Inked

Tattoos, ‘tats’, ‘inkings’, body art; whatever you want to call them, are inescapable now. Ten years ago, if a woman adorned herself with aplomb, the public feeling was that she was probably going to die of a drug overdose with her biker boyfriend after a bank heist, and was just marking her skin to make herself easier to identify. Thankfully, times are changing and there has been a massive uptake of this ancient practice.

I have three tattoos. By the end of the year it will be four with plans for more. I also have 5 A* A Levels, I am studying for a law degree and I have held a variety of responsible jobs. I don’t fit the image which permeates of a propensity amongst the criminal, the masculine or the drunk. Neither of my tattoos are Chinese writing, a skull with a dagger nor are they just above my backside, though I don’t want to denigrate those who do wish to put those things on themselves. Even the clichéd things can be improved by a good artist, as with tattooing, perhaps even more so than other things, you really do get what you pay for. I’m always interested in the stories other people have about their ink and hearing compliments on a tattoo you’ve thought about and designed yourself is better than any other kind of compliment, because of the intensity of the ink’s acquisition and its permanence.

The fact is that due to the last decade’s social media explosion, it is now possible for my fellow inklings to compare art online, to capture and share photos of celebrities who share  penchants, to design with the aid of strangers, for artists to showcase their work and for people to review and recommend artists. In turn, this has gone a long way towards making not just tattoos but extensive and sizeable tattoos socially acceptable and popular. We’ve also seen a change in the kinds of people having tattoos. Samantha Cameron, the wife of David Cameron, has a tattoo near her ankle, a far cry from the hellraisers you might’ve associated with tattoos ten years ago. Rock stars of 20 years ago may have had one on their upper arm whereas women with full sleeve tattoos are not uncommon now, along with fashions for tattoos shifting in placement.

Neck and hand tattoos are the latest craze-see models like Cara De Levigne for inspiration- which is interesting as the “pain map” of tattoos describes areas of the body with less tissue as the most painful areas. Speaking as someone with both feet covered and the back of an ear, I can say it wasn’t like being soothed with a kitten. But at the same time, the sensation of tattooing, which I liken to someone drawing scratchy sunburn onto you, is one which you come to value.

I am not a masochist. I am rubbish with pain as I bruise like a peach and have to sing and look away when I give blood (which I still do regularly, by the way- not liking needles is a pathetic excuse.) When I say I value, I mean that one feels ultimately rewarded at the end of the process with something that is personal and lasting. Through tattooing, one takes ownership of one’s body by modifying it from its original state and adding something beautiful to it. I imagine it is similar to someone who has honed their body through hours in the gym in that they had taken their old body and have created a new one. As a celebration of autonomy, tattooing is perfect.

Now, when friends tell me they’re having a tattoo for the first time, I can hear a voice in the back of my head saying “but not for the last time!”