Ultimate Answers to Proximate Questions: The Evolutionary Motivations behind Tattoos and Body Piercings in Popular Culture

Abstract

Numerous studies have found that piercing and tattooing the body is an increasingly prevalent trend in modern popular culture; however, this is not only a modern practice. Evidence of various forms of body ornamentation has been found in human societies dating back thousands of years. Although prior research has focused on the potential relationships between various personality traits and the likelihood of piercing or tattooing the body, few have approached this topic from an evolutionary perspective. For instance, the general motivations for getting tattoos and piercings have tended to fall into the same three categories for hundreds of years: (a) a symbol of an important past event, love, or friendship, (b) group membership, and/or (c) a marker of individuality. We argue that these motivations are simply proximate behaviors for an ultimate evolutionary reason: the perpetuation of one's genes. In this article, we propose two new theories about the origins of body ornamentation. First, in our "human canvas" hypothesis, we propose a link between body ornamentation and the human species' historical use of symbolic thought. Second, in our "upping the ante" hypothesis, we suggest that the steady rise in popularity of tattooing and piercing in Western culture has come about due to larger population densities and advancements in healthcare, which has led individuals to seek new and unique displays of fitness (i.e., body ornamentation). We then conclude with proximate examples in popular culture to display the proposed ultimate evolutionary reasoning behind body ornamentation.

Gender Differences among Self-Reported Genital Piercing Stories

“…Accordingly, we suggest that our research supports a growing awareness that the social and cultural meanings of body modifications change over time (Atkinson 2003;DeMello 2000;Gilman 1999;Pitts 2003;Stirn 2003) and that many body modifications that were once considered extreme, deviant, or bizarre have now actually come to be perceived as quite fashionable (Kosut 2006a(Kosut , 2006b(Kosut , 2014, or at least well integrated into popular culture (Adams 2009;Carmen, Guitar, and Dillon 2012;Laumann and Derick 2006;Riley and Cahill 2005). We speculate then that this may be the story occurring with genital piercings.…”

Tattooing to “Toughen up”: Tattoo experience and secretory immunoglobulin A

“…But tattooing is not merely decorative; it is communicative, painful, and dangerous. Costly signaling is one of the most salient themes found in studies of body ornamentation (Carmen et al, ). Signaling refers to communication between individuals whose interests may be in conflict, such as between potential mates or predator and prey.…”

Nursing under the skin: a netnographic study of metaphors and meanings in nursing tattoos

“…Millner and Eichold (2001) stress, however, that management of self-image is a primary motivator for body alterations such as tattooing and piercing. Carmen, Guitar and Dillon (2012) argue that, when considering ornamentation, we can understand the human canvas as an extended phenotype that can be used to demonstrate symbolism and thoughts to mark individuality or group belonging. They also hypothesize that an explanation for the body as an ornament is that 'individuals seek new and unique displays of fitness (i.e.…”