk about the negative aspects of body modifications and how deviance plays a role; for this paper, the focus will be on that of tattoos. According to Clinard & Meier (2016), “Some sociologists conceive of deviance as a collection of conditions, persons, or acts that society disvalues (Sagarin, 1975: 9), finds offensive (Higgins and Butler, 1982: 3), or condemns (Weitzer, 2002: 2)”. It is the belief of society that the skin should never be marred. It is something that, especially for women, is frowned upon and seen negatively. In an article by Giles-Gorniak, Vandehey, & Stiles (n.d.), it is stated that, “For women, tattooing: (a) is a violation of basic standards of appearance, (b) is considered less feminine, and (c) may result in women being perceived as displaying more negative personality characteristics (Irwin, 2001, 2003; Rosenhoeft et al., 2008)”. In an article by Camacho (2014), it is estimated that one-third of the population in the United States has tattoos. Furthermore, the belief that tattoos are an affront to deviant and risky behavior is another societal implication. “The view of tattoos as a
