Tag Archives: goffman

 Here is an interesting article that is somewhat of a critique of Goffman’s “Stigma and Social Identity” which ties into Lombroso’s ideas about tattoos. Tattoos seem to be a very popular topic amongst young people and on this blog. Many say that tattoo’s are a sign of deviance and show a lack of intelligence. Tattoo’s generally give a person a stigma, but is it a good or bad thing? Stigmas occur when something is different, whether it is a good, bad or neutral occurrence. People with physical disabilities are a common stigmatized group because we are always curious and fascinated by something that seems off. If you have ever seen someone who is blind, or with a limp and had to stare at them in fascination then you contribute to stigmatization, even if that was not your intent. Some stigmas are harder to define because they are things that can be hidden, such as homosexuality or sexual deviance. Today, some stigma’s can be ‘fixed’ with plastic surgery, such as rhinoplasty for those feeling stigmatized for having a big nose.

But what about a self inflicted stigma of a tattoo? Can something that is self inflicted be considered a negative stigma? Tattoos were generally used to brand people of deviance or to set them apart from the rest, such as slaves, criminals and the Jews during the Holocaust. Tattoo’s now can be considered a positive stigma since they are generally socially accepted and give you a sense of pride, make you part of a certain subculture or  show the world what you are about. Since so many people are tattooed today, I don’t feel there is much of a stigma at all just due to its commonality. A tattooed individual would be stigmatized if they had an offensive tattoo (swastika), face tattoo, or just too many tattoos. Lizard man is the perfect example of a stigmatized individual due to tattoo choices.