LEAVING A MARK

By Alice “they/them” Wilson

Everyone is guilty of making some questionable fashion choices in an attempt to distinguish themselves from the masses. Self-expression was my first form of rebellion, from my parents, my peers, my teachers. It isn't hard to rebel in a conservative Christian school in Christchurch; smear on a little eyeliner, opt for black clothes over colour- extra points if you have “woke snowflake” socio-political affiliations. In Wellington, it’s a little harder.  You stand out more if you don’t have an eyebrow piercing. 

The spectrum of self-expression is pretty vast, ranging from temporary, day-to-day changes like clothing, jewellery, to permanent body modifications such as piercings and tattoos. I discovered the latter pretty early in my youth, but mostly in terms of appreciation. Generally, studios require the client to be at least 16 for piercings and 18 for tattoos, and my Christian Chinese mother would be more likely to grow an extra limb than sign a parental consent form for me. 

Now, as a tattoo artist, I’m very appreciative of that boundary. Tattoos are an extremely liberating form of self-expression, but when you’re hardly a fully formed human, how are you supposed to know who you are and how you want to express that? Once the age requirement is met, most turn to the internet to draw inspiration for our expressive aspirations. Unfortunately, tattoos and social media don’t always mix super well. It’s not uncommon for a tattoo artist to see their flash being stolen and tattooed by another artist with no credit, let alone monetary gain. Most people with tattoos are guilty of getting a pinterest tattoo or two, which leads me to encourage one of two options: 

1. Find the original artist and ask for permission and be ready and willing to pay an amount for a tattoo ticket or 

2. Let your artist redraw the design, to make it much more personal and unique. 

Microtrends come and go, tattoos come and, uh… don't go. Microtrends pose a risk to authentic self-expression, but my job is to make the client feel safe and heard during the tattoo experience, not question if they have thought hard enough about the design. 

Tattoos don’t always have to be serious and have meaning; just do enough research to know you’ll still like the tattoo when your skin is weathered and worn and your mind has aged and matured. There’s an important balance with tattoos; don’t get cultural designs unless they align with your whakapapa, make sure that text in another language actually says what you think it says, make sure you genuinely want the tattoo and would still want the tattoo regardless of external influence, and so on. On the flip side, tattoos are such an incredible way to wear parts of your personality on your sleeve (literally). Tattoos can be conversation starters. They can be silent and subtle indications of protest, interests, pride, experience, allyship, the list goes on. 

I remember before my first tattoo, I was playing around with the thought that I would never see this patch of skin without ink ever again. The thought didn’t bother me; the concept of forever is pretty unfathomable. This body will rot anyway, may as well cover it in art. Self expression is a reflection of the soul, and tattoos are a mirror.