Tattoos and Venus de Milo (Aphrodite of Milos)

Had an interesting discussion with a colleague recently and he mentioned how movies and television shows used tattoos to identify villains, particularly in those with detective themes.

This reminded me that in the 1980s, Chinese movies often utilize a plaster statue of Venus de Milo (Aphrodite of Milos) as a cue to identify elements or characters considered decadent, subversive and counterrevolutionary, most often in spy and political themed movies.  Coffee was such symbol as well.

1980s was a time when "Chinese Taliban" ruled streets and they shaved off peoples' hair, cut open people's trousers, if they deemed the hairdo was too outrageous, the pants were too narrow or too wide.  Anything immodest was not acceptable.

Though sometimes, stereotype does point at a common trend, often, it is simply stereotype.  Nothing more.