Can tattoos be beautiful?
They are an everyday sight on men . . . but how will shoppers react to a young woman with her arms completely covered in tattoos? Reporter Kate Mason finds out
DOCTORS have them, bank managers have them, celebrities have them and now so do I. Two arms full to be precise..... well almost.
It seems tattoos are no longer the mark of a rocker, punk or rebel but the mark of the "normal" man or woman on the street. So now tattoos are so mainstream, how would the good people of Doncaster react to seeing me all 'inked up'?
Let's go back to the start. It all started with an innocent office conversation about this year's London tattoo convention.
This resulted in feature editor Darren Burke producing two stocking like tattoo sleeves that had been lying around in an office drawer for a good few years. After taking much delight in trying them on and showing people in the office, it was suggested that I go out onto the streets of Doncaster to see how people would react, while being followed by a video camera to catch the whole thing on film for the Free Press website. Talk about being thrown into the lion's den - that'll teach me and my big mouth.
My 'tattoo sleeves' featured intricate and colourful creations from scantily clad women, exotic birds of prey to the obligatory skull and cross bones, and were scarily convincing.
The International London Tattoo Convention earlier in the year confirmed that the world has gone body art barmy, with thousands of people flocking to the event. The culture towards tattoos seems to have totally changed. The symbol that was once seen as a rebellious mark and reserved for the male outcasts of the world has now become more accepted, and just as popular among women.
The fascination with tattoos has grown so much that we now even have TV programmes, such as hit show Miami Ink, dedicated to the art form. So, bearing all of this in mind, surely the people of Doncaster wouldn't bat an eye-lid to see me strolling down the street looking like an Amy Winehouse wannabe?
I prepared for my on screen debut and set off on my tattoo trail around the town centre not really knowing what to expect. Let's just say I definitely wasn't prepared for the response I got. My first port of call was the market. As I walked by with cameraman Martin in tow, I noticed a shocked stall worker had clocked me. After a fair few stares and a whisper in her friend's ear, I approached her to find out what she thought.
"I saw you and just thought 'oh my god look at that girl with all the tattoos.' I wouldn't have expected you to have so many, I just think it's shame and you'll regret it when you're older," said Rebecca Storey, not realising my sleeves were in fact fake.
Lee Saunders from L&H Cairns fruit shop was of the same opinion: "I think they look silly, they don't suit you you're too pretty. Even though I've got a few myself, if I could go back I wouldn't have them done."
Shopper Rachael White was more concerned about the fact that they didn't match my outfit. Note to self - stock up on Iron Maiden T-shirt and ripped jeans next time!
I continued on my journey, feeling like a total leper, until a glimmer of hope came from Mark Gleadall who actually seemed impressed by the "tattoos."
"I think they look really good, they're really unique. They're just so different there's obviously a lot of time and effort and money that has been put into it. I think each to their own and you're still a young girl so they really look good, but I think they'd look rubbish if you were older," he said.
The general consensus however, seemed to be that I had "spoiled myself" and that they didn't expect "nice girls like me" to have them."
From disapproving stares to looks of disgust followed by a few more savvy shoppers who realised that they were in fact fake, I have honestly never been given so many dead eyes in my life. Let's just say if looks could kill, I would well and truly be dead.
When I challenged people about their views, championing them as an expression of individuality and with a worrying amount of ease, lying through my teeth about when and where I had had them done and how much they had cost, people still thought they were too extreme and "unfeminine", with one shocked shopper even going so far as to tell me I had "disfigured" myself.
I decided to take shelter in a place where people would be more understanding, Body Arts tattoo parlour in the Market Place. Tattoo artist Paul Cardine was shocked when I told him of people's reactions. Paul has been tattooing for 28 years has seen the popularity of tattoos - especially among women - continue to grow.
"I'm surprised really that people reacted like that because we see plenty of girls walking about with tattoos. Maybe it's just because there are so many, it's more of a shock. But if you had them done properly, you would be the type of person who wouldn't care what other people think and if you had that many you'd probably want a reaction from people.
"When I first started out, I tattooed about half a dozen women a year - now I can do that in a day. The roughneck side of tattoos just being for bikers and thugs has completely gone now," he added.
Celebrity tattoo fans including Angelina Jolie and David Beckham seem to have further reinforced the ancient art form. At one time it was just the celebrity fashions that we followed but now it seems adoring fans are just as eager to go "under the needle" to emulate their icons. Paul believes this is the main reason why the popularity has increased so much.
"I definitely think celebrities have made it more accessible, people tend to follow celebrity fashions, and it makes it more acceptable.
Since Victoria Beckham had her star tattoo that's all we seem to be doing. The media side of things has definitely had a big impact."
Conveniently for me after leaving the tattoo parlour it was just a few steps back to the safety of the office where I could finally take the things off. Although I was able to remove the tattoos at the end of the day, my brush with body art definitely made a lasting impression. So will I be having a real one any time soon? Not if I take Paul's advice who said: "If you have to wear the fake tattoos as a test, you're just not ready for the real thing."
MY tattoo trail led me to uncover several professionals who have gone under the needle. Although I came across a surprising number of people who have tattoos, many were not as eager to reveal them to Free Press readers. But a couple of brave girls were willing to share their tattoos - backing the trend that more and more females are opting for body artwork
Eve Hanson, 30.
Die hard Sheffield Wednesday fan Eve has a tattoo of the club's Owl symbol and the letters SWFC on her ankle - and had it done for a dare when her team weren't doing so well in the league.
"I love my tattoo," she said. "I wouldn't necessarily say they are addictive but I'm going to have another one of my daughter's name done."
Terri Moore, 22.
Terri had her tattoo of a tiger done for her 19th birthday. She plans to have another tattoo on her foot.
"I think tattoos are more acceptable now but I'm very careful where I get them so I can cover them up for work," she said.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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