When I was younger if I was to see the body of a woman imbued with tattoos, I was disgusted to be quite honest. I perceived the adornment as filthy. To me, no matter how much the woman was to wash, bathe and shower; her dirtiness was indelible. Surprisingly, however, this perception of mine was to change.
At A Glance Author anonymous Contact [email protected] When Two years ago Artist ? Studio Various places Location Throughout Canada By the age of fifteen years old, circumstances moved me in with a woman whose body was completely covered in tattoos which were mostly done by herself and her boyfriend who had once owned a tattoo parlour in the city. A tattooed woman at this time, during the 1980's, was much of an anomaly. After spending much time with her, almost naturally she grew on me as did her tattoos. Here, she transcended her tattoos to the point that I no longer noticed that they were there. She illuminated such beauty and uniqueness, one which many people were perhaps afraid to learn of at first glance since the prevailing view of a tattooed women was a "biker chick" (among other stereotypes). Although I did not realize it at the time, the tattooed woman (an image I had hitherto been disgusted by) would grow on me and become my personal ideal.
As the years passed, I got a few tattoos here and there, they were sporadic on my body: a few on my back and feet. I never got any on my stomach just in case I was to ever have become pregnant, because I feared that the tattoo would warp, bend and distort during the stretching process. My friends and I would occasionally look at tattoo magazines as getting tattoos (tribal, especially) was becoming trendy. I would point at the women who had more tattoos than considered proper and stress how beautiful they were, only to be stared at in surprise. The general reaction was ""...a woman cannot be beautiful with that many tattoos...she''s ruined her femininity!"" By the time I had reached the age of eighteen, I had an idea: what would it be like to be the archetypal woman--traditionally feminine in its general aesthetics but, at the same time, be covered in tattoos. The prevailing view of the time, as it still is, a woman with a superfluous amount of tattoos is either a ""biker chi ck,"" a ""crack whore,"" or just plain dirty. Of course as many of us know, if one wants dazzling and meticulous work on the body, he/she must be willing to pay the price. So I saved up much money and slowly started acquiring tattoo work on my back as well as my arms. The process was slow and arduous especially because the money was tight and at first it was a very painful process because I was under the needle for some three hours at a time during some points.
My friends surprisingly were very supportive in what I did, however, the society in which I lived was not. I came across much scrutiny including many dirty looks and rude comments. For here I was dressed as the archetypal female whilst my arms made me look like a paradox. I was not bothered much by the scrutiny for it was not going to provide much hindrance to my life. I had always been industrious and even ended up going to university. Here even people stared at me much and were baffled that a girl whose tattoos who suggest less of a lifestyle than the one which I lived was at university. Some people, including a few of my professors, saw my tattoos as a statement unparalleled. Unfortunately I still have to cover myself in long-sleeved apparel even though I am now have a career in international relations analysis.
As there are many cultural struggles that human beings and specifically women have to face, the "excessively tattooed" woman faces one. Of course, it cannot be ignored that tattooing is not an illegal practice, but it is a stigmatized one for women. Think of it this way, a woman who walks into the most common grocery store invariably be faces many stares and whispers. It's a bastardization of femininity and against nature, many ignorantly argue. This type of argument is tired and needs to be laid to rest. Practices For it to be laid to rest, the practice of women being excessively tattooed must be proliferated. What I mean by this is, if one desires to do so, do not feel inhibited by the social and cultural constraints that do not allow it. I do not regret the tattoos I have on my body, how I cannot see the natural colour of my skin as it is covered with ink. In fact, I do not regret a thing about them as I grow older; they have become a part of me, my skin and my body. In t he greater realm of things, even, they have become a statement about traditional femininity.