Face Tattoos Go Mainstream

For decades, tattoos in highly visible areas, especially the face, were considered the extreme in body art, at least in Western culture. It wasn’t only members of polite society who were put off. Even among tattoo aficionados, the face was sacrosanct, a canvas of last resort when the rest of the body was covered.

Over his 12-year career, said Mr. Molina, 34, he has done only three face tattoos. “Two were on tattooers, and one was on this gangster from Florida who sold a bunch of weed and wanted his eyelid tattooed,” he said.

JonBoy, a New York-based tattoo artist who gave Mr. Bieber his cross and who has tattooed many other celebrities, half-joked that in the past, if he spotted someone with a face tattoo, “I’d walk on the other side of the street.”

Indeed, one saw a face tat and thought: Aryan Brotherhood or gang member or sideshow performer. Famous face tattoo wearers of the recent past, like Mike Tyson, Charles Manson and the drug-addled skateboarder Jay Adams, conformed to the stereotype of the rough character.

All of which makes their current popularity more striking — or perhaps not, at a time when tattoos have become ubiquitous.

Anna Felicity Friedman, a scholar who runs the website Tattoo Historian, said that starting in the 1990s, it became common to see athletes and celebrities with tattoos. Soon, reality TV shows (with titles like “Best Ink” and “Tattoo Nightmares”) and magazines began covering tattoo culture, and Americans embraced body art like never before.

Tattoos, as a result, began losing their renegade status. Hence the creep upward, past the neckline.

“If you want to be transgressive — and a lot of rappers want to create a transgressive character — the last frontier is the face,” Ms. Friedman said. “Some of it is to give them a rebel/criminal allure. And some of it is a more artistic or free-spirit reference.”

Post Malone has offered a simpler explanation to reporters for his face tattoos: anything to upset my mom. But with the notable exception of Lil Wayne and Wiz Khalifa, two heavily inked established artists, many of the hip-hop stars with face tattoos are so-called SoundCloud rappers — young, unknown artists who post their music on SoundCloud for free.

Getting Anne Frank’s portrait etched on the side of your face, as the rapper and producer Arnoldisdead did, is one obvious way to attract attention.

Say goodbye to gainful employment unless you work in an unsavoury position.

“A lot of kids are doing it to make themselves bigger on social media,” said Travis Hardy, 30, a creative director in Los Angeles who works with musicians. “It’s kind of corny.” Last month, he a got a lightning bolt tattooed under his left eye.

“I don’t need that,” Mr. Hardy said, referring to others’ quest for attention. “This isn’t for followers or comments.” (Though there is, in fact, a thoughtfully composed shot on Mr. Hardy’s Instagram.)

“There’s no turning back. There’s no normal job or whatever,” Mr. Hardy said. “I’m going to continue to creative direct or write treatments for music videos or stage design. I’m not going to turn around. This served as a stamp: I believe in myself.”

Mr. Hardy’s tattoo is so small as to be easily mistaken for a birthmark or go unnoticed in public. It is what JonBoy, who did the face tattoo, considers “classy.”

Harder to miss is the tattoo that Kerwin Frost, a member of the Spaghetti Boys creative collective, has on his face: a realistic pencil that runs the entire length of his right cheek.

Reactions to the pencil have been all over the map, Mr. Frost said. “Some people scream at me,” he said. “Some people also get super-angry because life is working out for me right now, so it’s, what can I call out? A lot of people really love it and ask me if I draw.”b

He has no regrets. “It’s honestly almost made my life better having it, not going to lie,” Mr. Frost said. And if at some point he wants it gone (as Gucci Mane appears to have done, erasing the ice cream cone tattoo off his face), laser removal technology has become better and more affordable.

Still, don’t expect face tattoos to become commonplace anytime soon. Mr. Molina, the Chicago tattoo artist, says that those getting face tattoos are generally young and work in untraditional jobs. For what it’s worth, he has no plans to get one himself. “I know if I drop my kid off at school and I have face tattoos, the teacher is going to judge me,” he said.

Echoing many in the tattoo community, Mr. Molina also believes that a face tattoo should never be someone’s first time getting inked. When an 18-year-old woman recently asked him for a tattoo on her ear, he saw she had no other visible tattoos and talked her out of it.

“You have to earn it,” he said. “It’s a rite of passage.”

[quote]For decades, tattoos in highly visible areas, especially the face, were considered the extreme in body art, at least in Western culture.

When I was growing up it was extremely common for women of a certain age to have face tattoos, e.g., eyeliner permanently applied.

Yeah earn that ugly fucked up shit!

Reddit had an interesting thread the other day: “What is the weirdest status symbol you know of that only makes sense in a specificic sub-culture”. This fits.

I’m sure we will be seeing employment discrimination lawsuits from these people in the future.

Aren't 50% of jobs going to be gone by 2025 anyway?

They can all get jobs in the marijuana business.

It's articles like this that make me pray for sweet, sweet death. I'll never understand why someone would want to do this. I'm officially "old".

I have several tattoos but I've never seen a face tattoo that I've liked

Tee hee

They’ll do fine working in call centers or in IT jobs.

This stuff and a lot of other insanity is being spread more because of youtube, instagram, tumblr, etc.

I think the big mass tattooing came after there were reality TV shows about it. The internet is popularizing the face ones and yes because so many have tattoos they have to go to the face to seem "edgier."

What could go wrong?

I'm planning on talking with my financial planner about investing in businesses that specialize in the removal of unwanted tattoos. There is going to be an incredible need for this in the future and I'd like to get in on the ground floor.

Dick tattoos. There's a great future in dick tattoos. Think about it. Will you think about it?

[quote]I’m going to continue to creative direct

This reminds me of a quote from a Hollywood wannabe who said she intended to 'keep on actressing'.

Oy vey.

Let’s see how they feel in 5-10 years. I have a forearm tattoo I really regret. I’d kick my 22 year-old self in the ass about it if I could.

LOL. I saw this in the Times this AM and thought to myself "this is such a DL trigger post"

And I was right.

In the future r16? I remember thinking in the late 90s when the tattooing craze was not slowing down, that the tattoo removal would be a profitable line of work. Now, in my small city, two "laser tattoo removal" facilities have opened, one in a newly trendy area (from dirt parking lots and old warehouses to several high rise condos in less than five years). That's what it says on the outside of the building in large letters.

I wonder though, if customers are lasering off outdated-style tattoos like butterflies and Maori designs to get the latest "meaningful" style.

When I see a woman with bad plastic surgery and fillers, it’s like they’re wearing a sign that says “VAIN” and when I see a man with hair plugs or toupee, the sign says “INSECURE”. When I see face tattoos, the sign says “MENTALLY ILL”.

Based on the number of tattoos and the subject matter, I draw conclusions about the personality of the bearer. Not all necessarily negative, either.

Tattoos seem to increase the likelihood one will commit suicide.

All tattoos should be banned. Those who put face, neck and hand tattoos on anyone including those who self-tattoo should be charged with a felony.

I don't care what anyone says, face tattoos are not "mainstream," and never will be. Pretty much all tats are bad, but face, neck, hands, and excessive tats are particularly dreadful and really damn ugly.

R10 and R24:

[italic]SHRIEKKKKKKKKKKKKK

The headline: Face tattoos are mainstream

The article: Musicians and artistic types are getting face tattoos.

The money quote: “Still, don’t expect face tattoos to become commonplace anytime soon. Mr. Molina, the Chicago tattoo artist, says that those getting face tattoos are generally young and work in untraditional jobs.”

R27 nails it. Absolutely nothing to see.

....

I appreciate the young people who tell me up front to not consider them for employment. It saves *so* much time.

I remember in the late 90s thinking this tattoo shit wouldn't last. All those barbed wires on the biceps.

20 years later this shit is not only still going strong but also picking up steam.

So gross.

I can't even fuck someone with tats, they gross me out that much.

I’m 30 and in my lifetime I’m sure face tattoos will become mainstream even for traditional occupations. And to be honest I believe Hunger Games isn’t that far off from the future we’re heading toward.

R31

[bold]SHRIEKKKKKKKKKKKK

If you're going to get a face tattoo, at least fully commit- you'll get fashion campaigns and movie rolls for it:

Just don't kill yourself R34

Face tattoos= Mental Illness

Stalking Cat killed himself too.

The self-loathing must be so high ...

A face tattoo is sometimes referred to as a “$10,000 tattoo” - because that’s the most its proud owner can expect to earn in annual income. Yeah, yeah, don’t talk to me about the rappers. The exception doesn’t prove the rule.

These same people don't fix their nasty teeth, never go to the doctor, don't pay their rent.....but they can pay thousands for tattoos. Disgusting.

You’re making up stories R38, just like my 90 year old grandma

[quote]The exception doesn’t prove the rule.

That's exactly what exceptions do R37. The word prove means test as well as confirm.

R39- you will never earn a living in "the arts". But that's okay. The world needs ditch diggers.

R38 / r41

SHRIEKKKKKKKKKK

Your outrage and helplessly are delicious

Excuse me....that should be “helplessness”

Auto correct. You do understand that a feature on smart phones today grandma, you sour desiccated old twat?

[quote]Your outrage and helplessly are delicious

Your illiteracy is delicious. Goes well with your facial tats.

R43...

Insults must be hard for you, with your cataracts and typing with two arthritic fingers r44

There, there gramps...you can still do it, and you are a valuable contributor [italic]still.

r35, but wait!

^^Families always say that.

The NY Times is on the level of Buzzfeed/Vice/Vox etc and they have been hiring people from those places now.

They will be good in horror movies or circus side show. In the artistic field as well if that are talented. otherwise, it screams "i'm a total nut job and crazy person"

Id never do it,but if the guy with it has a big dick,id get over it pretty quickly. I liken this to earrings on men..when it first started I was all for it,but after seeing so many fat,middle aged men doing it, I took mine out and never wore one again. I detest being "trendy",especially when a zillion other people are doing it.

I have no plans to get one, but I’m glad others are doing it.

I enjoy looking at them and cannot understand why so many are outraged by someone else’s choice.

I think of it as defiling one's own body like scarring oneself as an act of expression. I guess that's why we are repulsed by anorexics or fat people. It's a way of saying my body is not important to me and I'll damage it or desecrate it in any way possible. It's a visceral human response.

MARY ^

"I enjoy looking at them"

Really?

These losers should tattoo themselves with their own fecal matter, they wanna look like shit

I know a lot of people don't consider any tattoos to be mainstream these days but I see a lot of young executive types at the gym, male and female, who reveal lots of ink on their bodies when dressed in athletic wear, so I think the taboo about any tats has gone away.

For those of you who say you'd never sleep with a person who had a tattoo, well, you'll probably never have the opportunity with that attitude. But it's not as if you can taste tattoos in the dark.

Ugh, I love my tattoos (I have 4) and a good portion of my best friends are covered in tattoos. But facial tattoos - disgusting. Just as disgusting as ear plugs. Thank God my tattooed friends have the common sense to realize how ugly facial tattoos can be.

There's also that campaign for "tattoo acceptance in the workplace" that all my trashy friends liked on facebook. They act like their civil rights are being violated and they're "discriminated" against. Omg, tattoos are a choice. I mean I hate wearing pants, but I don't get to come in pantsless just because it's how I prefer to "express myself."

Senile grandma R56

[italic]SHRIEKKKKKKKKK

These will age about as well as tramp stamps and barbed wire arm tattoos from the 90s

They all look crappy, like paintings on black velvet or cheesy paintings on vans in the 70s. The words are usually bathetic mottoes, often written in a corny Gothic font. The whole aesthetic suggests a repurposing of lowbrow heavy metal art. Why would you want to advertise your lame taste, even if you can cover it up at work, let alone when it's on your face? And don't try to tell me there's any irony involved; it might be ironic on a t-shirt, but when it's permanent it loses context and you're not being ironic. You're committing yourself to the group sentiment of the moment, even if you think you're being original.

I much prefer the fad of boys painting their nails. Sexy and changeable.

Everyone in New Mexico is tattooed. There's a tattoo shop in every corner. Neck and face tattoos have been mainstream here for a long time.

Some years ago, there was a dark-haired woman on American idol who had a lot of tattoos on her torso. She said her husband owned a tattoo parlor. She was pretty talented and was on for a while. They never showed her husband, as they did other people's partners. Once, during a show, they showed a brief glimpse of the husband in the audience, and he had extensive facial tattoos. I realized then the producers were trying to do her a favor up to that point, because Middle America was NOT going to accept an idol whose husband looked like that. Sure enough, she was voted off that week.

[quote]

For those of you who say you'd never sleep with a person who had a tattoo, well, you'll probably never have the opportunity with that attitude. But it's not as if you can taste tattoos in the dark.

Not necessarily. 50% of people 18-35 do not have tattoos--it pretty much peaked. And among older folk the percentage is much less. And I usually know what my partners' bodies look like--I don't meet people or even have sex in pitch darkness.

R55:

Sure, why not?

It’s no different to me than looking at any other art. It’s not as though I have a stake in a stranger’s future prosperity to the degree that I need to pretend it’s normal to freak out about it.

I see plenty of other art I would never place in my home, but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy checking it out at a gallery or edifice around town.

A comment with.a reasonable perspective R66....what are you doing on this thread?

R54 THE ILLUSTRATED MARY

You get tattoos when you're young, before you develop a sense of mortality or old age.

I love my tattoos, want another one (I have 4) and I'm as old as dirt. I enjoy looking at other's tats and hearing the stories connected to them. Facial tats are not mainstream and I hope they never are. There's something fun about hiding them a bit and having others get surprised. None of mine are in sagging places, large, or trendy subjects, and all commemorate important events and concerns.

Face tattoos are interesting in mugshots.

In everyday life, face tattoos are reminiscent of mugshots.

I don't mind tattoos in general, but I draw the line on face tattoos. They're a sign the person isn't quite right in the head, IMO, and I wouldn't trust anyone who ruined their face with those ridiculous doodles.

How badly must someone hate what they are that they have to disfigure their face as punishment?

It's a tribal thing man. Many tribes have face tattoos and circumcision. Last gratuitous, as were on DL.

Lmao at these idiots. Why would you ever do this to yourself?! Me no likey.

Yes, R40, you’re absolutely right. I dashed that off and then privately “Oh, dear-ed” myself. Color me chagrined.

I dare you, R59! I double dog dare you!

GET OFF MY LAWN!!!

What he looked like normally.

For a guy who was a model/performer, Zombie Boy was nearly expressionless. All those tats would get in the way of communication with the most expressive person, with Zombie Boy's lack of effect it was a total disconnect. It's really noticeable in "Born this Way"--he's just flat while Gaga's emoting away next to him--it's as if he didn't know how to react within a moment. He seems ill at ease always.

And depressed. And, yeah, I think it was a suicide. Grown-ups don't normally just fall off balconies--silently.

The "shriek" idiot has been blocked.

Personally I like large wide welts on my back with thick encrusted scabs. Summer is great because I go shirtless all the time.

R81 Has stated her boundaries

Can you imagine how creepy the autopsy must have been on Stalking Cat? The mortician probably never slept again

[quote]Ugh, I love my tattoos (I have 4) and a good portion of my best friends are covered in tattoos. But facial tattoos - disgusting. Just as disgusting as ear plugs. Thank God my tattooed friends have the common sense to realize how ugly facial tattoos can be.

Same. It's irrational, but I like my arm and leg tattoos, but find stretched-out earlobes and facial tattoos unattractive.

"Unemployment Goes Mainstream"

FTFY

I was interviewing a young man for a factory job once, he had letters F U C K tattooed on the fingers of one hand and Y O U ! tattooed on the fingers of his other hand. It wasn't even a professional tattoo but one of those cheap home tattoos. All I could think of was how fucked up on drugs or alcohol he must have been to do that. We were really having a hard time finding people to hire but I didn't even consider him for one second. Sad thing was he wasn't too bad looking of a guy, it would have been prophetic of him if he had tattooed F U C K M E on his fingers instead.

Not for everybody with a brain.

Tatoos are perfectly ok but you should make them in places you can hide. In Spain you can't even be a policeman (or woman) if you have visible tattoos

That's so very business superficial, R87, and for a factory job? Why do I not believe you after what I've seen working in those places when I was younger? Some of those 'vets' from Vietnam were covered with a helluva lot worse.

-10/10

Why not as facial piercing has been common here in the Pacific Northwest for years now?

I don't even want to hire anyone with a tattoo on his/her arm. Face, neck and hands...forget it.

Hypothetical: Assume you're single and a hot guy asks you out ... but he's covered in sleeve tattoos.

Do you say yes? Are the tattoos a plus, minus, or not a factor at all?

I say no.

R92. NO. Tattoos are a big turn-off and deal breaker. I'll stay single.

I'M LIVING WITH MOMMY AND DADDY UNTIL THE DAY I DIE!!!

I’d go for it, R92

Good luck getting a job in the future with a face tattoo. I'm not even one of those anti-tattoo people. I just think tattoos should be in places that you can cover up, aka not on the face, hands or neck. It just screams white trash.

[quote] That's so very business superficial, [R87], and for a factory job? Why do I not believe you after what I've seen working in those places when I was younger? Some of those 'vets' from Vietnam were covered with a helluva lot worse.

R89, I got chewed out by the owner for hiring a fat chick, she had the experience we needed for a skilled position and turned out to be a great worker. We didn't provide medical so I didn't see her weight being an issue and since she had experience I figured it was a great hire, the owner didn't see it my way.

People with drug and alcohol problems are not good hires often don't show up for work and if they do can be impaired. Clearly you have zero experience with hiring.

[quote]The words are usually bathetic mottoes

Bathetic Mottoes sounds like a band name.