Flowered vines wrap around ankles; suns and stars shine from stomachs and
shoulder blades; silver hoops dangle from eyebrows and navels.
Body art, tattooing and body piercing, has become one of the most popular
tools Generation Xers use to express themselves and define their own individuality.
ãI got mine as a way to express myself,ä said Shannon Barksdale,
a 20-year old waitress at Johnny Rayâs in Northport. Barksdale got
a sun, measuring two inches by two inches, tattooed onto her right shoulder
blade when she was 16 years-old and plans on getting one or two more soon.
Jason Glenn, a 22-year old UA student, got the letters of his fraternity,
Phi Kappa Psi, tattooed on his right ankle when he was 18 years-old.
ãI got my tattoo to show what tribe I run with. Itâs something
I can show my son one day, if I have one, to show him what legacy heâll
be if he decides to do the Greek thing,ä Glenn said of the three red
and green Greek letters on his ankle.
Tattoo artist Jessica Thomas said when many students leave for college,
itâs often their first time away from home and body art is a way
for them to exclaim their new found freedom.
Amy Brown, a sophomore in social work at UA, got her first tattoo when
she was a freshman and got her belly button pierced at the same time. The
tattoo, a moon and star on the inside of her right ankle, was the first
of three tats for Brown. The same year, she got a half-inch daisy flower
tattooed on her stomach and an inch-and-a half moon on her left shoulder
blade.
ãMy dad finally noticed my tattoos about six months after I got
my last one,ä Brown said. ãHe went crazy and threatened to
quit paying for my college, so I decided not to mention my belly ring.ä
Other Generation Xers have body art done just for art's sake reason.
ãIâm already an individual,ä said Michael Gorbach, a
28-year old employee of the JVC company in Tuscaloosa. ãThe only
thing I wanted to express about myself was the fact that I admire body
art.ä
ãAll of the art that I have is very artistic and well-balanced in
proportion to my body,ä Gorbach said of his nine tats and sixteen
body piercings.
Gorbach said that about 60 percent to 70 percent of his body is covered
in body art. His tats range from flying dragon serpents on the right side
of his chest, to a tiny rose on his right butt-cheek, to a Griffin-like
dragon on his right ankle. The six others (everything from Fivel to two
women standing in front of a Harley) are spread out over his chest area,
his shoulder blades, his back, his hips and his calves.
Gorbachâs piercing art is spread out as well. All surgical steel,
three hoops dangle from Gorbachâs left ear, one from his right ear
and one from his navel. He has a silver bar through his tongue and one
in his left nipple.
The rest of Gorbachâs piercings are a unique kind that are usually
only done on true body art admirers. He has nine genital piercings: three
frettums, one Prince Albert, and five duidos.
Although body art is often a form of self expression, there is a tendency
for people to get the same tats in the same places.
ãThe most popular tattoos are suns and moons on girls, and on the
guys itâs usually tribal or Celtic art,ä said Jessica Thomas,
a tattoo artist at The Tattoo Experience in Tuscaloosa. She said the most
popular areas to get tattoos are the toes, ankles and stomach while the
most popular areas that people have pierced are the naval and tongue.
When thinking about getting a tattoo or being pierced, several issues must
be considered: safety, cost, permanency and pain.
Although self-expression is harmless, body art is not completely safe;
there are some health risks if it is not done professionally. Thomas warns
that certain safety precautions should always be taken before getting any
type of body art done.
ãThe simple checks are if the store is smoky or smells funny, itâs
not a clean environment,ä she said. ãAnd the artist should
be a professional, not scary looking. A little weird is O.K., but not scary.ä
Thomas also said that a good precaution to take is checking out the facilitiesâ
equipment. An auto clave, which is like a pressure cooker that sterilizes
the instruments, is essential in killing all the germs.
ãIf you donât see them use the auto clave, ask to watch them,ä
Thomas said. ãWatch how theyâre handling the equipment. Are
they wearing gloves? Do they have plastic baggies over everything that
they touch?ä
ãThereâs not much risk of infection from a properly done tattoo,ä
Thomas said. ãItâs only an eighth of an inch topical abrasion,
not like a piercing. With piercing, hair is the worst transmitter of germs.
With tattoos, hepatitis is the biggest worry.ä
ãAs far as safety is concerned,ä Thomas said, ãthe best
thing to do is to call the APT, the Alliance of Professional Tattoists,
and ask where your local APT certified store is.ä
A non-profit educational and professional standards organization, the APT
was established in 1992 and has over 700 members. The organization focuses
on continuing the education of tattoo artists in practicing infection control,
establishing professional standards and implementing health and safety
practices.
According to Katrina Hegge, who works in the APT office in Annapolis, Maryland,
the APT and its members promote the understanding that tattoo is a safe
expression of art through education, knowledge and activism.
Cost also plays a role in determinig what type of body art to get. The
cost of tattoos is based on the size, style, placement, and color of the
tattoo; tribal and Celtic art is usually more expensive. Body piercing
costs are usually based on where it is done and the size of the jewelry.
ãPiercing are more popular among college students because they cost
less and can be taken out,ä Thomas said.
For many, tattoos are a little too permanent way of expression, so they
turn to body piercing or get the tattoo in a place that is easily hidden.
ãI got it in a place thatâs easy to hide because one day I
hope to be in a professional position, and Iâm sure Iâll need
to keep it hidden,ä said Leigh Anne Jackson, a junior at UA, of her
Chinese fighting fish that is tattooed on her left hip. ãI wanted
to get my tongue pierced, but thatâs too hard to conceal, so I just
got my belly button pierced."
Although the majority of Gorbach's body is decorated with body art, he
agrees keeping the work hidden is essential for career opportunities.
ãMost of my work is hidden,ä Gorbach said. ãI want to
get my eyebrow pierced, but Iâm looking for a better job right now,
so Iâm gonna wait because a ring through your face is hard to hide.
But if I ever get settled in a job, Iâll get it done.ä
A rather pressing issue related to having body art done is pain.
According to Amy Zeiegler of Kansas State University, author of The Art
of Tattooing and Untattooing, ãK-state students who have tattoos
said the pain involved in getting one ranged from feeling like a scouring
pad to a razor blade cutting into the skin.ä
ãGetting my nipple pierced hurt the worst of the peircings,ä
Gorbach said. ãBut that only hurt for one or two seconds. The pain
of getting a tattoo is constant.ä
Some people try to avoid the pain of getting a tattoo or body piercing
by consuming alcohol or taking other drugs before going to get it done.
Experts say this only complicates the procedure.
ãBeing drunk just gets you in the chair,ä Thomas said, standing
under the Tattoo Experienceâs ãSOBRIETY REQUIREDä sign.
ãIt doesnât make it any less painful. We wonât work
on anyone if we know theyâre intoxicated.ä