Tattoo U.
The tattoo industry is booming and cleaning up its act, and college girls are making it happen.
by Matthew Karr
Staff Writer
Photo by Ana Hirsbrunner
Tattoos hit the mainstream.
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I expected it to be grimy. Well maybe not exactly grimy, but gritty and definitely grungy. There would probably be some dark corners and at least one guy named Zeke or Bulldog who would scan my 'un-inked' body in condescending disapproval. All in all, I didn't expect too much from my first visit to a tattoo parlor.
Following the directions a friend gave me, I pulled into what seemed to be the wrong place; a suburban strip mall, bustling with soccer moms looking for new shoes and waiters serving outdoor tables. It certainly didn't seem like the kind of place bikers and punk rockers would go to get their next piece of body art, but there, nestled between the Golden Wok Kitchen and a Discount Wireless shop, a tasteful green sign announced my objective; "Lark Tattoos".
Okay, not much grime yet, but surely the grit was on its way.
Upon entering I was greeted by a trio of clean-cut young guys, smiling and asking how they could help me. I guess Bulldog took a vacation. The floors were newly carpeted and along the front wall, a row of chairs created an improvised waiting area. On the side, a collection of previously drawn tattoos was neatly organized in a turnstile of plastic sheaths attached to the wall like at a poster store. At the back section of the shop a complete lack of dark corners revealed several cushy, blue-plastic armchairs shining under bright lights, like some ultra-hip dentists office. Tattoo sketches were framed neatly on the wall, and Indie rock was being pumped into the room through hidden speakers. No grime, no grit, not even any grunge.
Today, Lark Tattoo's grime-less image is more the standard than the exception in the tattoo industry, as the outlaw image formerly associated with tattoos has given way to mainstream popularity with many tattoo parlors cleaning up their act to cater to the industry's new chic appeal. According to estimates by the Alliance of Professional Tattooists, a professional group that promotes regulation and guidelines for the industry, one in every ten adults is tattooed today, up from thirty years ago when just one in every hundred adults had a tattoo. The number of tattoo studios has also risen from 300 to more than 4,000 in the past twenty years according to the American Academy of Dermatology. This marked increase in tattooing in America can be traced largely to the growing number of women getting tattoos. What was once for the grizzled tough-guy is now attracting an ever growing female clientele.
All it takes is a quick walk across any college campus to see that tattoos are everywhere. According to industry Web site tattooartist.com, tattooing has become the sixth fastest-growing retail business in the United States in recent years, with middle-class suburban women the number one group seeking body art. A 2001 study conducted at Pace University and published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings found that 23 percent of college students had tattoos, while a 2003 survey conducted by and published in American Demographics found that 43percent of 21-year-olds have a tattoo or body piercing.
Surprised by the numbers? Well maybe you shouldn't be. Thanks in large part to the number of mainstream celebrities such as Britney Spears, Pink, and Angelina Jolie, who have embraced and contributed to the trend; tattooing has become much more acceptable for females in recent years. "A small percentage of women have always gotten tattoos, but no one really talked about it," said Guy Ursitti, 28, a tattoo artist at Lark Tattoos for the past six years. "Now we are definitely seeing a major surge in girls getting ink done. It's much more acceptable."
"Tattoos are not just for old sailors anymore," Ursitti asserted. "We have a solid female clientele and it's been growing constantly. I really can't imagine it shrinking."
In recent years tattoos have become more of a style accessory than a form of rebellion, prompting young females across the country to join the trend. The tattoos of today are a far cry from the skulls and eagles that were predominant among the military men and jailhouse regulars of a few decades past, and college-aged women now make up a large portion of those getting tattooed.
"Tattooing is more popular now than ever," said Erin Stallings, 30, a manager at The Alliance of Professional Tattooists. "The last few years have really been a boost in the industry because of it becoming more socially acceptable. I think the media has glorified it a lot more than before, so people see it more and they get used to it instead of being afraid of it," she added.
Jamie Stone, a 20-year-old Hofstra Junior, admits that the increased media coverage and celebrity trends influenced her decision to get a tattoo. "It's definitely more popular now for girls than before," she said, "because celebrities are always flaunting theirs. Britney Spears had hers on her lower back and that's where I wanted to get mine because it looked good."
But while the mainstream media may have helped make it more acceptable, it's certainly not the only place people find inspiration for their tattoos. Sitting cross legged on her unmade dorm room bed, Aliza Rosman, a Hofstra senior, reflected on what made her get a tattoo. "My first tattoo was the Chinese symbol for love. My boyfriend at the time picked it out and we both got it," she remembered. "After the relationship ended, I regretted getting it, but I had always wanted a tattoo to remember my father with because he died when I was young. I had his initials added right above the symbol, which gave it a whole new meaning. Now I'm really glad I have it and it reminds me of him."
Sara Babyatsky, also a senior, sat across from Rosman, lying against a pile of balled up clothes and pillows. "I got my tattoo for myself, not for style," she said, turning to show the small black-ink tattoo of a dwarf with a huge beard wrapped around his body that adorns her back. "I wanted something for a while, and I always loved Shel Silverstein. His poem 'My Beard' was my favorite growing up, so it means something special to me. No one else can see it, but it makes me smile," she explained, following her statement with an impromptu rendition of the children's poem.
"Girls get tattoos all the time now," added Rosman. "It�s much more acceptable and it's something special to each person individually."
Getting up out of the wobbly, University-issued chair I sat in, I thanked the girls for their insight and started to leave, stumbling over an ill-placed stack of books and some used Tupperware containers, nearly knocking over an overflowing trash can en route to the door. I looked back into the room, filled with the dingy fluorescent light and stale air of a dorm room in need of resuscitation; a little grimier than one might expect.
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