Following a new age restriction law in China, authorities in the nation are cracking down on tattoo artists inking younger people. Read to get a better insight into the situation.
China cracks down on tattoo and body art
A man, after admitting to inking 43 minors, became one of the first to be charged under China’s new age restriction law. The law came into effect in June 2022 intending to protect minors. It bans people from encouraging those under the age of 18 to get tattoos and is seen as the new move in China’s expanding crackdowns. “My behavior encroached on the physical and mental health of minors. I am deeply aware of my mistake,” reads a court-ordered apology issued by a tattoo artist from the Shaanxi province of China. At the time, the Global Times argued body ink was “driving minors away from establishing socialist core values” since they convey “harmful ideas such as feudal superstition, overseas culture, and gang culture”.
The new legislature is viewed as the community part’s agenda of cracking down on body art in China. However, the party’s nationalist agenda is shaping everything from architecture and movies to social media. Hence, the newest crackdown does not come as a surprise in addition to linking tattoos with western influence and immorality. “In Confucianism, conserving the skin and body inherited from parents was an exemplar of filial piety. And deemed necessary for a civilized society. Whereas tattooing signified an uncivilized practice and a failure to uphold family duties,” stayed Gareth Davey. Davey is a visiting professor at Yunnan Normal University. Additionally, he is interested in better understanding the body ink culture in China.
More on the body art ban
In 2017, the Chinese State Cyberspace Administration made it illegal for people to show tattoos in live streams or videos on social media. A year later, the media regulator stated TV stations “should not feature actors with tattoos. Or depict hip-hop culture, sub-culture, and immoral culture”. Recently, football stars representing China were stopped from getting new tattoos. However, those sporting body art were ordered by the authorities to remove or cover it up. They claimed it was needed for setting a “good example for society”.
Additionally, several public sector workplaces explicitly state people with tattoos are not eligible for several roles. This includes jobs such as firefighters, police offers, and seen highway toll collectors. In 2020, state authorities in Lanzhou asked taxi drivers with prominent body ink to remove them. This was on the bases that they “may cause women, children, and other passengers to feel psychological discomfort”.