Tattoos and body piercings are human customs that go back thousands of years. The acceptance by society of these forms of body art varies immensely according to time and place.
紋身與穿環可追溯到數千年前的人類傳統文化。根據時空不同，不同社會對這些人體藝術的接受程度也大不相同。

Evidence of tattooing goes back at least 5000 years. In many ancient societies, including the Egyptians, Chinese, Native Americans, and Polynesians (including Taiwan’s aboriginals), tattoos could indicate the social status, wealth, skills, religious beliefs, or clan of an individual. The history of body, facial, and ear piercings goes back just as far and was done for similar reasons as mentioned above. Even today, the traditional practice of wearing nose rings remains prevalent among women in South Asian countries such as India and Pakistan.
最早的刺青文獻紀錄至少有五千年之久。在許多的古代社會中，包括埃及、中國、印地安文明以及玻里尼西亞文明(包括台灣原住民)，身上刺青可顯示社會地位、財富、技能、宗教信仰或個人宗族。身體及臉耳穿環的歷史與上述所提的追朔期一樣早，理由也相似。即便到今日，南亞國家如印度及巴基斯坦等等，戴鼻環這項傳統依然在女性之中蔚為盛行。

In modern times, visible tattoos and piercings developed a negative connotation. Up until the 1980s in the US, tattoos were largely associated with rebellious groups such as motorcycle gangs, while in East Asia it was also mainly gang members who got tattoos. While ear piercing for women first became popular in the mid-1900s in the US, it also wasn’t until the 1980s that it became common for men, and other facial or body piercings were still regarded as an unusual custom by most.
在現代，明顯的紋身及穿環發展出負面的涵義。美國一直到1980年代，有紋身的團體都被大眾視為是離經叛道的一群人，像是摩托車幫派；在東亞，大多只有幫派分子才會刺青。美國一直到1900年代女性穿耳洞才開始風行，到1980年代男性穿耳洞也很常見，但臉部或身上其他穿環依然被大多人視為是罕見的風俗習慣。

In most Western cultures, all of this changed in the 1990s to 2000s. Tattoos and piercings have exploded in popularity, to a point where youths who don’t have at least one or two tattoos or piercings have become the unusual ones. These days, it is a common sight to walk into a bank or other business and see workers with visible tattoos or piercings, and many companies have adjusted their dress codes to allow this.  
在大部分的西方文化中，這些都在1990起至2000年底間改變。紋身及穿環流行度遽增，演變成現在身上沒有至少一個或兩個刺青的年輕人才是奇怪的人。今日，走進銀行或其他商業中心，看到職員們身上有明顯的刺青或穿環都是常見的景象，許多公司都調整他們的服裝儀容標準以適應這項改變。

East Asian societies remain a little more conservative in this regard. Visible tattoos or unusual piercings are still largely frowned upon in the business world, but they have becoming increasingly common among youths.
關於這一點，東亞社會的態度依然保守。在商業界，明顯的刺青或特殊穿環依然不被允許，但在身上刺青與穿環在年輕族群間卻十分常見。

Vocabulary 好字精選

1. immensely (adv) largely/hugely  大量的，巨大的
Tribal tattoo designs are immensely popular among American teens. 
原住民紋身在美國青少年身上十分常見。

2. clan (n) a group of related families (bigger than “family” but smaller than “tribe”)  宗族，部落
The two clans were fighting over access to the river.      
兩個部落為了河川的使用權而鬥爭。

3. facial (adj) related to the face  臉部的
This facial cream should help with your pimples.  
這款臉霜應該有助於你的痘痘。

4. prevalent (adj) common/widespread  常見的，流行的，普及的
Smoking seems to be more prevalent in countries where alcohol is banned.
抽菸似乎在禁酒的國家較為常見。

5. connotation (n) meaning, the idea of sometimes besides it’s literal meaning  涵義，言外之意，弦外之音
The title of the book has an unhappy connotation, but that’s not what the author intended.
書本的標題帶有令人傷感的弦外之音，但這並不是作者的本意。

6. rebellious (adj) doing bad things  反叛的，造反的

Kevin went through a rebellious phase in his teenage years.
Kevin在青少年階段有一段反叛期。

7. gang (n) a club or group that usually does bad things  (歹徒，青少年等)一幫，一群
A group of gang members kidnapped the girl.
有一群幫派份子綁架了那個女孩。

8. dress code (n) a policy about how to dress  服儀標準，穿衣規定
According to our company’s dress code, you can’t wear shorts at work. 
根據我們公司的服裝規定，你工作時不得穿著短褲。