| 11.23.06 Out of the Box: Downloads By Jim Edwards Body modification—tattoos and piercings, mainly—has become a huge trend in the U.S. Even at the Association of National Advertisers conference in Orlando, Fla., earlier this month, about 20 marketing execs took advantage of a free tattoo stand run by Tattoo Projects, a creative agency in Charlotte, N.C. While punk rock is not solely responsible for popularizing tattoos and piercings, it was a significant cultural driver. Punks sported metal parts and ink-covered bodies for years in the ‘70s and ‘80s before it became acceptable for packaged-goods CMOs to sport a “tribal” armband or an ankle-butterfly. Among the pre-hardcore punk demographic (over 40), tattooing remains a marginal activity, according to a study by Harris Interactive. But in the hardcore years (1980s-early 1990s), tattooing took off, and today more than one in four 30-39 year olds has ink. Half of 18-29 year olds sport body art, but it’s anyone’s guess if designs will go down on their “permanent record”: Harris says 17 percent of all tattooed people regret getting inked. In terms of piercing—and no, ear lobes don’t count—a 2002 Pediatrics Journal survey of 552 12-22 year olds found 26.9 percent had body piercings and 11.8 percent had more than one. Got ink? • 18-29 year olds+: 49 percent • 30-39 year olds+: 28 percent • 40-49 year olds+: 14 percent • 50 and over+: less than 10 percent The most common place to find extraneous holes • Ear cartilage+: 13.6 percent • Mouth/tongue+: 11.2 percent • Navel+: 10.7 percent • Nipple+: 1.2 percent • Genitals+: 0.8 percent |
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