It is said that "every body has its story"; these tattooed ones certainly do! By means of tattoos one can express not only this proverbial "wild streak" that, hopefully, is present in all of us but also many other emotions, also these far from being "wild".
At A Glance Author Ania Contact [email protected] IAM deadly pale When N/A Chick Ink, a collection of 40 stories of tattoos and women who (proudly) wear them, takes us not only for an exciting journey through body art and personal stories behind the tattoos but also various backgrounds and perspectives of the women who decided to share their stories.
Those who have anything to do with such websites as BME and got used to the format of mod experiences shared both here and on other websites of this type will not find in this collection any detailed descriptions of the procedure of tattooing; pain factor is mentioned only briefly when a given author finds it appropriate to comment on; no information on the healing process and aftercare whatsoever. These are (even though very crucial!) mundane details; what really matters here is emotions and feelings behind all the stories.
They are told by women of various ages, from a freshman in college to a middle-aged woman to a grandma thinking "why not?", and from various cultural and racial backgrounds. These are stories of liberation, self-acceptance and expressing the authors' love for others; these are stories about the loss and about the gain; finally, these are stories of how both society and its members change over time.
By means of the stories collected in the book a reader can see that tattoos are (or should be) no longer associated with burly bikers with seemingly no feelings whatsoever. And even though the stereotypes are apparently still alive (they are repeated over and over again in the newspapers, people's conversations, online comments), the fact is that these days tattoos serve to express much more than a clear signal "beware, I'm tough and dangerous". In Chick Ink one can see how many feelings a simple picture in the skin can express � feeling of the loss and sorrow after a child who died way too early; feeling of the joy, commitment and courage to live with a loved person from now on; feeling of victory after losing excessive weight and finally accepting herself; feeling of sorrow and respect towards a relative who meant and did so much.
Even though all of us are fully aware of living in the 21st century, old habits and ways of thinking die hard, so no wonder that also in this book such old ways of thinking are mentioned and shown from the authors' perspective. Many of the women who contributed their stories to the book had to deal with lack of acceptance for their decisions from their families; many of them had to hear harsh words regarding their decisions and face the anger of their significant others. On the bright side, many of them also experienced the wonder of others "coming out" with their own tattoos and sharing their own stories. Apparently the status of tattoos is still ambiguous and on the verge of being "underground" � so many of us want to get them done, go for it and then prefer to keep them just for ourselves in fear of being unaccepted by others around us.
I have my own way of looking at books and usually divide them in "books to read only once" and "books good for multiple reads". This one certainly belongs to the latter category. Some of these stories made me almost cry (for example, My Angel, a touching story of the loss of a child and coming to terms with it), some of them made me laugh out loud (Grandma Led The Way, a story about an octogenarian who shows that it is never too late to get some fun and approach life with humor); others made me think on how times change and yet how much depends on us to actually change them (Armaggedon and Elvis' Hips). Finally, some of the stories are told from the perspective of a female tattoo artist, so a reader can get a hands-on perspective on the industry and see what is going on at the back of many tattoo shops.
As points of trivia, every few pages of the book one can read short notes about women important or influential in the tattoo world, a.o. Amy Brown whose fairies serve as inspiration for many tattoos, Lady Viola who worked side shows in the first decades of the 20th century or famous female tattoo artists.
Even though tattoos are a very visual form of art, there are no pictures of tattoos here. The focus is on the feelings and stories of the authors and maybe this is why our attention was drawn to this aspect of a tattoo experience only.
Chick Ink is certainly addressed to those of us who have some interest in body art, especially in tattoos but it also can be read and enjoyed by those who perceive tattoos as something exotic and definitely not for them. Since it contains stories of so many, so different women, it can also help overcome the bad stereotypes still associated with tattoos and maybe convince a reluctant parent that a new tattoo on their daughter's body is not the end of the world yet.
Chick Ink, ed. by Karen L. Hudson, Adams Media Corporation 2007.