Tattooed Tucson
by Tess Martinez on Jul. 15, 2006, under Family, LocalWe’re trying to keep up with the 25% of Americans who are wearing ink
Heather Howard, 16, feels the pain of getting a tattoo of a koi on her back from tattoo artist Matt "Zip" Howard, her cousin.
Megan Hunt spent her 18th birthday joining ranks once reserved for bikers and sailors.
She got a tattoo.
“I’ve always wanted a tattoo for as long as I can remember,” Hunt said as artist John Campbell prepared to tattoo a Kottonmouth Kings logo on her upper back.
“This represents a lot of memories throughout my teenage years,” she said about the band.
This scene may have seemed odd or unique just a decade ago. Not anymore.
Now, 1 in 4 Americans sports a tattoo or two, a recent study from the American Academy of Dermatology shows. And the numbers of tattooed Americans are growing with each generation.
Dennis Dwyer, who owns Ancient Art Tattoo, 2108 S. Alvernon Way, said he knows firsthand that the stigma of a tattoo is a thing of the past.
“When I got my first tattoo, my grandmother told me what a disgusting, foul thing I had done,” Dwyer said. “She said I’d never find a woman who would lie down next to me. I’ve been happily married for 23 years. It’s just not the same as it used to be.”
Dwyer said most of his customers are 18 to 25, and more than half are women, many wanting permanent eyeliner and makeup.
The explosion in tattoos has also resulted in a boom in shops.
“I was the only guy in town,” said Dwyer, who set up his shop in 1980. “Now there’s about 40 shops. The market is oversaturated.”
Campbell disagreed, saying there are plenty of people who want tattoos to go around.
People such as Mike Johnson, who just got his second koi tattoo.
“I’ve always been fascinated with aquatic life,” said Johnson, 21, who is on leave from the Army. “I got one and got hooked. Usually, when I come home (to Tucson) I get ink done.”
Artists say most designs are unique and have special significance for each person.
“There’s no such thing as a common tattoo anymore, because everybody’s getting them,” Dwyer said.
Still, some people pick art off the wall of the tattoo parlor.
“There’s one design I had up; it was a tribal butterfly,” Campbell said. “It must be on every sorority girl and stripper in Tucson by now. We try to work with the customer to find out exactly what they want. It’s part of the process.”
Some get tattoos such as a family crest or name to strengthen family ties.
Kyle Sitkowski and his son Josh both got a Polish eagle tattooed on their right arms at Fast Lane Tattoo, 1108 S. Wilmot Road.
“I’ve been wanting one for a while,” Sitkowski said. “We decided we should get something together, something from our heritage.”
He said his brother in Michigan will also get the eagle tattoo.
“Now all the Sitkowski men will have it,” he said. “Except for my dad; he said his tattoo days are over.”
Tattoos are also crossing political lines.
According to the study, Republicans and Democrats are about even when it comes to tattoos, with Democrats only sightly more (24 percent) than Republicans (22 percent).
Independents (27 percent) and “others” (29 percent) were a little higher.
Many teens getting tattooed for the first time say their parents’ attitudes are changing.
Well, sometimes. Tahne Smith, 19, still hasn’t shown her mom the little butterfly resting on her right hip, which she plans to add her late grandmother’s initials to.
She said her mom may be a little shocked, but not upset.
“I just want her to see it when it’s done,” she said. “I’m kinda worried about my boyfriend’s mom. She thinks they’re awful.”
The study said that 75 percent of those under 18 with tattoos or piercings don’t ask or sometimes even tell their parents.
Without the required parental permission, they probably used a homemade tattoo gun or an injection or sewing needle, the study said.
Because tattooing injects ink into an open wound, there is always a chance for infection, ranging from a minor allergy to hepatitis or AIDS.
Medical problems showed up in the first two weeks after getting a tattoo in 32 percent of those under 18, possibly because of unsanitary conditions.
Only 9 percent of those first tattooed as adults experienced those problems, the study said.
That may be why some parents are willing to sign paperwork allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to safely get ink.
Heather Howard, 16, got her first tattoo last week at Majestik Tattoo, 4756 E. Speedway Blvd., done by her cousin, Matt “Zip” Howard.
She got a koi on her right shoulder.
“It’s for luck,” she said. “I have a lot of Japanese friends; they gave me the idea for it.”
Her dad, J.R. Howard, had to sign a waiver because she is under 18.
“I decided to let her get it done,” he said. “I remember how badly I wanted mine. I just couldn’t find anything I liked for a long time.”
Howard's koi tattoo is supposed to bring good luck.
Josh Sitkowski gets a family crest tattoo on his forearm from Jim Allendorf at Fast Lane Tattoo.
J.R. Howard, father of Heather Howard (seen in the 1A photos), shows off some of his tattoos.
Renee Moreno's foot has a starry tattoo.
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TATTOO SAFETY
1. Make sure the tattoo studio has an autoclave, which uses steam, pressure and heat for sterilization. You should be allowed to watch as equipment is sterilized.
2. Ask the tattoo artist to provide references.
3. Be sure the tattoo studio follows the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Universal Precautions. These outline procedures for dealing with bodily fluids (in this case, blood).
4. If the studio looks unclean, if anything looks out of the ordinary or if you feel in any way uncomfortable, find a better place to get your tattoo.
Source: kidshealth.org
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WHO HAS TATTOOS?
● 36 percent of those born in the U.S. between 1975 and 1986 have tattoos.
● 24 percent of those born between 1964 and 1974 have tattoos.
● 15 percent of those born between 1953 and 1963 have tattoos.
● 37 percent of people with tattoos have military experience.
Ethnic breakdown
● African-American: 28 percent
● White: 22 percent
● Hispanic: 38 percent
● Other: 36 percent
Income breakdown
● Those who make less than $40,000: 32 percent
● $40,000-$75,000: 24 percent
● More than $75,000: 19 percent
Jail time breakdown
● Three days or more: 58 percent
● Fewer than three days: 20 percent
Education breakdown
(ages 24 and older)
● Did not complete high school: 40 percent
● Completed high school: 29 percent
● Some college: 25 percent
● Bachelor’s degree: 14 percent
● Graduate school: 14 percent
Source: American Academy of Dermatology
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ON THE WEB
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