(Body) Art

Via etsy

Don't worry, I'm not actually thinking of getting a tattoo (what's that sound? Oh, it's the sound of my parents hitting the roof.).

Via Pinterest (original source unknown)

Partly because I am, frankly, a spineless goody-two-shoes. Woman, know thyself.

Partly because I cannot conceive of ever loving any image enough that I would want it staring me in the face every day for the rest of my life. I mean, you saw how long it took me to decide on a haircut. Decision-making, particularly decisions of the more permanent kind, is not my forte.

Image by Caryn vs The World. Tattoo by Brian at Capital City Tattoo in Madison, WI

But the main reason, I confess, is that I have simply been unable to shake off the long-held notion that tattoos are, fundamentally, tacky (see: goody-two-shoes, above). 

Before you shout at me, I'm sorry. It's just that the only time I ever really see large numbers of people with tattoos is when I'm on holiday and they're invariably hideous. Rippling muscles spattered with random Chinese symbols, simpering girls adorned with bows and rainbows and cupcakes and other such vapid nonsense, slightly terrifying middle-aged men with loved ones' warped, badly-drawn faces sprawling across bulging back fat. And that's before you even leave the airport.

Image via Elsie's flickr stream

But, I have to say, some of the tattoos I have seen floating around the internet recently have caused me to revise my perceptions somewhat. I mean, Amanda Wachob's work, featured on design*sponge recently, isn't quite my thing. But there's no denying the artistry. So perhaps tattoos can be art, after all.

But it's a fine line, my friends. A very fine line indeed.

Via Tattoo Disasters