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Full Coverage: Links From All Over (Oct. 17, 2008)

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No.

[Union Leader] The last time we checked in with Meghan McCain, the spunky daughter of the Republican presidential nominee, she was overheard mentioning that she wanted a new tattoo, but that she would wait until her father’s campaign for president was over. Thoughtful! But now the truth comes out — she’s waiting until after the election because she has issued an ultimatum to YOU, the voter!

If Sen. John McCain wins the presidency in a little more than three weeks, his daughter said she’ll tattoo “Live Free or Die” somewhere on her body.

Of course, he would have to win in New Hampshire, too, said Meghan McCain, who was in Nashua yesterday thanking volunteers at the McCain-Palin campaign office.

The tattoo, which would probably go on her wrist, would be her way of commemorating her father’s run for the presidency, she said. It was in New Hampshire that McCain revived his faltering presidential bid during the presidential primary in January.

“New Hampshire is so important to me and my family,” she said.

Earlier, McCain told a supporter that she would be “extremely depressed” if her dad loses in New Hampshire.

Sold. It’s up to you now, heroes: If you don’t vote McCain (especially you New Hampshire pinkos), you may as well say that you hate tattoos and that you don’t think anyone (ESPECIALLY FREE-SPIRITED YOUNG WOMEN, YOU SEXISTS) should suffer the indignity of getting one. The choice is yours.

[Macy Survey Site] Are you a man? Do you have a genital piercing? Do you love surveys? Well hot holy damn, are you ever in luck. Elayne Angel sends in this online survey being conducted by body art researcher Myrna Armstrong: http://www.macysurveysite.com/gpsurveys.htm. Armstrong has been publishing body modification-related articles in medical journals for a few years now and, says Elayne: “I believe she’s more interested in the information than in making judgments.”

[Chicago Sun Times] Ha ha, now this is a clever scam. North Sider Marcos Paiz posted a Craigslist ad offering Chicago-area tattoo artists a once in a lifetime deal: To tattoo him — get this — for free! Wait, wait, if you’re still reading this and haven’t rushed out the door to find this brave human canvas, here are the details:

“Essentially, I would really love to have my whole torso covered in tattoos,” said Paiz, a 29-year-old flight attendant from Lake View. “I think it would be good to have free art work.”

[…] He’s thinking some “greenery and flowers” down his back would be nice. But he’s open to an artist’s ideas — as long as they don’t include swastikas, Satanic symbols or “something totally crazy.”

And free would be nice, he figures.

The article then quotes Nick Colella, the owner of Chicago Tattoo Company, who gives some claptrap about this being a “disturbing trend fueling the rise of in-home and back-alley tattoo operations” and that the people who think this sort of thing is acceptable probably don’t know the first thing about sterilization or blood-borne pathogens and that you should “pay” for “high-quality work,” but get real. Paiz is a visionary, and God knows he’s got some valuable lessons to pass on. So with this in mind, I’m just throwing it out there, but if there are any chefs who would like to cook me a gourmet meal in exchange for the satisfaction of knowing you have bettered yourself and improved your craft, please e-mail me as soon as possible. It’s almost dinner time.

UPDATE: Brain Piercings, Face-Tattoo Hoaxes and a New Article

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Ha ha, remember that brain piercing story from the other day that seemed more than a little far-fetched and which Ferg‘s medical connection thoroughly debunked? Well, Master Piercer Elayne Angel (and wife of Buck Angel) wrote in to offer her own input (it’s bogus!), including a link to this site — it’s written in Portuguese (and the translation is mostly just a reiteration of initial blog post on the subject), but it includes this abjectly terrifying Photoshoppery:

Photo source: Vida Universitaria

Guhhh. I hate the Internet.

In other news, astute reader Lynette writes in to touch on the plight of our friends Bambang and Nanang, the victims of a practical joke that led to them tattooing their faces. Lynette … is not sympathetic:

I know S.E. Asia’s culture and politics well (my extended family are from Malaysia which is next door to Indonesia) and [to be honest] don’t feel in the slightest bit sorry for them …

Putting aside the beliefs in mystics/ghosts/spirits (something which exists mostly in rural areas of these nations, the urban areas are more high tech than the UK!), these scum were applying for “jobs” that would have involved spying on their own people and reporting back to the Indonesian security forces.

This could easily result in the village being stormed by cops/soldiers on “suspicion” of drug dealing/smuggling etc. When this happens, it isn’t like the politically correct West where people are [released] on bail and the worst what may happen is they get evicted or ASBOs. When the village is stormed, the menfolk (other than the spies/grass) are separated and executed (if they are lucky they are just shot, if not they are tortured), the women are used for the sex industry/forced breeding (i.e. rape) and the children are sold to rich families and the money taken by the government/soldiers.

Then the houses are bulldozed or lit on fire and the area cleared for logging or palm oil plantations (the government/soldiers’/cops’ families get the building jobs, etc.). This happens all across S.E. Asia and is rarely reported other than by activist groups and is covered up by the West, as it’s how we get our cheap furniture and “green” biodiesel.

This wasn’t a joke: it was a way of weeding out grasses/untrustworthy scum, and to deter people from taking these “jobs.”

Yowza. I can’t personally confirm these allegations, but that’s pretty damning if true. Anybody else from the Indonesia/Malaysia area that can back this up?

And lastly, we’ve just put up the latest of dreamy Paul King’s piercing history articles — this time, it’s labrets and lip piercings! Clicky below for the piece:

Labrets and Lip Piercings

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(Editor’s note: This article was first published in The Point, the publication of the Association of Professional Piercers. Since part of BME’s mandate is to create as comprehensive and well rounded an archive of body modification as possible, we feel these are important additions.

Paul King, the article’s author, has given BME permission to publish a series of articles he wrote for The Point that explore the anthropological history behind many modern piercings. This is another in that series.)

Current Western piercing culture has defined the centered piercing just under the lower lip as a labret, though historically, anthropologists have referred to piercings anywhere around the mouth and cheek as labrets. For the sake of this article, consider piercings currently referred to as Monroe, Beauty Mark, Madonna, Philtrum, cheek and side lip as falling into the category of labret.

Fellow piercing geeks will enjoy knowing that contrary to popular urban myth, “labret” is not a French word. It is actually English, derived from Latin and created sometime in the nineteenth century.1 The “t” is to be pronounced, not silent. Labret (\La’ bret\) is formed by the compounding of the Latin word labrium, meaning “lip,”2 and –et, meaning “small” or “something worn on.”3 There is even an archaic form of the word, “labretifery,” which means, “the practice of wearing labrets.”4 How fancy is that? (OK, I’m a geek.)

After the 2003 APP conference in Amsterdam, I traveled to Berlin to visit the Babylonian exhibit at the famous Pergamon Museum. While wandering the halls of the Mesopotamian exhibits I stumbled across a stele from 671 B.C.E. of King Esahaddon of Assyria. The (approximately) six-foot-tall stone monument was excavated from the citadel of Sam ‘al Zinjirli. The carving depicts the king holding two ropes in his left hand that attach to rings in two prisoners’ lips. This is not my interpretation, but the museum curator’s description, listed on the artifact.

The book Marks of Civilization5 contains perhaps the best collective information on North American labrets. The wearing of labrets was widely practiced by the Eskimos and Aleuts of Alaska in prehistoric and early post-contact eras, yet disappeared within three generations due to intense efforts on the part of Christian missionaries. One essay lists the largest labret found measuring 11.9 cm and weighing seven ounces. The first European record reporting the Aleut labret dates back to 1741, though we know Russian fur traders had contact before that. The practice of wearing labrets varied all over Unalaska. In some areas only boys would get their lips pierced, while in others only girls. In some regions the custom was to pierce infants, while others were pierced at puberty. The reasons varied as well. For a boy it could be part of his induction into manhood, for a girl, part of her coming of marrying age, and for some tribes as part of the marriage ceremonies. Most of the indigenous people believed in animal reincarnation; this sympathetic association was revealed by the wearing of a whale-tail shaped labret or paired lateral labrets imitating a walrus’s tusks.

In South America only the boys of the Suya tribe have their lips pierced, and the lip plugs are painted red for confidence in speech, war, ideas, and so on. Both the boys and girls get their ears pierced once they reach adolescence. They are then expected to “listen” and act like adults, etc. The plugs are painted white for passivity and good listening.

Kichepo and Surma women of Southeastern Sudan in Africa have the largest lip piercings in the world; the elder, more respected women will sometimes have their lips stretched over ten inches in diameter! Some myths say it is to imitate birds, while other stories say it’s to eat less, and thus be less of a burden, or to gossip less, or possibly to be made less attractive to other tribes and slave traders to help prevent kidnapping.

In pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, the indigenous people would adorn their lips with expertly worked pieces of obsidian, semiprecious stone and gold. These lip piercings held great significance of both religious and social status and were considered objects of great beauty. The APP’s International Liaison, Alicia Cardenas [Ed. note: Alicia is no longer in this position] will be writing an article of greater depth into Mesoamerican lip piercing, including whether or not the Olmec — from 1100 B.C.E. to 200 C.E., the oldest known Mesoamerican advanced civilization — practiced lip piercing. If they did, the Olmec would be the oldest known people to engage in labretifery!


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1 Collin’s English Dictionary, 2000.
2 Webster’s Dictionary, 1913.
3 American Heritage Dictionary 4th edition, 2000.
4 www.quinion.com
5 Marks of Civilization, Edited by Arnold Rubin, University of California, Los Angeles, 1992. ISBN 0-930741-12-9, Essays of interest: Labrets and Tattooing in Native Alaska by Joy Gritton and Women, Marriage, Mouths and Feasting: The Symbolism of Tlingit Labrets by Aldona Jonaitis.

My usual disclaimer: I am not an anthropologist. From time to time, there will be errors. Please be understanding and forth coming if you have any information you would like to share.

* * *

Please consider buying a membership to BME so we can continue bringing you articles like this one.



Fuel Girls or why I love my job.

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Lately I’ve been waking up, wiping the sleep from my eyes and sitting down at my computer for another 14 hour day in front of the Internet. The one main benefit is that I never know when I’m going to get a lovely surprise, like naked photos of heavily tattooed women who in my mind, are just waiting for the go ahead before they make their way to my place. When I first got this email, I completely skipped the text and went straight for the photos.

While I’ve never heard of The Fuel Girls, I certainly didn’t have a problem with them sending me their photos.

Fuel Girls

I remember the days when the only fire breathing, milk bathing, scantily clad and heavily tattooed woman making waves was Masuimi Max. These days it seems like anyone can take off their clothes, breathe a little fire and shake their ass next to a heavy metal band and top it off with their own TV show. At least they look good doing it. The Fuel Girls will be touring with Motörhead so check the tour dates to see them live!

PLAYBOY TV TURNS UP THE HEAT WITH THE PREMIERE OF FUEL GIRLS!

New Series Will Ignite Playboy TV with Hot Girls and High-Octane Stunts

DATE – Playboy TV announced today the programming is getting even hotter with the premier of the new series Fuel Girls. The new series captures the wild action from the Fuel Girls worldwide tour that mixes the most volatile combination of guys’ favourite gas-powered toys with heavy metal music and some of the hottest, sexiest girls in the world.

The Fuel Girls are a kick ass, ultra-sexy, fire breathing, rock and roll dance and stunt troupe famous for their sex appeal, bad behaviour and love of all things motorised. They perform all over the world with a passion for FMX shows, rock festivals, motor shows, rallies and wild parties.

“Fuel Girls has everything to keep guys wanting more – fire-spitting, motorbikes, masses of sex appeal and some of the hottest women in the world,” said Richard Gale, Marketing Director, Playboy TV. “We are always looking to excite our viewers with the sexiest programming available and once we saw what the Fuel Girls can do on tour, and knew our viewers would want to take part in all of the action.”

“This season of Fuel Girls on Playboy TV will include some of the most exciting stops from their last worldwide adventure including the infamous Gumball Rally where they travel through Hollywood in “KITT” with David Hasslehoff from the television show “Night Rider” and a visit to the Hellfest rock festival complete with an onstage appearance with heavy metal band, Motorhead.”

The series covers the Fuel Girls worldwide tour that has taken them everywhere imaginable, from glamorous nightclubs in the South of France, to rock festivals across Europe, car shows in Puerto Rico and fire shows in LasVegas. Playboy TV viewers can now see all of the Fuel Girls’ wild adventures backstage, in their hotel rooms and behind the scenes at their sexy photo shoots.

Fuel Girls airs on Playboy TV every Friday in October and every Sunday in November – Fuel Girls at 10:30 pm and Fuel Girls Uncut at 11:00 pm. Available on Sky 900 and Virgin 475.

For more information visit PlayboyTV

Full Coverage: Links From All Over (Oct. 14, 2008)

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[Tattooique.com] So, approximately 9,000 people have sent this to me over the last couple of weeks and, even now, I can’t tell whether the original author is legit in his assurance of the efficacy of his plan:

So they will cut you hair first, then bore in your scull two tiny foramens with a drill, then drag the ring through them with the bent needle. The foramens will be done on your nucha – there is an especially sensitive range of a brain. The ring will easily massage it and keep you in the state of euphoria. The only problem you can face is that you will have to try hard to find a piercer. There are very few persons capable. And the price is $1000 for the whole procedure.

Hot damn! Where do I sign up? Really though, this seems like the sort of thing my uncle would send in an e-mail. (“Hey, I’ve got a piercing for ya — right through the brain!” Nyuk nyuk nyuk.) Luckily, the ever-industrious Ferg spoke to a doctor friend of his, and came back with the following results:

I have to say that the anatomical descriptions and descriptions of the procedure are vague and weird. Whoever wrote it would certainly not have my vote of confidence. This is what a nuchal line is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuchal_lines

As you might have imagined already, the risk of haemorrhage and death are ridiculously high as well as that of contracting meningitis (inflammation of the membranes around the brain): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meninges

There are three membranes that surround the brain. One is closely attached to the skull itself (the dura), the second – the arachnoid – is full of blood vessels and holds in the cerebrospinal fluid, then the third, the pia mater, is what’s adherent to the brain itself.

Should one accidentally rip through the membranes, then CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) would leak out and the patient would die within minutes, or, should one rupture a blood vessel accidentally, then the piercee would either haemorrhage out (to death?) or into their skull, thus compressing the brain and resulting in coma, death, seizures, etc., etc.

I would have thought that foreign bodies rubbing directly on the brain would cause irritation and thus neurological deficits as well as seizures. (Are seizures pleasant?) Anyway, I’m no specialist and I’m sure it’s totally possible to do and survive. Whether their claims are true (euphoria?) needs to be substantiated.

Well, there you have it. Maybe it’ll work and maybe it won’t, but … please don’t try to pierce your brain.

[Toronto Star, Niagara Falls Review, Guelph Mercury] There’s a lot to lose for a tattoo/piercing shop owner who doesn’t abide by the regulations outlined by the local board of health. Fines and closures are the obvious disciplinary measures, but standard operating practice in most places also includes the health board itself disseminating information to the shop’s customers, warning them to undergo blood tests, often for HIV and hepatitis. The damage to one’s reputation for actions ranging from poor bookkeeping of spore tests to actually using dirty instruments can be devastating — and for some reason, Southern Ontario has been seeing a lot of these cases lately. Last summer, Oshawa’s Longhorn Custom Bodyart Studio was the subject of a $10 million class-action lawsuit filed by former customers who had been alerted of the fact that the shop had potentially been using improperly sterilized needles:

Durham Region health authorities warned that possible use of non-sterile equipment could lead to transmission of HIV and hepatitis B and C and sent letters to 2,400 people, urging them to see a doctor and get blood tests. The 530 results that have come back so far were all negative, said spokesperson Glendene Collins.

More recently, Venom Ink in St. Catharines (and Niagara Falls) and Stigmata Body Art in Guelph faced similar issues. Stigmata Body Art was fined after it “failed to comply with an order issued in July 2007 by Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health to produce the results of spore tests, which check for proper sterilization of equipment,” while Venom Ink’s piercing business was shut down entirely for using non-sterile equipment.

After talking with the owner of the business, public health officials believe there are 40 customers who received piercings during the three months Venom Ink was in business – two months in St. Catharines and one in Niagara Falls.

[…] Employees working Saturday afternoon said they did not want to discuss the health department’s notice and threatened to charge a reporter with trespassing if he came by again.

In all cases, it’s still recommended that clients who received work from the aforementioned shops between certain dates seek out HIV and hepatitis tests:

– Longhorn Custom Bodyart Studio: Nov. 17, 2006-Aug. 1, 2007
– Stigmata Body Art: February, April and May 2007
– Venom Ink: It’s recommended that anyone who received a piercing from Venom Ink should seek testing

[Huffington Post] We’re through the looking glass, people — it’s the dawning of a new era. Writers are now beyond recounting their experiences with tattoos and piercings, and have moved onto the next, Falkner-approved level of body art memoir: Tattoo removal stories. Anya Strzemien over at HuffPo tells her story:

The first tattoo was a star on my wrist. Not so original nowadays, but we didn’t have Lindsay Lohan and Sienna Miller back then. [Ed. note: Slam fucking dunk.] And, sure, you have to be 18 to legally get a tattoo, but this was in the early days of Giuliani administration in New York, back when we were barely carded for anything (especially alcohol, I was elated to learn).

The second tattoo came about during my freshman year of college, and this one really marked some silly adolescent judgment on my part. I knew what I wanted it to say (and it’s something so college, so 18, and so earnest that I can’t even bring myself to tell friends what it means anymore, let alone HuffPost readers), but I didn’t want it to be in English. Arabic, Farsi and Hindi looked too linear, Chinese felt too cliché. So, naturally, I settled on Japanese. I could have lived with the star for the rest of my life, but really, Asian character tattoos are a crime of fashion that should be punishable by law. The characters themselves are beautiful, but as a tattoo…especially on a non-Asian body…well, nothing says “I Tried To Rebel In The ’90s” more.

So when I turned 29 in August, I decided it was time for me and the tattoos to part ways, and schlepped out to New Jersey to see Dr. Mitchell Chasin at the Reflections Center For Skin And Body, where I was told the cost of the removal for an average-sized tattoo like mine would be about $300 or $350 per treatment, and it would take at least four treatments (the number varies depending on the color and type of ink, skin type, and quality of the tattoo). So if the average number of treatments is four to ten, then it costs between $1200 and $3500. Note to 16-year-old self: you were wrong.

The post also includes some (inexcusably poor) photos, and assorted musings on the oozing, bubbling and general grossness that comes along with tattoo removal. But surely the erudite HuffPo commenters will have worthwhile input, right?

A tattoo just means you’re dumb enough to let ANYONE stick a needle in ya.

Oh for God’s sake.