Women have long been subject to many stereotypes and taboos, especially when it comes to defining what is feminine.
By embellishing the beauty of her skin, a woman with a tattoo has a unique forum not only for inciting discussion about her femininity but also to express her beliefs and specific memories that helped form the inked designs. In terms of tattooing, it seems many women are challenging gender prejudices one image at a time.
But it isn’t …
Tattoos used to be symbols of rebellion and radical means to promote individuality, and while those things still hold true today, it is obvious that the tattoo industry has drastically changed.
The reality show craze of the past five years has sparked a movement within a movement – reality shows centered on tattooing. Our two favorite tattoo reality shows, and TV’s most popular, are TLC’s Miami Ink and the spin-off LA Ink.
While many shows on TV …
In the sea of tattoo enthusiasts, only a few have the guts to choose a gun tattoo design.
When opting for body ink, there are thousands of tattoo designs to choose from and a variety of body areas to consider. For the new, innocent or naïve collector, easy choices are flower tattoo designs, tribal and Celtic designs, crosses, and the oh-so-common skulls. Once you pick your poison, you must then embark on the decision of body …
These days, everyone and their mother is getting tattooed. From high school dropouts to yuppyrific Ivy Leaguers, tattoos have become somewhat of a mainstream social accessory.
Largely due to this surge in skin-art, the overall criticism of tattoos in general has shifted to the categorization and often stereotypical judgment surrounding the placement of a tattoo. It’s not just about getting a tattoo anymore, but rather where you put it.
It has been said that the placement …
Outgrowing a tattoo: When your body art no longer fits your skin.
“That’s gonna look hot,” my girlfriend smiled as she sat with me in a San Diego tattoo parlor.
Devon, my tattoo artist, lifted the spirit paper that transferred a black tribal tattoo outlining my belly button. “Just lay back.”
I felt some mild stinging as the vibrating needle shaded ink around my inner navel, but it was over pretty quickly, and when I walked out …
A new age is upon us and it’s a permanent one. While cultures around the world have endorsed the use of the female body as a canvas for centuries, only in the last decade has Hollywood begun to see a very literal unveiling of both new and old ink.
Celebrity female tattoos continue to make their premier on the ankles and inner-arms of the red carpet today. But, if mainstream media culture is ready to see skin, …
Ah the Suicide Girls… everyone’s favorite pale-skinned, dark-haired, inked-up illicit Internet vixens. Over the years they’ve come to capture our hearts and our hands, giving the proverbial middle finger to traditional notions of beauty and proving to the world that alternative can indeed be attractive.
What began as a veritable playground for a handful of girls and women who would otherwise be shunned by the more conventional-minded, has essentially blossomed into a worldwide phenomenon. Live shows and DVDs represent …
Extreme celebrity tattoos: when celebrities are upstaged by their own body art.
Once a mark of hell-raising artists who undoubtedly enjoyed the finger it raised to convention, e.g. Janis Joplin and Lenny Bruce, respectively, celebrity tattoos are now a seemingly mandated, integral measurement of the “it” factor, much like pocket-sized dogs and monthly trips to rehab.
More than an expression of attitude and style, entertainers today are brandishing tattoos as a vehicle to front their beliefs-similar to that of a human …
“Old Habits Die Hard” – A lesson in tattoo regrets from our favorite Hollywood stars.
We idolize their perfect hair, those rockin’ bods, and their hot arm candy, yet one dirty secret of Hollywood celebrities leaves little to be admired: tattoos gone seriously wrong.
Tattoos have officially painted their way into mainstream culture with shows such as TLC’s Miami Ink and LA Ink and A&E’s Inked which showcase the lives of tattoo artists and their often-celebrity clientèle. What team …
Tat(who?) — The infiltration and absorption of body ink amongst SoCal socialites.
Everyone has them. Hell, even my own mother’s gotten inked twice in the past two years, and she doesn’t even own a cell phone. Point being, tattoos have rapidly ascended the social ladder from taboo to typical, and nary a scantily clad male or female crosses one’s path these days without some form of body art adorning their frame.
Of course, whether said décor is appealing to …
