Tattoo Parlours - A Question of Identity

More impressionistic musings: tattooing and body piercing seems to be much more popular over here than it is in the UK. What we need is a sociological study of this subject. While we wait for the monumental work, I can only suggest that an answer might lie in the need or search for individual identity in an impersonal and capitalist society. Draw on interactionist and Marxist theory for more details, but maybe its about alienation and the way in which individuals create a sense of self through interaction with others. Here, in one of the wealthiest societies on the planet, which preaches the doctrine that its citizens are free, people seem to want to belong to something, to have an identity which helps them stand out from the crowd.