Tattoos are in vogue at the moment, but that wasn't always the case. They have been associated with groups of people, symbolism, and status. Monica Desai describes the significance of body art over the centuries...

They're everywhere. Beckham has Posh's name in Hindi (although it is spelt wrongly), Sporty Spice has a Chinese symbol, and Pamela Anderson has barbed wire. Tattooing has been around for centuries, but only recently has it transformed from being a biker or “I'm hard” symbol to being the height of Western fashion.

The increase in popularity is not necessarily matched, however, by an emergence of safe tattoo parlours, and tattooing is contributing to an increase in cases of hepatitis C. Recently, Pamela Anderson claims she contracted hepatitis C while sharing a tattoo needle with her ex-husband, Tommy Lee.

So where does tattooing have its origins? Why do people go through the pain of having needles stuck in them for a permanent scar? And how can we encourage the setting up of safe tattoo parlours to reduce the risk of transmission of diseases such as HIV and hepatitis B and C?

The word tattoo comes from the Tahitian “tatu,” which means “to mark something.” Tattoos have had many uses, from advertisement to membership. In Borneo, tattoos were used on the forearm to indicate skills, such as weaving. This could increase a woman's marriageable status. Tattoos on the wrist and finger were thought to ward away evil. Tattoos were also used to indicate membership of a clan (and they are still used today by groups such as the Hell's Angels).

It is claimed that tattooing originated in around 12<thin>000 bc, and the earliest recorded ones were found in Egypt during the time of the building of the early pyramids. The art of tattooing spread with the Egyptian empire and was later adopted by the civilisations of Crete, Greece, Persia, Arabia, and finally China in around 2000 bc. In the 17th century, pilgrims returning from Jerusalem were often seen with permanent marks on their bodies.

Tattoos did not take off in England until the 18th century, when sailors returning from Tahiti, with Captain Cook in 1771, came back with these new and intriguing souvenirs. In 1891, tattoos became easier to acquire, when Samuel O'Reilly invented the first tattoo machine, based on a piece of equipment invented by Thomas Edison for engraving hard surfaces.

In the early 1800s, however, tattoos slowly became associated with the criminal underclass, who were branded in order to display their illicit status. The rollercoaster of fashion meant that by the late 19th century, daring society dames subtly decorated themselves with discreet tattoos—for example, Winston Churchill's mother, Clementine, had a snake tattoo on her wrist, which she usually covered with a bracelet.

Tattooing soon returned to being synonymous with criminals, the working classes, and the downright tough. Only recently have celebrities started to adorn themselves, causing a resurgence in the trend amongst the chic.

Tattooing has never been without danger. A Jesuit missionary, Francois Bressani, commented on how native North American Indian people often died “as a result of a kind of spasm” after extensive tattooing or when it was carried out in cold weather, possibly due to shock. A variety of instruments, such as thorns, bones, and needles were used. Now, the danger is much more insidious and long term. Diseases that can be transmitted through sharing needles are a real danger: tattoo parlours are legally obliged to ensure that their equipment is properly sterilised and that needles are not reused. Often, however, people will share needles, tattooing themselves and their friends.

The biggest risk is hepatitis C. This is the virus that people are least aware of, it has an insidious course and can be lethal, causing end stage liver failure and hepatocellular cancer. Perhaps Pamela Anderson's experience will make people more conscious of the risks associated with body art.

Fashion magazines (such as J-17 and Cosmopolitan) use models with tattoos. The media ought to take responsibility for the message they are conveying to the young by publishing a list of safe tattoo parlours. More column inches should be devoted to the risks associated with tattooing and other practices—for example, body piercing—that they are advocating, instead of just advertising the product.

A campaign to make customers aware of the standard that they should accept from tattoo parlours and an easily recognisable quality mark—akin to the golden lion—should be introduced for ease of recognition. This would not only make the tattooing industry more accountable, it would also make it easier and more acceptable for people to have tattoos done safely and without paying a fortune.

Or perhaps we should encourage people to follow Madonna's example and have temporary body art, such as henna tattoos. Just as long as people don't offend our noses by refusing to wash them off.

Skin Deep, an exhibition on tattooing at the National Maritime Museum, London, is showing until 30 September 2002