[Simcoe Reformer] God, so this HORRIBLE woman is saying all sorts of terrible things about this shop, Ink Sensations, and talking to politicians about making body modification — all modification, including dyeing your hair and cutting your fingernails too short — a crime punishable by drunken firing squad, and all because somebody there pierced her 15-year-old daughter’s tongue. Wait, hold on, after reading past the headline, it seems like she actually likes piercing a lot and just wants responsible legislation in place:

“I was flabbergasted that there is no law against minors getting pierced without a parent’s permission,” said Cheryl Blake, a Waterford resident.

While most shops have their own regulations — usually a 16- or 18-year-old age of majority — it is an unwritten rule, not something mandated federally or provincially.

Blake isn’t against body modification. She’s taken her other two daughters for piercings.

“But I made sure it was done in a sterile environment and that they knew the possible risks and follow up care,” Blake said.

With her youngest daughter, she’s not sure those steps were taken as she wasn’t there.

She’s begun a Facebook group, Ink Sensations Simcoe-Unethical Business Practices, which has 131 members.

[…] She wants more regulations on the industry and is starting a petition to take to MPP Toby Barrett to introduce a private member’s bill regulating tattoo artists and body piercers.

“A governing body should set certain standards on how this is done,” Blake said. “Your hairdresser needs to be certified but someone who puts a needle in your body doesn’t?”

Body piercer George Lewis, who owns Tattoo Art in Kitchener and handles the piercing shop at Ink Sensations, said he’ll be right beside Blake in the fight.

“I’ve been trying to get better regulation for years,” Lewis said, who has been piercing for 30 years. “But it takes more than one person to move a mountain.”

He admits that his protege, who he trained to do piercings at Ink Sensations, did something wrong. His policy is that anyone under 16 requires parental consent.

“He didn’t ask for ID and he’s been severely reprimanded for that,” Lewis said. “His job is pending. But she signed a legal document saying she was 16 so she committed fraud.”

Oh. That actually sounds quite reasonable. Well, I’m still outraged.

[Contact Music] Update! We’ve discussed the ridiculousness that is the Los Angeles Fire Department banning tattoos, and I made the bold and groundbreaking declaration that firefighters can look however they damn well want. Well, it turns out that international playboy Brad Pitt and I are totally and completely simpatico:

A source close to the tattooed actor tells Star magazine, “(He) thinks it’s ridiculous that these guys who risk their lives to help people have these restrictions put upon them.

“He wanted to make sure the department heads knew that the people of L.A. don’t care about tattoos – they care about them doing their job well.”

It’s like … it’s like we’re the same person.

[Corporette.com] The self-proclaimed “fashion and lifestyle blog for women lawyers, bankers, MBAs, consultants, and otherwise overachieving chicks who work in conservative offices and need to look professional, but want to be fashionable” just conducted a readers’ poll about whether or not tattoos are acceptable among female lawyers. Well, the votes have been tallied and the results from the 1,500 participants are:

– 43% of you said a professional woman could never have a visible tattoo
– 30% of you said it was fine if it could be covered by clothes or makeup
– 12% of you said only so long as it wasn’t visible when you shook hands or interviewed
– 8% said sure, a visible tattoo was fine

Par for the course, more or less. Common remarks centered on tattoos being a “distraction” in the workplace, and one dickbag in the comments expertly stated that tattoos are for “hookers, not lawyers.” Cute! The editorial consensus, though, happily (and idealistically) enough, was that if you’re in a position where a charm tattoo on your ankle is going to hold you back, it’s probably not the sort of place you’d want to spend much of your life. In conclusion, people on the Internet have opinions about things.