U.S. Corporal Stanley Suski, left, and Miss Tamako, a Geisha girl, whirl a bit of Jitterbug, in a bar, in Tokyo, Japan, on October 1, 1945. (Photo by AP Photo)
Tattoos are commonly used among criminals to show gang membership and record the wearer's personal history—such as his or her skills, specialties, accomplishments and convictions. They are also used as a means of personal expression. Certain designs have developed recognized coded meanings. The code systems can be quite complex and because of the nature of what they encode, the tattoo designs are not widely recognized.
Model Juliana Paesthe (C) of Viradouro samba school participates in the annual carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro's Sambadrome, February 15, 2015. (Photo by Ricardo Moraes/Reuters)
First graders attend a festive ceremony to mark the start of another school year in Slaviansk, September 1, 2014. September 1 marks the start of a new academic year for students in Ukraine. (Photo by Gleb Garanich/Reuters)
A participant poses backstage before a drag queen competition during carnival festivities in Las Palmas on the Spanish Canary Island of Gran Canaria February 20, 2015. (Photo by Borja Suarez/Reuters)
Participant Noa performs in a drag queen competition during carnival festivities in Las Palmas, on the Spanish Canary Island of Gran Canaria, February 27, 2017. (Photo by Borja Suarez/Reuters)
In this handout image provided by Carnival Australia, captain of the Queen Mary 2 Christopher Rynd poses on the desk of the Queen Mary 2 on February 8, 2012 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by James Morgan/Carnival Australia via Getty Images)