What’s your favorite bumper sticker? Mine is “TV is Gooder than Books.” I love to laugh at bumper stickers, but more often than not people want to make serious political statements or announce their affiliations. I wonder why they do this. Has anyone ever changed their position or gotten religion after reading a bumper sticker?
Tattoos are like bumper stickers. Some people even wear them on their body’s “bumper.” And like bumper stickers, I’m not sure I understand the need to pronounce your ideas to the world at large. But this is the live-in-public generation.
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| What are you trying to say? Photo: 43things.com |
Tattoos used to be for sailors, bikers, convicts and maybe shamans. Now they are for everyone. In fact, estimates put tattoos on 17% of Americans. Why the surge in tattoo popularity? I’m pretty sure that one out of every five people are not shamans or sailors. Whyfiles.org tells me that most people get tattoos to express something unique about themselves. Tattoos change you into the couture version of human—there’s only one of you. Even if one of every five people has a tattoo, they don’t have your tattoo (unless you picked your tattoo out of that big book the last time you were drunk in Cabo.) The trend is towards custom design...preferably an image that is meaningful or marks an event or life passage, like dating a girl named Marilyn, or finding a deer jaw.
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| The message is "I love my creepy looking baby." Photo: bodypainting.blogspot.com |
Tattooing, when not excessive, is perfectly healthy and sometimes even interesting. Frederick-Recascino recently performed the very first study that found tattoos are not associated with personality disorders. (Previous studies showed a significant number of psychopathic and criminal behaviors associated with tattooed individuals.) I suspect that this study is more than an aberrant finding. It’s likely that tattooing is simply becoming more popular among mainstream people of every type. Of course the irony is that the more people get tattoos to express their uniqueness, the more ordinary tattoos become.
It’s easy to get a tattoo. It’s harder to get a good tattoo. Consider that a tattoo is a series of tiny puncture wounds that are injected with ink. In order to be permanent, the ink has to be injected about 1/8th inch into your dermis, the second layer of skin. If the tattoo is too shallow it will look uneven and ragged, but if it is too deep it will be quite painful and bloody. If you get an inexperienced artist or the wrong design you will be wearing your mistake for a long time.
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| Never doze off while getting a tattoo. Photo: 5magazine.wordpress.com |
If you still must have a tattoo, then go forth and get inked. But before you let an ex- con or your art school roommate have at your “bumper” with an electric toothbrush and a guitar string, consider that a dirty tattoo can transmit HIV, Hepatitis B and C. In fact, the Journal of Medicine (March 2000) found tattoos were the most common way of contracting Hepatitis C, and most blood banks make you wait a year after tattooing before giving blood. It’s important to make sure the tattoo parlor is safe and clean. Here’s what to look for:
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| I said Tinky Winky, not LaaLaa! Photo: best-tattoo.gnug.us |
Tattoo artists should be licensed practitioners. They should be happy to provide references. Real live tattooed people, not just pictures.
An autoclave, the device used to sterilize needles and equipment, should be present in the shop. A match, a bottle of rubbing alcohol or Dawn dishwashing detergent does not count.
If the artist is using single-use needles for his outline, you should listen for the rip of a newly opened package.
New ink vials should be used for each customer.
The tattoo artist should wash his hands, and the area that is to be tattooed. He should wear gloves.
Finished tattoos should be cleaned and bandaged. Avoid the urge to display your new ink for 24 hours while your skin heals.
Even if you go to Mr. Clean himself, your tattoo can get infected. If it is oozing, red or swollen for an extended time see your doctor. You may be allergic.
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| There are ways to make a bad tattoo less noticeable. Photo: rogetatoodesign.blogspot.com If you get tired of your “bumper” sticker, break up with Marilyn or if your rose tattoo becomes a rose vine tattoo with age than you’ll want to read my next installment: Removing Tattoos. Until then, enjoy living out loud and in public. |
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| Old age homes are a'changin... Photo: 5magazine.wordpress.com |
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| The end. Photo: choppertattoo.com |
