I think that when talking about the hardships that tattooed people have to deal with when it comes to society’s perceptions of them, it’s easy to lump everyone together and assume that all tattooed people get the same amount of crap. After all, unless you work in the tattoo industry in some capacity, you’ve most likely been asked to or outright had to cover up your tattoos at some job at one point or another. I know that I certainly have.
Although I remain firmly dedicated to doing whatever I can in even the most miniscule ways possible of dispelling or challenging the ignorance that is often put forth against those with tattoos, I have to admit that until today I really hadn’t considered another point of view in all this. The truth is, as tattooed folks we don’t all get the same level of grief from people who don’t understand what motivates us or captivates us about tattoos. No sir, we certainly don’t. And do you want to know why? It’s because tattooed women have to deal with a lot of stuff that tattooed men don’t have to worry about.
Maybe you think that’s an exaggeration or melodramatic. But after reading Emily McCombs recent blog post over at The Frisky, I started to think about what it would be like if men had to put up with all that crap that women do when it comes to having a lot of tattoos. There’s no denying that women have an expectation on them to appear and behave like ladies. What “a lady” appears and behaves like seems to be dictated by fashion magazines, television, films and popular culture in general. I’m not really sure about all the details, but I think it’s also got a lot to do with pressure to starve one’s self and wear tons of makeup and dresses. There’s definitely a prescribed image waiting for women from very early on in their lives and getting tattooed is absolutely not a part of the grand plan.
Which is of course, why women with lots of tattoos can and do face a lot of crap from people who think women should be one way and one way only. And that’s just a bunch of bullshit. So I just wanted to write this post and tell Emily McCombs that not only do I think it’s awesome that she has a lot of tattoos and that she’s proud of them, but I’m also super jealous that you got all your ink done by Virginia Elwood because she’s such a rad tattooist.
That’s about it. Keep on getting tattooed, ladies, and don’t let anyone tell you who or what you should be.