The LA Times reported last week that to celebrate her 50th birthday, Barbie now has tattoos. Yes, that’s right. Mattel has launched Totally Stylin’ Tattoos Barbie which comes with more than 40 tattoos stickers that can be placed on her body. There’s even a faux tattoo gun with wash off tattoos so girls (and boys, I guess) can play at getting tattoos themselves.
Maybe you already have a tattoo, or may be you’re thinking of getting one – I mean, if Barbie has a tattoo, it’s mainstream, almost not trendy anymore. However, before you go rushing off to the ink parlor listen to what my friend Mark. Mark and I were in college together in England but we hadn’t actually spoken for 28 years! We reconnected recently through Facebook and when I learned he was divorced after 23 years of marriage I thought getting a male perspective for my blog would be fascinating. Here’s what mark had to say about tattoos.
“There seems to be a thing in the UK at the moment of getting tattoos. I don’t like it. I don’t mind it in subtle areas but I don’t like it on arms or breasts. I met a couple of women who had tattoos on their breasts and it was almost like, ‘I can do this so I’ve done it.’ Like I couldn’t do it while I was married but now I can. They don’t think about what it does for a potential new partner who’s not into that sort of thing.”
According to a 2006 study published by the American Academy of Dermatology, nearly a quarter of Americans between the ages of 18 and 50 have tattoos. And if tattoos are big business now, tattoo removal is also a growing business for dermatologists. I know locally, some skin doctors are donating their services for teenagers who want to remove their gang-related art but I doubt anyone’s donating their services to remove a tattoo because your new love finds them a turn-off.
Did you get a tattoo after your divorce? What’s the design? Where is your tattoo? Do you love it or do you wish you never did it? If you have a tattoo story to share, please leave a comment…