What does barbed wire mean?

This is just a WAG (Wild Assed Guess), but it probably just symbolizes perceived oppression of any sort, be it from parents, school, society in general, etc. It just means ‘I wish I could do whatever I wanted without anybody trying to stop me’. I’ll Google it up and see if I can’t come up with something a little more salient. Perhaps it has some significance with the Aryan prison/crystal meth subculture, I don’t know. Maybe Taylor could shed some light on this, if it’s true. An excellent place to ask this type of question is the Straight Dope Message Board. There’s an annual $15 membership fee, however.
 
I love barbed wire balls and wreaths ...LOL

We got all the pieces,HD just has to put it back togeather. The other thing in this picture is some rolls of barbed wire. I was tickled to get this, we can make barbed wire balls, like this ... :thumb:
 

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IMO, I used to think or thought Barb-wire tattoos was a symbol as being stubborn, tough, hard-headed, etc. For those who may have a barb wire tattoo has been thru thick and thin all their lives, whether it was good or bad... they think of it as being tough and stubborn and still standing.

Some people just think barbwire tattoos are cool and awesome because of the looks and the popularity of it.

think of it like thorns on a rose. what do people see with thorns on a rose? from what I've heard is the same as i explained about barb wire symbols. if you see thorns, how do you hold it? some people would just hold on to it and let it poke and bleed. that's another symbol of showing how tough they can be and have no fear.

like i said.. its my opinion and from what i've learned about it. my families are a very very strong tattoo freaks.
 
Reba said:
I don't personally know anyone with the tatoo; I've only seen pictures, or passersby with it. I have seen products in stores with the barbed wire pictures (like on T shirts). I was just wondering why it was popular, if it had some kind of cultural meaning.

I might be approaching senility but I don't want to be totally clueless! :dizzy:
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Well, you aren't being clueless. I have friends who think differently of barbed wire images. I asked around and here are the responses that I got...

"Oh yeah, Pamela Anderson had that in the movie Barb Wire!"

"I think it looks cool. It's even better if it looked like it was piercing the arm and bleeding."

"I dunno. I guess it makes you look tough?"

"Eww... Pamela Anderson got one. Why do I need one?"

"Barbed wire tattoo? I guess it would be good for people who want to go for the 'punk' look."
 
I noticed many gay and lesbians wear the barbed wire tattoo also if you have that type of tattoo then the cops will think you are a ex-convict and in addition to that, possibly a violent homosexual felon too.

My advice: Don't get the barbed wire tatoo unless you want many run-ins with homosexuals or run-ins with the police also people heavy into the drug trade have been seen with no shirt on wearing the barbed wire tattoo. This is usually not around the arm biceps and the durg dealers usually have a combination of barbed wire and steel chains across their tattooed chest or on their backs.
 
JohnnyE said:
I noticed many gay and lesbians wear the barbed wire tattoo also if you have that type of tattoo then the cops will think you are a ex-convict and in addition to that, possibly a violent homosexual felon too.

My advice: Don't get the barbed wire tatoo unless you want many run-ins with homosexuals or run-ins with the police also people heavy into the drug trade have been seen with no shirt on wearing the barbed wire tattoo. This is usually not around the arm biceps and the durg dealers usually have a combination of barbed wire and steel chains across their tattooed chest or on their backs.
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barbwire has nothing to do with sexual prefrence
 
Thanks to everyone for your responses. :P

Some very interesting viewpoints and ideas!
 
The barbed wire tattoo is gotten for 3 reasons only:

1) Coolness / fit in. Others have the barbed wire on their arm or leg or wherever, and thus it looks cool. It allows you to circle your arm or leg with a pattern, like a tribal marking.

2) Trying to say you're tough/badass/hardcore/insane. Movies have been done with villans wearing barbed wire or razor wire as part of their ensemble, giving a visual reference to just "how tough" they are. They like to be able to flex their arm or leg to make the tattoo look bigger or look like the arm is pressing against the wire. The blood or painful looking parts of it are the person's way of saying they think they're tough and probably could stand REAL barbed wire wrapped up against their skin.

3) It's cheap/easy/convenient to get that kind of tattoo. It's not a complicated pattern. There's not a lot of color. Someone could do it in a heartbeat. If you don't know any better, or don't care, a barbed wire tattoo is just as good as a real piece of body art.
 
I think Dennis and Levonian are pretty close to the things that I have read (I keep up on tat's for my own as well as gang related tats for work).

I asked a couple of tattoo artists I know about this (thanks for a great question Reba). The general consensus I got was that years ago, sailors (mainly merchant marines) would tattoo their life experiences on their arms. I believe this became somewhat of a trend in other walks of life and those in prison began doing something similar, including barbed wire. Over time, it became 'trendy' for others to get them and so it spread. Now, its often college students with them that have had served no time in prison. Its pretty much lost its image and is no longer associated with prison life, therefore has no general symbolism in today's society

Personally I find that barbed wire tattoos are kind of tacky. If you are going to take the time to get a tat, at least get some artwork or something meaningful to you.

It is kind of one of the issues that I have with tribal designs. I was fairly young when I got my first tribal tattoo, and have gotten a few more over the years. I'm working on a decent sized tribal tat right now (and some AD members will be helping me design it). The problem I have is that that tribal's have now become that trendy barbed wire. The design I'm working on is personal to me and is based off of my own roots. I won't go into a tattoo shop and pick a tribal design off of the wall.

I read somewhere that barbed wire tats started a very long time ago. Another source said it actually started in Russian prison camps and later spread to the rest of the world.
 
Taylor said:
If you are going to take the time to get a tat, at least get some artwork or something meaningful to you.
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I absolutely agree with you on that. Especially since it's SO permanment. Tattoos are not meant to be done on a whim. You should think about what you want for a long time, do a lot of research, talk to other people about it, etc.

You don't want to look at your tat a year later and be like "ah fuck...wish I didn't get it." You want to make sure that you will still like it even when you turn 80 years old.

I do want to have a tattoo, but I really want it to be something that is very meaningful and not tacky. That is why I am 25 and still do not have a tat yet. I have been wanting one for a long time.
 
LuciaDisturbed said:
......<snip>.......
You don't want to look at your tat a year later and be like "ah fuck...wish I didn't get it." You want to make sure that you will still like it even when you turn 80 years old.
..<snip>......
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Exactly! Plus by then it'll be all stretched out and stuff so you really gotta think ahead about "Will this still look alright when it's twice as long as it is now?"

:wiggle:

(sorry, couldn't help myself)
 
SimpleMan said:
Exactly! Plus by then it'll be all stretched out and stuff so you really gotta think ahead about "Will this still look alright when it's twice as long as it is now?"

:wiggle:

(sorry, couldn't help myself)
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Are you sure you're not talking about something between your legs? :whistle:
 
And I don't know why they gave Jesus to wear a barbed-wire crown on his last day? - what's for?
 
Opal said:
And I don't know why they gave Jesus to wear a barbed-wire crown on his last day? - what's for?
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That wasn't barbed wire. They didn't invent barbed wire until years later. Jesus had a thorn branch weaved into a crown for him.
 
VamPyroX said:
That wasn't barbed wire. They didn't invent barbed wire until years later. Jesus had a thorn branch weaved into a crown for him.
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Oh yes, of course it don't have a barbed wire in Jesus' time! Thank you for correct it, and umm, why are they forced him to wear one?
 
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