Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Tattoos

It is harder these days to find female models who don't have any tatoos. It's a pity, since the durn things are permanent.


31 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yeah! I also do agree with you! I also find tatto quite distracting on women. I am usually against permanent tattoos.

Hannah said...

What's wrong with tattoos?

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

In nude art, they distract from the beauty of the female form.

Cliff Prince said...

I find a small "tasteful" tattoo can be quite attractive. The problem with that theory is, that the definition of "tasteful" is different for each person. But since body shape is not as much of a choice (except for extremely devoted exercisers) and facial shape is not a choice hardly at all, the tattoo can be a more accurate indicator of a person's character than his or her other aspects of appearance.

To me, they don't always distract from the female form, but they can. Especially the trashy ones, which are just like neon signs across a lady's forehead emblazoning "abuse me! abuse me!"

Anonymous said...

They do distract. I'll admit to seeing some cute tasteful ones, but the whole permanent thing is kind of scary. Personally, I'm surprised less permanent body art such as henna hasn't caught on more. Come on ladies, you could even coordinate your skin art with your gown for the evening.;)
Like Final identity most tattoos I see on girls gives me the impression that they have less respect for their bodies.

Alex said...

With the prevalence of face painting amongst kids, at parties, zoos, amusement parks etc, I've got a feeling the next generation will see body painting as something other than saucy art or hippy shit.

Henna had a brief flurry here in the US a few years ago, and tribal tat's and Celtic braids became quite common as well.

Public exposure to body art helps too, remember those cocoa ad's in the UK around 94, and then the Sport Illustrated painted Swimsuit edn of a couple of years ago. Didn't Demi Moore get painted in formal dress back in the 90's too.

There is no longer the stigma of Pirate/Seadog, biker, Mr Dark, or "circus freak".

Body art has moved to a new arena, and we will see it evolve with enabling technology, superior decals, airbrush inks, henna and woad substitutes.

I can see merits of natural beauty, but then I can see how some adornment is nice too, but permanent?

Rebekah said...

Ew! Tattos are so gross! I'm never getting one! I've always been tempted, but it not worth it!

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

"Personally, I'm surprised less permanent body art such as henna hasn't caught on more."

Now you mention it.
(I don't know what Henna is.)

Yes, the permanence is the issue. After a few years of being in fashion, the lower back tattoo is now known as a "tramp stamp" here in the UK, apparently.

Alex said...

Henna is a dye, you apply it to the skin in paste form, and it soaks in, getting darker with time. It lasts a week or so. I seem to remember it is Indian, I read about it being used for body adornment, especially of a bride. It is often used on hands and feet. You should definitely do a Google image search.

Anonymous said...

I rather like tattoos, myself. Of course, tattoo design is entirely subjective, but things like anchors, hearts and the name of some girl/boy are big no-nos. I'd like to get one, if I could design something to suit me, and if I weren't afraid I'm allergic to tattoo inks...

Anonymous said...

I think that a small tattoo in a normally covered spot on the body could be kinda exciting and something shared with those you are intimate with. The poster board approach to tattooing is just too out there for me. But then, it's the differences that make life interesting eh?

Anonymous said...

"they distract from the beauty of the female form"

I would have to agree with you there. Thank God there's Turlington's Lower Back Tattoo Removal. It worked on Amy Poehler so why not the rest of the sex.

"The poster board approach to tattooing is just too out there for me."

I would understand it if they sold it as an advertisement space, but no such business sense it seems ...

Cliff Prince said...

I've often considered getting a tattoo. At least I know that MINE wouldn't distract from any beauty of a feminine form ... heh ...

I would get an ampersand (aka: &), perhaps from a black-letter font or perhaps from an ultra-modern one. I would put it in a heraldic shield, and the scrolled ribbon underneath would read "et cetera". I'd tell people it was my family crest. If I had extra room, I'd get a beast with six mouths rampant on one side, and couchant an owl wearing reading glasses on the other, and across the top some kind of leaves of the trufula tree.

Anonymous said...

Personally I dont like tattoos on women simply because they remind me of stickes I had when I was a kid.
The only tattoo I'd get would be on my big toe. "PLACE TAG HERE"
With some of the photos that I've shot I'll often draw elaborate tattoos on the people. I first did it just for fun, but other people asked for me to do that to their photos as well. All the fun of seeing yourself with a tattoo without any regret. I've done one henna attempt with it didnt turn out as good as I had wished.

Cristina Rodguez said...

I am a woman. I like tattoos. I have one. I love it. I don't have "abuse me" across my forehead. Where comes that notion from anyways? What about tattoed men, what are they screaming? "Abuse me" too, or "Abuser"?, I'm curious. I'm quite surprised about most of the comments. I won't take it too seriously though because you mostly seem to be speaking about a different issue: fashion, trends, hypes and the women who follow blindly like sheep.

Anyways, what I would like to point out is that if it's not permanent we are not talking tattoo. A tattoo is meant to last forever, it's an important part of their nature, and so it demands a certain maturity and a certain knowledge of self to be succesful. If it's not permament, call it what you want, body art, body make-up. A tattoo stays with you, for better for worse, and that's the point of it. In a similar way, and in my humble opinion, people who think "maybe a little one, on a covered spot" is obviously NOT READY for a tattoo and should ponder a little while longer if they really want to get tattoo or not, and decide what and where for the right reasons, not just to shy it away from the eyes of the rest.

Alex said...

In answer to Mary's comment. I have seen some good tattoos which will last a person their lifetime. But so often the ones I've encountered become things of regret later in life.

Tattoos of the youthful, impulsive type, are the kind that fail for me.

I can see how a professional photographer would want a plain canvas, his agenda is record a shape or form. It's like photographing a building for the architecture, billboards and graffiti detract from the innate beauty. However, sometimes it is the decay, or social impact you want to capture, and the graffiti helps.

Cliff Prince said...

In explanation of the "abuse me" comment about ghetto-style tattoos:

Imagine a poorly or "alternately" spelled male name, rendered in blotchy "prison" gothic letters, larger than three inches each, all upper-case, across an attractive young woman's lower back, spelling "Latrone's bitch" or "Wesslee owns this bootay."

Pascal [P-04referent] said...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henna
Come on, wasn't that, like, obvious?

Henna is mostly used in the Maghreb, to my knowledge. In Lebanon, some Bedouin tribes also adorn their hands. The general population essentially uses it as hair dye. Quite commonly too. Much prettier than disco primary colors à la punk...
I wonder... will the near future see temporary tattoos made with henna? I mean, like the existing ones, but it would remain IN the skin? I can picture buying a sticker to apply all night, remove in the morning, and leaving an longer-lasting adornment that doesn't rub off like decals. Much more natural and harmless than all that chemical stuff too, I reckon.
Health information on the label: "If you don't have G6PD deficiency or specific allergy, this skin art is harmless and will last you a good couple of weeks."

Regarding tattoos, I share your here consensus: it's superfluous to the body's beauty. (Those Maori warriors are quite impressive, though! HAKA! Ka-mate, ka-mate, ka-ure, ka-ure, HOOOOOO-WAH!)

I read once in a news report (about a sexual abuse trial) that a gypsy guy had a ladder tattooed on his manhood. To measure the scale of his performance??? His co-defendant had his all green.
Some people are weird.
On the plus side, since the alleged victim could make no previous mention of these very distinctive signs in her statements, the charges were dropped!

I once considered getting a joke tattoo: a realistic life-size mosquito, on my forearm or the back of my hand. But then I felt the idea of getting slapped by all helpful passersby for the rest of my life to be something of a deterrent...

Hey, Magnetic Mary, nice new tattoo... I mean, photo! (Freudian slip.) I think this one's your best to date, very fitting.
And I second your assessment: it's just that too many people just get their bodies scribbled on because it's trendy. Bah. There was a time when tattoos were sacred markings of traditional populations, not just some fad where taste is often left out. As you say, it demands a certain maturity. And this is a commodity which can't simply be bought at the shop round the corner.
How about showing/describing us your tattoo? Come on, if you do it I'll show you my mosquito. (Oops! I forgot: I don't HAVE a mosquito. ;-)

To launch this discussion in a further round of comments, other "body art" often leaves out taste as well. I mean, what's all the hype about getting holes in your skin and putting metal through them, sometimes whole rows?
The piercings of WWE he-man wrestler A-Train are just proof that it's all pretend stunts. The first thing I'd do in a ring and a SERIOUS fight would be to aim at that metal-bearing mouth of his and punch him into a lot of pain. Besides, it makes him look gay. Not exactly ideal for his job image.
I prefer a body whole to body holes.

Final,
Yes, tattoos that say "I wuz in a tuff prison" ain't no bettah dan dose spellin' "Abuse me" or "Abuser". Word life, yo!

Peace, bruthas an' sistahs. Keep cool, a'ight?

Anonymous said...

It is ridiculous that there's even such a thing as a trendy tattoo. To me it should be a very personal choice. I would think the imagery and words chosen would need to be something related to the core of the self, or something that will remain timeless and significant even if it is unrelated to who that person is. (Although obviously it will always say something about him, even if it's just in the past tense.)

I wouldn't mind getting certain quotes tattoed somewhere, such as
"The key to the mystery of a great artist is that for reasons unknown, he will give away his energies and his life just to make sure that one note follows another... and leaves us with the feeling that something is right in the world." (Leonard Bernstein) I've considered getting a picture of a multi-elemental phoenix rising from its own ashes put on my upper back with "Someday, after mastering winds, waves, tides and gravity, we shall harness the energy of love; and for the second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire." written below it. It's something that's deeply and personally symbolic, it's not something that would be tarnished by the passing of time. Even if I changed my mind on it later that's an image I could live with.

It shouldn't surprise any of us that people would get "tramp stamps" just because it's a cool thing to do. I love humanity and I hold the highest hopes for it but I have to acknowledge some of the things we do are just downright stupid, these being among the more tolerable stupidities since it only affects the world on an individual level. The interconnectedness of everything, even small coincidences, means it does have some impact, but I doubt it's half as harmful as our love for unprovoked violence or promiscuous sex. It does stem from the same cause: people willingly playing the role of sheep. You'll never have peace in a world where people refuse to take responsibility for themselves and use their gifts to their highest potential. If there's such a thing as an impossibility this is it. You can impose order upon sheeple, but that's not peace; it's a time bomb.

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

Blade, I recommend that for quotes of that length, you don't get a very large and complex font. :)

Anonymous said...

Sometimes I do wonder about the tattoos people get. At least the guys on Miami Ink won't do just anything, and on one occasion turned down someone's design because it was so butt ugly. It's the same as women named "Candy" or "Bambi" - what do you think of an 80-year-old grandmother with a stripper name*?

*Apologies to any Candys or Bambis out there! ;-)

Pascal [P-04referent] said...

"Tattoos"

Peaceful Blade,
Remember, you don't need a tattoo for well-thought quotes. There are inspirational T-shirts that'll do the trick and be much easier to read in big font. :-)
Your phoenix idea is very nice for a tattoo, though. The single downside would be that on your back only others could see how beautiful it is. I mean, see visually!

"It shouldn't surprise any of us that people would get "tramp stamps" just because it's a cool thing to do."

Hunh? Did anybody here express any surprise? :-(

Cristina Rodguez said...

Oh Pascal, Pascal... thank you. Regarding my tattoo, it used to be the banner of my blog but nowadays she's become a lot more private. It's basically a (funny comic like) girl with a gun, aprox. 12 cm. height in red and black, and she boldly sits on my chest next to my shoulder. I'm afraid Eolake would find it very distracting.
;-)
Quite a lot of possibilities though, to cover her up, let her shine, or shyly peek out of shirts. Mosquitoes and imposible quotes... you guys could find a home here: http://www.bmeink.com/geek001.html

A final note about "ghetto" tattoos with surreal gothic fonts... I get the point. Bad taste is just plain bad taste. Seen Melanie Griffith and her "Antonio" in a heart on her arm? Not exactly a ghetto girl but... what was she thinking? http://www.20minutos.es/data/img/2005/11/23/279988.jpg

Piercings are not my thing. My ears are pierced because in Spain (at least) if you are a girl it's pretty normal to have your ears pierced as soon as you are born. No trauma. And for sure, there are a lot of piercings out there that, honestly, make me grind my teeth. And the parents of teenagers are more permissive with piercieng than tattoos of course, so they spread like a plague.

Cristina Rodguez said...

The link for Melanie's looks like cut and you surely don't want to miss that one.

Anonymous said...

Hey Mary, we need to see a photo of the girl with a gun.

Meanwhile, others should check out the Finger moustache virus.

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

Beyond that, Mary, I'd like to see a few snapshots of you. From your recent post it seems like you're a pretty lady.

I'm not asking for nudes, obviously. I am adding that because most people out there have a poor understanding of what a "Dirty Old Man" is. They think we think about sex continually, and are continually undressing women in our minds. Not true, we just have a strong appreciation for beauty, in any form it comes.

Pascal [P-04referent] said...

Jinkies! Talk about geek tattoos indeed! "NINTENDO" logo all across one's forearm... I hope he's getting well paid by the N people for such advertising. :-P
Basically, hearts are tacky, and so are names. Even when the name is "Mom". I mean... D'UH!
And any other name will only say: "I'm sure today that it's for life, and yet I feel the insecure and syrupy need to underline it to the face of the world. And if, as it happens every day around me, this life story ends one day, I'll have such a merciless reminder embedded in my body that I may well be tempted by suicide just to erase it." Especially with celebrities couples, they're more fleeting than soap bubbles!

Ear piercings for women needn't even be mentioned, of course. I'm not too much for guy jewels (the only one I ever wear is my convenient wristwatch), but the subtlety of a tasy earrings pair on a woman has been commonplace for centuries. It's all cultural, of course. Like tattoos: on the Maori they're extremely prominent, and yet fitting. On a couch potato... eek!

Eolake said...
"From your recent post it seems like you're a pretty lady."


I second that, but I thought so since the beginning. I mean, between that name, your first avatar and the way you speak, quite obvious. Has the beauty of a confident personality written (tattooed?) all over it.

But nevertheless I think Eolake really just wants to be distracted. By your tattoo. ;-)
KIDDING! (Ow! Ouch! Easy with the rolling pin you guys, come on!)

Anonymous said...

I was just reminded of this video:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=XDS6UQpssSg

Anonymous said...

Stating that tattoos distract from the female form is your right, however, it is also your opinion. Most of the women that I know that have tattoos (some of them being models, some of them being your next door type girl), all agree that their tattoos compliment them, not detract from them.

You say they detract, and yet, I think, with the same pose, and the same woman, a tattoo or two, that is done quite well, makes them look even more divine and beautiful. For ultimately, a nude picture is not just there for you to go "Aww, look at the curves, look at the lighting! Amazing!" It is there for you to say, Wow! What an amazingly beautiful woman. Well defined, confident, sensual, beautiful. When looked at it from that stance, those who like tattoos (which are, I dare say, in the millions of peole) will say the photo is incredible.

Whether or not I made sense, I don't know. Basically, it is an opinion, rather than fact, that the tattoo detracts. Of course, I also don't believe in trendy tattoos, but tattoos that mean something to the person they are on.

Pascal [P-04referent] said...

I think you did make sense, Tattooed. Like most things, a tat can range from lovely to hideous. (Have you ever heard some Vogon poetry? Yeeesh!)

My own opinion, essentially, is that Nature's work is perfect enough not to need any "improvements".
Not that it is taboo to freely personalize, either. But if such is the case, tasteful is paramount.
The movie Peaceful Blade mentions in his latest post is quite eloquent, albeit more than a bit caricatural. :-)

I'm sure you understand why a photographer like Eolake would prefer his models didn't have tattoos. A nude woman sheds her daily identity along with her clothes to become a pure image of beauty, abstract and universal. Somehow, a tattoo is like a name tag that you can never lay aside. A chain linking to the specific.

A bit like you wouldn't go to church in your pajamas. There's nothing sinful about pajamas, but in that instance they would be out of place. :-)

Anonymous said...

Wow
I'm a woman with tats and my name is Candy.
Ya I know hehe.
First off the reason my father named me that is not because he wanted me compared to a stripper, did you ever stop to think that he might have chosen it for sentimental reasons? Like my mom only craved Candy when pregnant?
As for tattoos well everyone is intitled to their opinion about them, personally i've seen nasty ones and tasteful ones. To me it's art, some people like paintings, or pottery. My tattoos, like my name were chosen for sentimental reasons.