Wow. I guess I spoke too soon. Yesterday I wrote about the lack of rights for tattoo artists in South Korea, where tattooing is for the most part, illegal. I compared the rights that tattooists in the USA have – proven by California tattooist Johnny Anderson’s court victory in which the court ruled that Anderson’s First Amendment rights were violated when city officials in Hermosa Beach refused to allow him to open a tattoo studio there – to the rights that are absent in South Korea. What I didn’t realise is that only two years ago, tattoos were all but illegal in the American state of South Carolina. Wow. That was quite shocking to me. I guess I sort of took for granted the idea that tattoos are always legal in North America.
Oh well. The good news is that tattoos have been legal in South Carolina for the past two years and that as of this past Tuesday, South Carolina can add one more tattoo studio to its roster of places to get tattooed. Tattooists Jordan Cobb and Justin Pitts will officially open Branded Tattoos Inc. in West Union this November, thanks to the West Union City Council’s vote to grant the duo a business license. This makes Branded Tattoos Inc. the first tattoo studio in Oconee County.
It was something of a close call as the City Council appeared to be deadlocked on its decision, but council member Sharon Zimmerman, whose original vote had been against the opening of Branded Tattoos, changed her mind and decided to allow the tattoo studio to exist. The vote then went 3-1 in favour of Cobb and Pitts opening their studio.
It’s great to hear about things like this, especially coming from a place that at one point didn’t allow tattoos at all. I think that something like this just goes to show that the old laws that restrict tattoo artists from performing their art form don’t last forever and that the more time passes and the more people get educated about what tattooing is really all about, the more things start to change for the better. Best of luck to Jordan and Justin and Branded Tattoos Inc.