Talking Tattoos: Part II
Plus other stuff (I ramble).
Howdy Folks.
I had a bit of trouble finding literally any amount of time to write even this small follow-up to my last missive on tattoos. I am not trying to turn this into a personal newsletter (I swear—NO ONE wants that, least of all me), but all of my time over the last few weeks was wrapped up in resigning from my current job and getting ready to take on a totally new role in business development for a global creative agency. On paper the role itself is a departure from what I spent the last almost six years (!!) immersed in, researching trends and repackaging relevant insights for various entities (internal design teams, external clients, readers-at-large, etc.). Luckily, I still get to flex this skill set and do what I love in service of this new role, so I’m super excited. It’ll be pretty fun to keep working on Inbox Gloss too, especially now that I’ve got way more freedom to do the kind of research and insights collection I’ve wanted for quite a while now. That’s the jist; my last day at Cassandra is today. Thank u next, and all that…
My experience these last few weeks has made me think more about job-searching and career-switching and honestly just working during a pandemic in general than I had before, and I’d been thinking about the topic a loooot over the last year. It’s a messy, shitty time in this regard, and this holds true for those who have managed to retain employment and for those who have been laid off due to pandemic-related cuts. While we saw a meager jobs gain in January—and the unemployment rate fell from 6.7% to 6.3%—we’re still in a lot of trouble as a country, and I don’t need numbers from the Labor Department to understand that. It pisses me off more than anything that this particular issue is disproportionately gendered, hurting women far more than it’s hurting men when it comes to workforce progress, AND that it’s disproportionately harming Black, Latino, and Native American workers (yes, I do mean literally, too).
And DON’T even get me started on all the people I personally know who have been laid off and furloughed in the last year. I’m a Millennial, so dealing with job insecurity basically comes with the generational territory. When it comes to our wallets and job prospects, we’re now twice-hit, as the oldest members of our cohort graduated college saddled with student loan debt, only to enter the workforce just as the economy came crashing down around them from 2007-2009 (that timing tho… this exact circumstance explains most of the subsequent Millennial behaviors older generations really love to shit on). I was still in high school during the onset of the Great Recession, so I was pretty protected from the actual fallout of the greatest economic downturn my peers and I had ever known, but I was also pretty aware: aware that the security and some resultant stability previous generations were afforded was just not available for myself, nor my peers, from that point on.
Today, and in light of this second pandemic-induced financial punch we’ve taken, I understand that security and stability aren’t available for, well, anyone—that is, anyone who isn’t independently wealthy. While millions of lower-income jobs were essentially wiped out in the months following the onset of the pandemic, white collar workers weren’t spared or safe either. Again, and rather anecdotally, I know this to be true for far too many people in my life. It’s honestly messed up, all of it, and this large-scale loss in economic viability and security has serious consequences for everyone’s individual financial considerations, which means that this impacts every. single. aspect. of people’s lives. I mean, what area of your life doesn't require some sort of ongoing and frequent purchase consideration? My long-dead social life comes to mind, but even now I realize that I’ve rerouted that spend into a nightly takeout + dessert ritual (my sodium-laden body might protest, but my sense of satisfaction at supporting the wonderful restaurants in my area outweighs any burgeoning health concerns). And while I understand that everyone in our society (across all the generations: Baby Boomers, Xers, Millennials, and Zs) has been impacted in relation to the pandemic, I see, once more, younger generations absorbing some uniquely harmful and long-term consequences, especially when it comes to finances and that thing we do every day Monday to Friday in service of our finances (your job, people!).
I’m pretty fired up about all of it, and I’ve spent a good deal of time over the last year crying about it like the previously-dream-job-chasing and once-optimistic Millennial I am. This is my call to readers: have you changed jobs since the pandemic? Have you been laid off or furloughed? Let’s talk about the young adult and teen experience of working or not working during the most disastrous and prolonged global event we’ve ever known. I’d like to hear your story, and I’ll relay any anecdotes you give me permission to share (anonymously, of course) in my next newsletter. You can reply to this newsletter, or email me individually at ruppnc@gmail.com. I know there’s a lot of media that already exists on the subject of job loss, as well as the agony of remaining employed (and grateful! always!) but being made to be even more productive during a f*cking pandemic. Nevertheless, I’m interested in studying how this is specifically effecting Millennials and Gen Zs, and honestly, the more we demand to be heard, the more the need for true change and protection becomes unignorable. Even with our new administration, this is important to keep hammering home.
If I get some submissions, we’ll get into it; if I don’t, please know that I understand that this topic can be painful and that people absolutely prefer to keep these matters private. I respect that; I’ll simply write about something else. 😈
Back To Tats…
Now that that’s off my chest, let’s take a look at what you opened this email for: some fun tattoo trends I’m seeing. One quote in my previous newsletter (from one of my favorite sources ever—hi Colin!) lives rent-free in my mind to this day: that he wants tattoos from his “artists’ artist.” Boom. That’s it: want to know what’s up? Ask your tattoo artist who tattooed them, and who they’re obsessed with. You’re going to get the names of some stellar artists who, by the way, are going to blow up really, really fast. That’s just how these things work. When rounding up some of the work I wanted to share, I kept that in mind. Colin, you’re the gift that keeps on giving.
“To give you an idea of the process now: I like getting recommendations from tattoo artists that I've been tattooed by. Your artist's artist, to speak. Also word of mouth. Seeing friends with sick tattoos will make me want to chase that artist down and get something.” — Colin, 28, OH
A Few Fun Tattoo Trends
Please note: these images are NOT mine. I do not intend to profit from these images, and I encourage everyone to follow and support these artists for their exquisite work. I’ll link their IG pages. Follow ‘em, yak about ‘em, and donate to them/their shops and collectives when they’re fundraising! Mutual aid is very cool.
*Announcer Voice* THE CATEGORY IS…
My neck, my… neck. (Sing it with me… you know what song this is.)
Neck placements are IT. The neck and its vertical neighbors—the collarbones—have long been hot spots for tattoos, but neck tats are cropping up in major ways. One particular neck placement idea I’m loving? Planty laurel wreaths draping necks in garlands befitting Greek gods and goddesses, which Rachel Finelli (@soft__cake) excels at.
Climbers and travelers.
I definitely made up those terms, but these long and fluid tattoos have so much energy—they move up and down the body so beautifully. I definitely saw a few of these in person walking around my neighborhood (the very untrendy Williamsburg) last summer, and I always full-on stopped and stared. These tattoos are attention-grabbers! HELLO?! I love these ones from Jesso Wang (@sleep.on.frogs).
Mirror, mirror.
Placement-wise, mirrored tattoos are very traditional, but I’ve seen a fresh resurgence around this style. It’s cool when artists subvert the trope and do them freehand—they’re more like sisters that way (this quote can be attributed to the one and only Mira Mariah, aka Girl Knew York, who said this when she was tattooing me). Again, I’m including a piece of Rachel Finelli’s work, followed by matching wrist tats done by the stunning Mira Mariah (@girlknewyork) to illustrate the concept.
The new take on traditional.
I’m very here for some subversiveness, so fresh takes on traditional tattoo imagery (think angels, skulls, pin-ups, birds, stars, and anything you’d see on the walls if you were to walk into a standard tattoo shop in a college town) make my heart sing. I love this angel + flame + butterfly combo from the peerless Kyle England (@kyle.england), and I think his work in general exemplifies how taking a new approach to traditional tats results in some exciting and boundary-pushing art.
Trippy ‘toons.
NGL my man gets a lot of these, and while I wasn’t aware of them before he started becoming a client of artists like the fabulous Matt Carignan (@mattcarignan), they’ve really grown on me. They’re nostalgic, subversive, and very playful and whimsical. This one from Matt is fun, and he’s just stellar when it comes to color.
Way out west.
Western iconography is big in my neck of the woods. Remember when Marfa, Texas was the capital of cool and the epitome of hipsterdom but back in like… 2008? The romanticism for all things Western never died. Never. Back when I was a trend specialist for a huge national retailer, we’d call out Western themes every. single. season. (This was mostly due to Raf’s debut at Calvin back in 2016—yay Americana?). Now, Elon Musk has every entrepre-tech-bro wanting to move to Texas, leaving me to swear that the iconography and lore of the good ol’ American West is eternally trending. Even when it comes to tattoos.
Gettin’ handsy.
Name a celebrity you stan that doesn’t have a hand tattoo. (Makes ya think.) Rihanna, Ariana Grande, Hailey Baldwin Beiber, and Zoë Kravitz & her beautiful mama Lisa Bonet are just a few celebs whose hand tats are inspiring this trend... and these are just the ladies! As tattoos in the corporate sphere continue to undergo a destigmatization, I predict we’re going to see a lot more of these across the spectrum. These tats also nicely accompany nail art and hand accessories (rings, bracelets, etc.), which have enjoyed an intense aesthetic focus over the last few years. I enjoyed this one from the wonderful Matt Carignan (again).
The Inclusivity Imperative in Tattooing
The last note I wanted to make in our chapter on tattoos is around the renewed (but not new) conversation around systemic racism in tattooing, which has re-entered this corner of culture—and stands to grow—in light of last summer’s global protests against racial injustice.
Black and Brown tattoo artists have long faced discriminatory hiring and apprenticeship practices; even if they secure an apprenticeship to get their foot in the door (a common practice for tattoo artists), they might not be able to gain necessary experience tattooing on non-white skin tones if the clientele are largely white. This ties into the next point: IG is filled with tattoo artists showing largely white-washed feeds of their work; Black and Brown clients have to work twice as hard to find out if artists can tattoo on darker skin tones if they can’t find visuals that speak to this need. (I absolutely noticed this when I was pulling pictures for the previous section of this newsletter.) In the past, some tattoo artists have even publicly complained about tattooing on dark skin; while these artists might be recently wise to the idea that they absolutely should not vocalize such racist opinions, the stigma and the actual opinions still exist, making it difficult for Black and Brown clients to feel safe booking tattoos. On top of these discriminatory structures, some artists continue to tattoo racist and culturally-appropriated symbols and imagery (we can’t even get into this, or have a discussion on why specific clientele seek these tattoos out). All in all, the entire tattoo ecosystem/economy is rife with discrimination at every level of the medium.
I would like to direct readers to the following two Allure articles, which explore the topic beautifully and comprehensively: please see here and here.
Recently, many artists in the industry are taking a vocal and hardline stand against all forms of colorism in tattooing, which in turn is further amplifying the need for intersectional inclusivity in tattooing overall. All bodies—regardless of race, gender, or any personal identity—need to feel safe during the process of researching and booking and actually getting a tattoo; this is not an opinion. Tattooing is intimate and personal and the experience is a very vulnerable one. If you are part of a group that has been marginalized by the commercialization of tattoos, the experience can be downright traumatic.
A dear friend (hi Cheryl!!) knew I was thinking about the subject, and sent me an excellent source that addresses these issues specifically: @inkthediaspora, “a tattooing platform that was created by Tann Parker, to challenge colorism in the tattoo industry.” The platform has amplified representation for non-white clients, prioritizing “documenting tattoos on Black and Indigenous queer womxn, trans, non-binary, and gender-nonconforming people.”
Platforms like Ink The Diaspora are incredibly important for how they challenge the industry as a whole to put into practice the inclusivity artists are starting to really preach, and this is by no means the only way to move such conversations forward. Patronizing and supporting BIPOC-owned tattoo shops, along with queer- and women-owned shops, also helps carve out and protect safe spaces for clients from marginalized races and marginalized genders, which encompasses “transgender women, cisgender women, transgender men, non-binary individuals, and all gender identities which have been systematically oppressed by those in power throughout history, especially in the political realm.”
At the end of the day, tattoos are stunning, intimate, goofy, and personal works of art that are fun to admire/exciting to dream up/a rush to spend money on. Many artists are doing what I believe to be truly unfettered creative work on the best canvas imaginable (the human body is amazing). But, as with basically every capitalistic industry, the commercialization of tattooing has stratified its ecosystem, catering to populations that largely enjoy privileges based on their skin tone and economic standing and, intentionally and inadvertently, perpetuating stigmas and proliferating harmful ideologies, including racism and colorism. I am not personally equipped to illuminate anything more than these basic ideas, so to everyone reading along and agreeing with what I’m saying: spread awareness around these ideas. Celebrate the notion that every body deserves to be safely and sufficiently tattooed. Donate to the artists and shops that are carving out spaces specifically for these purposes. Getting a tattoo can be a privilege; if you’re into this art form, do what you can to make sure the privileges you enjoy are available to all.
Forwarding this newsletter to someone you think might enjoy it will make me incredibly happy. To reach me for topics, inquiries, or to say hi, my personal email is ruppnc@gmail.com, my Instagram is here, and my baby Twitter is here. If you’re down, tell me how you felt about this edition, as well as what you’d like to see or read about in future ones.