A man holds his umbrella during snowfall on the Areopagitou pedestrian street beneath the Acropolis hill during snowfall in Athens, Greece, January 10, 2017. (Photo by Alkis Konstantinidis/Reuters)
Cast member Shu Qi poses during a photocall for the film “The Assassin” (Nie yin niang) in competition at the 68th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, May 21, 2015. (Photo by Eric Gaillard/Reuters)
Penitent Jerry Mazon, 9, wears his “Morions” mask while playing with his baby brother during Holy Week celebrations in Mogpog, Marinduque in central Philippines March 22, 2016. (Photo by Erik De Castro/Reuters)
Festival goers arrive for the Glastonbury festival at Worthy Farm, in Somerset, England, Thursday, June 23, 2016. (Photo by Guy Bell/Rex Features/Shutterstock)
A fighter of Libyan forces allied with the U.N.-backed government runs for cover during a battle with Islamic State fighters in Sirte, Libya, July 31, 2016. (Photo by Goran Tomasevic/Reuters)
Participants run through the streets of the Back Bay during the 16th annual Santa Speedo Run in Boston, Massachusetts, December 12, 2015. (Photo by Brian Snyder/Reuters)
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.