In Ancient Greek, a hero or heroine was a person or literary character who faced danger and adversity from a position of weakness and displayed courage or self-sacrifice (Wikipedia). Heroes and heroines can take many forms in today’s culture. Some people still idolize imaginary beings as heroes where others idolize real life figures. In the world of tattooing, heroes are the ground breakers or those who have reached celebrity status.
The popularity of tattooing has grown exponentially in the last two decades and has become socially acceptable to possess ink. With this popularity, rises those ground breakers to a hero type status that can often be confused with being a celebrity. Don Ed Hardy is a famous tattoo artist out of Oakland, California, who in the 1970s set the bar for the new age of tattooing. He has since retired, but his brand and style can be seen in many stores across the world as he has developed his brand into clothing and other wares (“Ed”).
Along with this rising popularity, the television has given tattooing the forum to express their creativity and popularity. With shows like L.A. Ink, Miami Ink, Tattoo Nightmare, and competition shows like Best Ink and Ink Master being immensely popular, has allowed the artist to become somewhat of celebrities in their own right. Kat VonD is the most famous female artist that has allowed her to have her own shop, have her own television show and start her own makeup line being sold at Sephora stores.
The television shows have also given the hosts a celebrity status boost and a cult following of sorts. Ink Master had allowed Dave Navarro (formerly of Jane’s Addiction and Red Hot Chili Peppers) to have a career away from performing music. Chris Nunez has gone from being just a tattoo artist to having his own show and now is a judge on Ink Master on Spike TV. With the acceptance of tattoos gaining popularity, it has allowed people who are entirely covered in ink to have very lucrative careers like Rick Genest. Known as ‘Zombie Boy’, Rick has taken his artistry to a new level and is now an actor and fashion model (“Rick”). Being different shows that anyone can be whatever they desire no matter how they look and how they are marked.
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| David Beckham- Soccer star, model & entrepreneur |
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| Rick Genest aka-Zombie Boy |
I found your post very interesting. I don’t have tattoos myself, but I like seeing them on some people. I like David Beckham’s artwork. I think tattoos suit him, and it helps that he is gorgeous. I found Rick Genest very interesting, and I found myself digging further into his artwork. I wanted to see what he looked like before the makeup. I found a Dermablend Professional video where they covered all his tattoos up with makeup. He is truly good looking with a unique lifestyle. Thanks for the insight.
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