I can’t sleep, so I am watching LA INK. A woman named Kat Von D runs a rather famous tattoo parlor and these are the shop’s reality moments.
Kat’s body is covered in tats, with some odd tattooed facial dots that give her a cat-like appearance. She wears heavy, thick eyeliner, masses of mascara, and red lipstick. Her clothes are chosen to reveal as much of her body as possible in order to show her product and she appears to have a passion for stripper platform shoes.
I can’t say that she is attractive or that a body covered in ink is sexy, stylish, or even that artistic. It is clearly a matter of taste.
She uses the words, “awesome” and “cool” to the point of irritation and has an appropriately bitchy, unattached demeanor on camera, yet seems rather sweet when talking to her clients.
Her talent is clear as she works quickly to transfer two Fall leaves on the inside of her client’s wrist. Very nice work.
The other women wear thick, heavy false eyelashes and makeup straight from the MAC website—colorful. There is one woman who wears no makeup at all. She is all attitude and the makeup would almost be too much.
The women artists are equally covered in body art, as well as the several men working for Kat. After all, it is a tattoo parlor and the more work on display is a selling point as well as a Los Angeles trend.
I can admire a tattoo or two, but the full sleeves and mass coverings are too much for my taste. A theme, a consistent style, or a well-placed statement piece would be more desirable and have greater impact, in my opinion. During the program, several of these are done for clients and the work is very original and professional.
I have no tattoos, but I toy with the idea of having the Crow Spirit, my 1949 Harley Davidson, imaged on some area of my body. Or perhaps a crow winging across my shoulder as a tribute to Blackbird Motorcycles and my love of these motorcycles.
It’s a very trendy art form that has been embraced by all generations, genders, and professions. I have often been a bit alarmed to see police officers with full sleeves or neck tattoos. The only visual separation between them and the prisoners is the uniform rather than an orange jump suit.
My office co-workers all have tattoos and the policy is that they must be covered at work. It is so common that it no longer has the edge of a rebel or an outsider. Funny, the rebel is the person who does not embrace the trends. Their edge comes from within and does not need a tattoo to make a statement of cool, but it is fun, it is art, and one toys with the idea.
