The Cultural History of Tattoos Even Ötzi was tattooed, but especially among the Polynesians, tattoos – the word itself comes from them – were an important element of their culture and religion. European sailors were the first to adopt it from them before it became fashionable in criminal circles. In the 19th century, men and women covered in tattoos were still attractions at fairs, but today tattoos are a mass phenomenon. Nothing exemplifies this better than the art project of a British artist in 2014 that completely backfired: she had created an advertisement for a fictional children's tattoo studio to protest against the sexualization of children – and found herself overwhelmed with requests.