Tattoos are becoming more and more popular as time goes on, which is not what people predicted. Between a recent issue of French Vogue styling their editorial shoot on multi-inked Amy Winehouse, to John Paul Gaultier sending his couture models down the catwalk complete with covered shoulders and legs - it looks like the fashion industry is all for getting inked this season. A recent article in the NY Times also points to the current appetite for temporary tattoos as an adornment, to an outfit--from the cute childhood ink transfers, to more elaborate unique designs applied by make-up artists.
In a time where many feel individuality is losing out to high street hegemony, tattoos are losing the social stigma once connected and seemingly helping fuel a return to self-expression. Just ask Michael Benjamin, the president of Temptu, a New York supplier of mock tattoos and body paints. He said, "Tattoos are back!" In more than a decade as Temptu's chief executive, Mr. Benjamin has seen their status wax and wane. He said that in the last year or two, his business has doubled. And these days, he has an armful of competitors, companies like Funtoos and Body Graphics.
Danielle Fonseca, who applied ink-transfer tattoos to a gaggle of models at Marc Jacobs's party, views them as a faintly kinky adjunct to traditional makeup. "They offer a kind of branding," she said, "A way people have of defining themselves." There's no question that it's a form of self expression, as well as a form of art, the artist being the mastermind. "Tattoos add personality and character," said Donald Simrock, a makeup artist who has fashioned a variety of fakes for fashion shows and advertising campaigns. "Like that vintage car you buy, they can be an extension of your personality."
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Most people get tattoos in order to remember someone or something. It's usually a symbol or reminder of a certain event or person, and there is usually a story to go along with it. Ask anyone who has a unique design, and they will probably have a somewhat interesting explanation as to why they got it. Maybe that's why people love to get designs on easy-to-see places - to spark conversation! It's an effective way to do so, and usually the story is entertaining.
No matter what the reason, designing a piece of art or having an artist do it, then placing that design on your body permanently is an empowering feeling. Your body becomes a canvas, and you become a work of art. Not that people aren't art in their own right - God being the artist - but getting inked creates even more beauty and character than what nature already provided. It's a way for one to express themselves without words, but with pictures. Tattoos are as legitimate an art form as any, and they will continue to be a popular form of expression forever.
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