Tattoos: They Are Forever Yours

By Kendra Bobowick

Tattoo: a marking made by inserting indelible ink into the skin to change the pigment for decorative or other reasons.

“It’s meant to be rebellious and different,” said Hat City Tattoo artist and shop owner Chris Tavino. Although the inked body art has become more mainstream, “some people will always think it’s appalling and horrible.” But those inclined to color their flesh like a canvas and sink permanent markings into their skin like the look. Although many tattoos reflect names, dates, children, or loved ones’ memories, Mr Tavino said, “There is not as much emotional attachment as you would think.” A “handful” of customers want tattoos representing special moments, but many seek simply the aesthetic value they find in the vibrant ink.

“Someone with one or two tattoos — they could be emotional or have a significant value, but if a person is covered, they get them because they like it,” he said.

Yin Yang

“A tattoo is a little out on the edge, it’s a risk, but a safe risk,” said Tracy Van Buskirk. As if twining around itself and trying to swallow its own tail, Ms Van Buskirk’s yin yang tattoo — the size of a quarter — makes a black and white whorl on the bottom of her foot. Everyday she dresses, slips the tattoo into her shoe, and marches into her third-floor office at nearby bank.

Popping off her shoe and turning her foot upward, she showed off the faded marking. “It was a really long time ago,” she said. She got her tattoo in 1981, “before it was trendy. When only drunken sailors got them!”

During a visit with her father in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., she met her father’s neighbor Tats, the tattoo artist. “Dad offered to buy me a tattoo,” she said. Once the idea was in mind, she said, “It was kind of sitting-around-the-kitchen talk — what did I want?”

Ms Van Buskirk loves Asian art, has been to China, speaks Chinese, and “loves all things Asian,” she said. She decided to get a yin yang tattoo, a symbol representing the world in balance: man and woman, sun and moon, she said. “In light there is a little darkness and in the dark there is a little light.”

The yin yang is a double-sided swirl like two teardrops wrapped together, one dark, one light, and each carries a spot of the other in the center. She then had to consider where to place this tattoo.

She recalls, “I was young … I worked at a bank at the time in New York, so I needed something unobtrusive — so, the bottom of my foot!”

She had to consider whether she would ever become tired of it, she considered dress policies at work, and “what I would look like in a dress.”

Ms Van Buskirk had “thought hard” about her tattoo. “There are a lot of things in life that you can’t go back on, and a tattoo is symbolic of that.” She said, “I enjoyed that is was different and I liked doing something outside the regular box.” With a job at a conservative bank, she said, “This was a little rebellious.”

Tattoos are becoming less of a rarity, she believes. “The shock value has diminished. Once you’d see a tattoo and point and whisper, but now it’s not unusual.” Ms Van Buskirk is also aware that “people judge on looks all the time.” Today, tattoos are accepted, “But the pendulum will swing the other way and no tattoos will be beautiful. Standards will change.”

Advice

New clients with an idea of what they want “need to come to me with imagery,” said Mr Tavino. “It’s hard for an artist to see into your head.” Show the artists examples of things you want, he said. “We go from there and turn it into a tattoo.”

Regarding names, he advises, “Your own name, don’t do it. Names are only good if it’s for parents or children. Parents will always be your parents, children always be your children.” Girlfriends, boyfriends, and even spouses can change, he explained. For someone without tattoos, or with just a few, he said, “It’s about placement.” For a client who is “covered,” he said, “they know what they are getting into.”

He will tattoo prominent places like the hands, neck, or face. But, he warns, “Hand and neck tattoos are called job stoppers for a reason.” Any job requires that a person prove their ability, and “if a person is worth it, they’re worth it, but tattooing hasn’t come around to the point where you can walk into a bank at 19 and be taken seriously for a teller’s position with tattoos on your neck and hands,” he said, not that he agrees with the judgment. “Tattooing is becoming more acceptable, but it’s not there yet.”

But perceptions are changing, he thinks. “Tattoos are not just for bikers and sailors and criminals.”

Like Ms Van Buskirk’s hidden symbol, tattoos can be a little bit of rebelliousness balanced with responsibility.

Brief history

According to information found at various sources, including Designboom.com, North American tattoos began with native Americans. Warriors were recognized by their tattoos. Tattoos reflected high status. Women’s chins indicated marital status. The first tattoo shop was established in New York City in 1846 and began a tradition by tattooing soldiers on either side of the Civil War. Tattoos were originally done by tapping with handheld instruments. The first electric tattoo machine came in 1891.

Sailors often returned home with tattoos, and criminals or gang members showed total commitment through tattoos. Circuses were also notable for their tattooed attractions. Today’s tattoos have grown to become a fashion or trend.

The Bee will be telling more personal tattoo stories when we find them.