Tattoo News Review

Tattoo News Review

Well, they ain’t as sexy as the beauty contest that is the US elections, but the tattoo news headlines still got your kinder, gentler — and more artful — Drill, Baby, Drill down; although it’s unlikely your tattooed dermis will contribute to global warming, with the slants of some of the news items, you’d think ink spillin was as bad as Exxon Valdez.

Yes, even Brad Pitt has had to come to tattoo’s defense in asking the LA fire department to reconsider the recent policy on banning visible tattoos on firefighters.

Then Corporette.com threw down this poll on tattooed professional women, which I didn’t respond to because the question was limited and kinda dumb, but boy did others. In the poll results, 43% said “a professional woman could never have a visible tattoo.” Haters! The cries of low to middle management shine on the Internet. Yes, it’s better to cover your tattoos in the office — mainly to avoid the annoying questions of co-workers who call themselves “corporettes.”

Granted, tattoos can be distracting and clients may react negatively. All true. But these proclamations that one can never show a tattoo at all seem a bit silly. The small tattoo on my hand shows at the international law firms I work at  — firms that represent Fortune 500 companies and even countries. And no one says anything because I help make them lots of money. It’s good business sense. That said, because these prejudices still exist, tattooed professionals need to keep busting our asses even more so until the hating stops.

Oh, and the worse hatin of all came from my own Gawker in today’s post called Tattoo Edginess Declines In Inverse Proportion To Tattoo Popularity. Ok, tattoo chains in malls is not cool. I get it. But I guess if I want the above stereotypes against the tattooed to wane, we gotta take the good with the bad. The good: higher accountability for hygiene, health insurance and benefits for tattoo artists, and as one client in the video above put it: if the artist is great, it doesn’t really matter where the tattooing takes place. The bad:  impulse mistakes because of the instant accessibility, and yeah, loss of “edginess” and mystery surrounding the art.

Interestingly, to combat this loss of mystery and exclusivity that once surrounded tattooing, more “secret tattoo societies” are emerging with worldwide reach. And because they’re secret, I’m not saying any more except I’ve been approached to take an oath a couple of times and declined, but only because I have some secret plans of my own. A girl’s gotta have some mystery. [A few clues and hints will be dropped in my personal blog that will be published next month.]

In other news …

Not mysterious or edgy but smile worthy is this story of six grandmas getting friendship bond tattoos.

Tom Leppard, once the most tattooed man in the world until Lucky Diamond Rich took the title, has left the hermit life and entered a home for the aged in Scotland. Wikipedia notes that Leppard once said that “if he went back to civilization, he said he would be plagued by ‘interfering busybodies’ and kids throwing stones at his window.” Here’s hoping Tom finds quiet and shatter-proof panes in his new life.

I dig the most tattooed man title but not these dumb tattoo marathons for a world record. This idiocy needs to stop. It’s dangerous and only serves the artist’s ego no matter how many “causes” they purport to benefit. Artists who want to help a charity can easily donate a percentage of regularly scheduled tattoos instead of risking infection (never mind fuckin up design work) in fast action needlin.

Here was a better idea for a fundraiser: the Veterans of Foreign Wars held their first Patriot Tattoo Contest to raise money for the organization. [Thanks, Scott!]

Another tattoo event covered in the news is the Paradise Tattoo Gathering in Hancock, Mass, highlighting the event’s communicative atmosphere where artists shared techniques and stories in an effort to further the artistry of tattooing. Congrats, Gabe, on the Gathering’s success!

On the pop culture tip …

Check this post on io9.com called “Tattoos That Say ‘I’m A Futuristic Bad-Ass’”, which is all about sci-fi characters whose tattoos make them, well, bad-ass. Love the tattoo stills from films like Doctor Who, Escape from NY, and your more popular faves like Elektra and Wanted. [Thanks, Jenni!]

Peter Wentz says he can’t be President because of his tattoos. And all along I thought it was his connection to Ashley Simpson.

Kat Von D recently tattooed her beau Nikki Sixx of Motley Crew with a portrait of Mick Mars. And that’s all I’m saying about that.

Quick and Dirty Links:

• This dude has a midlife crisis and asks whether he should get “tatts.” Stick to a sports car, Jim.
• On Suicide Girls, Margaret Cho ponders her relationship with the Hitachi Wand.
• Does getting a tattoo hurt? Yes.
• Fayetteville ink: stories of North Carolina’s tattooed.
• Men shoot up “tattoo party”; scratcher “guns” were the least of the worries.
• Interesting story on man with tattoos from Lithuanian prison and his life change.
• Tattooed eyebrows for cancer patient who lost hair from chemo.

Visit the original post at: Needled