It looks as though they are going to allow tattooists to open up again pretty soon. I doubt I’m the only one waiting for the chance to get some new ink – OK, it has been the best part of 30 years since I last had any tattoos done, but wanting new ones is one of those things that sort of happened mid-pandemic.
When I had my first tattoos done, I was quite averse to the idea of including any text, perhaps because as far as I knew, then, the only options tended to be names, and there was already the trope that having your beloved’s pet name inscribed on your skin forever might end up being an unwanted legacy of a relationship that went horribly wrong. My plans now are to have two phrases inked on me, two text tattoos, one on each forearm. (No, no pics yet. Haven’t had them done yet, have I?)
Writing slogans on yourself – or someone else – temporarily is quite a fun thing to do, of course. Years and years ago, I appeared on a TV show with no clothes on. (Don’t bother looking for it on YouTube. It isn’t there. And it was fairly crap anyway.) At the time I had a feeling that what the producers of the show wanted was assorted imperfect humans to sit there insisting all bodies were beautiful and to look, whatever their own intentions, a bit silly. I decided I was having none of that, so bought myself a new eyeliner pencil and scrawled various slogans all over myself, as well as spiking my hair up and going wild with the eyeliner and lipstick. It made me feel better about the experience, anyway.
I’ve also known and read of kink scenarios which involve writing on someone’s skin, which can be very erotic in a variety of ways. OK, I also know people who find the physical process of being tattooed erotic but, as a complete non-masochist, that’s the bit I’m least looking forward to.
If you’re interested in the sexy side of tattoos and tattooing, of course, you can pick up a copy of the excellent Inked anthology (first published by Sexy Little Pages, now re-released by SinCyr) in the bookshop.
