Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If this old adage ever
rang true, it was at the Philadelphia Tattoo Convention, last week. Why is it
the ultimate reminder? As opposed to strolling through an art gallery and
marveling or even purchasing an admired piece, these owners embellish their
bodies with personal masterpieces. Their
bodies are decorated with the permanence of art varying from bloody, gory and
frighteningly dark images to the lightness and gaiety of Pixar characters and the
50’s classic, calendar girls. There were many expressions of spirituality and
religion, as well.
If you are a lover of art, this was the place to be. The
talent in this convention center was staggering and leaves one in awe, whether
or not you choose to adorn.
Walking proudly, shirtless, sleeveless, or with one pant leg
rolled up, people were showing off their bandages that covered the newly decorated
raw skin like badges of honor. They appeared so happy to have purchased their
fresh ink.
One
thing that struck me is there was the medley of people attending. Every age, size,
weight and color was represented. There is no judgment or prejudice there. The
common thread was they were all there for their appreciation of the art and the
ink! The loud buzz of the coil machines was steady as every artist drew their
permanent design on their eager for the pain, customer.
I love hearing the stories behind the selection of a tattoo.
Men are often surprisingly romantic and sentimental in their selection. They
are passionate and have deep rooted reasons for their designs, not that women
don’t. But, it does take me back when the 6 ft. 5 in. guy explains that the
angel on his shoulder represents his mother because she raised him right. I
love it!
My experience in performing scar re-pigmentation or
guy-liner on men is that they typically have less tolerance for elective pain
than women. Women start yanking their brows out at 12. We are just more
accustomed to choosing pain, especially in the name of aesthetics. Men
typically avoid pain, whenever possible. I remember, years back, attempting to
wax a man’s back and he screamed so loud, I swallowed my gum. I left him with a
stripe down his back like a skunk, and no, I didn’t feel bad. Generally, when I
have a male client, I pray he has tattoos, so I know he will tolerate scar
camouflage or an aesthetic tattoo of sort. Now, I am in awe at the patience and
tolerance of the men I witnessed sitting for hours to sport an adornment that
touches their heart. Many come equipped with head phones and zone out with
their music. Some even have the ability to fall asleep! Seriously? I touch some
guys with my machine and they coil into fetal position. Go figure.
I also noticed much more light and romantic art as opposed
to the dark, skull and dagger art. Beautiful women’s faces were being tatted up
and down arms and legs and wings spanning across the backs of both guys and
girls, women and men were quite popular. Mom and daughter tattoos are the rage
and listening to them agree on a design was hysterical. Countless tattoos so
magnificently done, kept my head spinning as I perused the isles filled with
more than 500 artists. I did notice the lack of tribal arm bands and tramp
stamps going on. There were more sides, ribcages and shoulders being inscribed.
Sleeves and half sleeves were plentiful. They were so elaborate, intricate and
colorful and some crawled up onto the chest. The art was breathtaking. Some sleeves
had a theme and some were just unrelated yet meaningful images to the beholder
that were woven with flow and connectivity. It’s hard not to stare as you try
to decipher a beautiful collage in a sleeve.
Of course, some attendees as well as artists go to extremes.
Some had gauges in their ears that I could hop through, they were so painfully
large. There was one set of enormous dreads on a blonde I found quite
interesting. There were confusingly woven with various colors of yarn and
several other unrelated textiles. I couldn’t tear my eyes off them. I found
myself looking for my lost cat in there.
At our Beau Institute booth, bystanders were amazed at our
creation of eyebrows that simulated hair. The photos of before and after a
woman’s mastectomy, sporting the 3-D nipple areola complex blew them away. Many
artists as well as attendees flocked our booth to inquire about our training
and our techniques. My entire staff and I enjoyed the experience and can’t wait
until next year. We all left incredibly inspired, profoundly moved and beyond
impressed. If you see a tattoo convention in your area, you won’t want to miss
it. Be sure you are on our email list to stay tuned for our next tattoo show
exhibit.
Rose Marie Beauchemin
President, Director of Education, The Beau Institute
