I never noticed tattoos before starting to work on THE MISSING INK — at least not consciously. But since I wrote it, I have noticed tattoos everywhere. It's pretty mainstream these days, not just limited to the occasional celebrity or sailors. I heard a statistic somewhere that 1 in 4 women between the ages of 18 and 40 have a tattoo. That's pretty impressive.
And it's not just the pinup girls or the butterflies these days, either. I found some tattoo blogs that knocked my socks off.
Scientist Carl Zimmer offers up scientific tats at the Science Tattoo Emporium.
Jen shows us some literary tattoos at Contrariwise.
Bill Cohen stops people on the streets in New York and takes pictures of their tats and lets them tell their stories at Tattoosday.
What do you think?
Karen
I think tats are like bumper stickers and personalized license plates--just another way to communicate to the world what you are all about. Ink is fine by me but I prefer written words and polite conversations. Much success with you new tome, Karen! Or as Kristen would say, !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: patty smiley | July 08, 2009 at 10:38 AM
this is weird but yesterday i picked up a book on tattoo art, rich intricate designs that were well thought out and quite beautiful. i just hate the cheap minor commitment ones. kind of along the lines of people who tape political bumper stickers inside their rear windows rather than slapping them on--a bit half-assed and wishy-washy. remind me to tell you about the sick panda bear tat i once saw when i worked for the NJ Highway Authority...not for public blog consumption, i'm afraid....
Posted by: Kieran | July 08, 2009 at 10:55 AM
I have three myself. People either like them or they don't. They're often a conversation starter with people and a great icebreaker. Mine mean various things to me, all too lengthy to explain here.
Posted by: norby | July 08, 2009 at 11:13 AM
I really enjoyed Tattoosday - I'm not a fan of tattoos for myself, because there's just too much permanence there. I think there are some amazing ones out there, though.
Posted by: Jen of a2eatwrite | July 08, 2009 at 12:46 PM
Good luck at all of your events this week Karen!
Posted by: Lori Armstrong | July 08, 2009 at 01:48 PM
Those sites are pretty great -- and it seems like, even though you probably won't wind up getting a tattoo, the new series has given you a healthy appreciation of them. THE MISSING INK is a great book! Congrats on the release, Karen!
Posted by: AlisonGaylin | July 08, 2009 at 04:34 PM
I've heard the term "skin art" used increasingly and I think it's apt. Do still think it's a tad weird when I see a young woman dressed for an office-y type job (skirt, nice shoes) on the T with a giant dragon or some Asian serpent crawling up her leg. But, hey, it's like piercings. I'm getting used to them.
A waitress at one of my favorite local restaurants has a glorious 18th-C style sailing ship at full mast on her upper arm. When she flexes under a full tray, you want to salute!
Posted by: Clea Simon | July 13, 2009 at 10:45 AM