Going around social media recently was an image of a gentleman from New Zealand who has the word "DEVAST8" – his nickname – written across his face. In block letters the negative space depicts the word, while the rest of the tattoo is in black across his face like a beard.
Apparently the tattoo was supposed to be small and simply run along his jawline; but while in prison his cell mate and brother gave him the tattoo. They were drunk off of fermented apples, sugar, and bread... and the tattoo became a little larger than originally planned.
He posted the photo of himself, saying essentially that he regrets the tattoo, but that it's there and he is now in search of work.
My reaction to the tattoo, "That guy just ruined his life." I have tattoos, but they can all be covered. A tattoo on the face means that your job options are immediately hindered. Despite society being more accepting of tattoos and more people than ever before with tattoos, certain types of tattoos do make you think – criminal. Granted this guy has been to jail, hopefully he's been rehabilitated and ready to be reintegrated into society.
However, a stupid mistake means that he's now going to have to live with that for the rest of his life. Luckily as a result of the post, an Auckland company has offered to remove the tattoo free of charge as well as transport him to and from the clinic, which he has accepted.
So, although society is more accepting of tattoos, something like that would definitely warrant a second look walking down the street. The majority of people with tattoos typically stay away from their face from what I've seen. Personally I stick to ones that can be covered. Although warm in the summer, I can wear long sleeves and pants. It's not that his are offensive, which is typically why you're asked to cover them or can't have them for certain jobs, it's just a rather striking image to see him with such a large tattoo – BAM – right there.
Obviously I like tattoos. But, I am the type of person that likes to have my meaning behind them and wouldn't want them to be offensive. My interpretation of meaning and offensive could be different from someone else's though and I'm fully aware that saying I'm not fond of his choice definitely means there are people out there not fond of mine.
So, it's good on that company that's offered to help him out since he does want it removed. But, I guess that's the thing with tattoos. You have to be in your right mind, know what you want and realize that it will be with you forever. I personally don't regret any of mine. Do I think a different artist on some of my earlier ones could have done a better job or the art would have been better from my current artist I go to, yes. But, they're all meaningful and I wouldn't change them.
The majority had a lot of thought put into them, while a couple were deals I made with volleyball teams I've coached. But, each of those too are meaningful because those kids likely aren't going to forget winning a gold medal at the Saskatchewan Summer Games and their coach getting a volleyball tattoo to commemorate it. Or the ones a few years ago that earned top eight in the province and had a deal that it qualified for a tattoo of our team logo.
So, it's definitely something that requires some thought not only of what you're getting, but where you're putting it.
