Ink not!

What tattoo do you want and where would you put it?

Tattoo’s symbolize a person’s cultural or spiritual identity and can be used to express a connection to a belief system or tradition. However, a tattoo can also be a symbol of rebellion or non-conformity to challenge social norms.

To be honest, I’ve never really given tattoos a lot of thought. I grew up in a smallish city and in those days of pre-washing machines, we used to have a lady or rather a couple of women who came home to finish the chores. One of them had their name tattooed on their forearm, while the other had her spouse’s name tattooed on her wrist. the only tattoos I used to see then were the ones of flowers or the cross, around the hand, and wrist regions, or the random beauty spots marked on the face. The dull blue of the dye with the untidy handwriting did not make any of it interesting. While in college, there were the random mates that had flowers, or boyfriends’ names or quotes tattooed on themselves. This was in the late 1990’s and tattoos in risqué locations (waist, hips, upper thigh, near the tailbone, neck, chest) were slowly catching on. the only exceptional tattoos I did see in those days were the ones in FaceOff and Broken Arrow. India was getting there, slowly. The designs were uninspiring, I did not want initials, random flowers, quotes, bears, butterflies, angel wings or my name inked on.

The only time I started thinking of tattoos as being even slightly inspiring was when I saw the Shadowhunter series on TV -this was just a few years ago, so a very recent development. While I appreciate a clear frontal shot of a lion, the profile of a horse, or a beautiful red rosebud, I’m not too fond of using human skin as a canvas. It’s like trying to paint on brown paper or tinted pink paper, and you have to make the black, blacker, and the white whiter and when you consider the porosity of the skin, you need to work to make it effective. I mean no offense, but this is just my opinion on trying to design a tattoo on a person. Not a big fan. But, if I were to consider, then the runes, are rather tempting. And of course, I would have to research to understand what they mean before I go and get something permanent inked. My issue has always been my indecisiveness. I’m not fond of being stuck with something indefinitely. Did you know that tattoos on different parts of the body age differently? They do, and the ones that fade the quickest are the ones that are subject to constant contact. So the tattoo on your leg may fade faster, especially if you wear trousers often.

So can tattoos be removed? Yes, they can, by using some form of laser technology. But after you have gone through the pain of having yourself tattooed, why would you want to go through the pain of having it removed? Simple. Because you have had a change of heart or a change of circumstance and you want to be rid of the offending ink. I don’t like pain, especially the self-inflicted stippling variety, so the odds of me getting a tattoo are low. However, between the application, my indecisiveness, and the consequent removal, I would be their best customer.

On the other hand, I love mehndi or henna, or what today is referred to as temporary tattoos. It’s an interesting story on branding the concept of a temporary tattoo. This is something I can commit to, the impermanence being its USP. Henna starts dark and pretty-looking for the first few days, eventually, fading into oblivion. The novelty of the first couple of days, when you are bound to a certain kind of attire to add to the allure of the design, appeals to me. After day 5 as it starts to fade away, you are left with regrets. The designs never fade evenly, it’s always in bits and pieces and make it look like you have a skin infection. Not at all inspiring.

Tattoo Designs are a different story altogether. I love the runic forms and as I haven’t memorized the runes and their meanings, the odds of me getting a runic design are very low. But, runes are the designs I gravitate towards. Runes, in black with a calligraphic tip, would make for an interesting point of discussion. Henna is either dark-brown or orange colored once it’s dried up and the designs that look best in these colors are the traditional geometric or floral shapes, with the Arabic floral patterns. I don’t know if the runes will look good in henna colors and it’s not something I am going to try anytime soon. I have seen some amazing tattoo designs and their intricacies always mesmerize me, and I would love to incorporate a few of these designs in my tangles. I am appreciative of those who use their tattoos as a way to communicate their beliefs and ideologies, it’s just something I may never consider – to use my skin as a canvas.