Masters of Body Modification

Out of every woman in the world, she’s one of just a handful who can honestly say they’re a living work of art. She’s Julia Gnuse, the illustrated lady, or to followers of Guinness, the most tattooed woman in the world.


 

Born in 1959, Julia amazingly didn’t even begin her modification transformation until her mid thirties, and now has approximately ninety-five percent of her body inked! Unlike most women who have a plethora of body art pieces, her reasons for the extensive work weren’t purely for the aesthetic loveliness of the tattoos themselves either. Ms. Gnuse has a rare genetic disorder called porphyria; a unique aversion to sunlight that results in blistering, scarring, or discoloration of the skin. And like any woman who’s just too cool for school, she got the idea to cover her skin marks with something empowering and beautiful: tattoo art.

Her tattoos range from realistic monochrome to brilliant vivid color, and cover over a dozen styles of art. They include cartoons, tribals, florals, Japanese style color blocking, classic television personalities, and loads of other fun fare. And she says that some of her favorites are her tattoos of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. My favorites (of those that I’ve seen) are the vibrant flowing waves across her cheek, and her adorable knuckle tattoos featuring the Peanuts Gang from Charlie Brown!



Today in her mid 50′s, Julia resides in California and remains the Guinness Book of World Records’ most tattooed woman in the world, falling short of most tattooed person by a narrow margin under just a handful of men who have between 95 and 100 percent of their bodies tattooed. The most tattooed person as of Guinness’s last publication was Lucky Diamond Rich, a New Zealand native who boasts 100% ink coverage.

Altered Attitudes Piercings and Tattoos in Modern Film

Once upon time, in a far away land (called Hollywood), actors with piercings were a lot like fairy godmothers. We weren’t really sure that they existed, and those of us who thought they saw one only had a blurry photo or two and couldn’t prove it. But today, as more characters in film and literature are being written with piercings and tattoo art to reflect the changing social norm, modified movie actors and characters are finally coming into prominence. You can even track the change.

 

 

  Although tattoo art has been seen amongst film characters of particular types earlier (sailors, mystics, societal outcasts), for the most part the real onset of both character and actor adapting body modifications didn’t begin until around the year 2000. One of the more notable examples of a character being reinvented for the modern era is Francis Dolarhyde, the title character in 2002′s Red Dragon. Originally seen on the big screen in the 1986 film adaptation of Thomas Harris’s novel of the same name, the Francis character is covered with an amazing dragon tattoo. His tattoo was later redesigned to a more modern monochrome version and features prominently in the 2002 movie version starring Ralph Fiennes.
 

Another film that lent its style to modern modification trending, adding to a growing fashion yearning for all things mystical and idiomatic was 2007′s 300, starring Scottish actor Girard Butler as the king of Sparta and Rodrigo Santoro as Persian god-king Xerxes. Along with stunning Grecian fashion and a barrage of pierced, tattooed, and implanted creatures, the character of Xerxes himself is shown with large, golden Middle Eastern style rings pierced through his nose, eyebrow, cheeks, and ear cartilage. This is a slight change from his original depiction in the Frank Miller comic book on which the film is based, as in the comics he also wears piercings in his bottom lip.

 

 

 Perhaps the most prominent recent character to be shown with both piercings and tattoos is Stieg Larsson’s tough as nails female protagonist Lisbeth Salander of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. This character was first played on the big screen in 2009 by the lovely Noomi Rapace and then again just recently by Rooney Mara for the English version. (The original is in Swedish, as is its eponymous novel.) Both women got real piercings to play the role, including several in the ear cartilage and some in the nostril, septum, lip, eyebrow, and nipple. The Swedish original starring Rapace is even part of a trilogy; one movie for each of Larsson’s books, starting with Dragon Tattoo.


 

Other actors who have been pierced and tattooed, whether for a role or not, include Drew Barrymore, Johnny Depp, Ewan McGregor, Colin Farrell, Viggo Mortenson, Lenny Kravitz, Angelina Jolie, Keifer Sutherland, Asia Argento, Robert LaSardo, Eve Salvail, Katie Holmes, Leelee Sobieski, Scarlett Johansson, and countless others.

Life in Ink the Meaning of My Tattoos

Great American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters, compared to what lies within us.”  But what about what lies permanently engraved upon us?  I’m talking of course, about tattoos.



The tattoo is a many splendored thing, and we’ve watched its evolution across the passing of a century with all the vim and verve that an artform deserves.  From vaudeville to Sailor Jerry, permanent makeup to Ed Hardy, the tattoo has become an integral part of popular culture in the Western world.  In fact, figures taken in the 2000s suggest that approximately 16% or one sixth of all adults in the United States have at least one tattoo.  What’s even more impressive is that those who are counted amongst that percentage cannot be characterized into any particular set of demographics.  Basically, tattooing transcends the barriers of race, age, gender, and economic status to become one of the most popular means of human identification and expression worldwide.



Now back to the great Mr. Emerson.  Tattoos for most are an expression of some part of us that would otherwise remain hidden.  We mark our bodies with things we choose specifically, things that speak to us, or that express our personalities or indulge our secret passions.  So in that way, what we ink on the outside can represent what lies within us.  Our tattoos can become the expression of our inner strength, the proof of our bravery, or an emblem of our values.
My tattoos are a statement that I’ve chosen to represent my love of simplicity, of Eastern culture and enduring symbolism, and in many ways of keeping my private thoughts.  I put them in places that most people will never see, not because I want to appear “uninked,” but because I’m a very private person.  I can count the number of people who know where my tattoos are and what they translate to in English on just my two hands.  And in that way, they also symbolize the strength and depth of my closest friendships, and the spiritual element that I feel is inherent to permanently marking myself.

 

Life in Ink the Beauty of a Work in Progress

Those of you who follow our blog on a regular basis will probably recognize our team member, Cat.  You might remember her getting funky with some cocktail rings, showing off her dark side with a perfectly poisoned apple, or being pierced in front of the camera with a wonderful smile.

 

What you might not recognize though, is her lovely new tattoo.  Now when you take a look, don’t be confused; this tattoo isn’t finished.  It seems as though the plan is to fill in this stunning array of flowery blooms with shades of purple, ranging from lavenders and violets, to a pinkish tone.  The thing is that our fabulous friend isn’t in any huge hurry.



While she may subscribe to a retro rockabilly type fashion sense that could be commonly recognizable, our Cat is truly a one of a kind gal, and many things about her look are incredibly unique.  Every mod she gets has special meaning, like her recent Monroe piercing, lovingly perforated in honor of one of her idols, Marilyn Monroe.  Or her long-standing nose piercing, made with a safety pin and pure adrenaline when she was just 14 years old (certainly not recommended). And if you look very closely, you’ll notice that this new set of ink actually covers an old one, bearing a poetic phrase (quoted by the way, from cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show) that our resident sweetheart plans to get re-inked in a larger size.

 

So Cat waits, with an almost zen-like patience that can only be derived from the acceptance that, like life, the decoration of the human body is a constant work in progress, another step towards completion.  With every new addition, the skin is less altered than made whole.  And just like the person it’s a part of, it will continue to grow and change, picking up new scars along the way, each more memorable than the last.

Masters of Body Modification

Unstoppable is exactly the name that you might think of when you lay eyes on a guy like Pauly Unstoppable.  Even in the United States, it’s extremely rare to see someone who has multiple facial mods, especially at a regular job, but that’s exactly what Pauly is.  A hairdresser by trade, celebrity is something that seems to have happened naturally to such a normal guy.

 

Originally from Canada and living in Indiana, Pauly is still in his twenties and is arguably considered the most modified person in the world.  Often referred to as “the king of extreme body modification,” his mods include several piercings, multiple stretches, tattooing, an ocular tattoo (on the white of his eye), different types of implants, scarification, branding, nullification, tongue splitting, and several other things.
 

Oddly enough, the nickname “Unstoppable” is less a reference to his super mods, and more a confirmation of his super-human luck.  Pauly has reportedly survived being hit by a car, shot, and even set on fire, and was once in a coma for over two weeks.  And that’s not to mention having several painful modification procedures, and managing to overcome the stigma of his somewhat odd looks in favor of a creative and professional career.  He’s also been credited as the first person ever to receive an eyeball tattoo.  Talk about being truly unstoppable.



In recent years, Pauly has had his awesomely large stretched earlobes reconstructed, going from over 3 inches in diameter to an average shape.  He’s also discontinued the stretching of his nostril piercings, which had reportedly reached almost an inch and a half.  He is still recognized often when out and about, and asked for photos or autographs.

Modern Methods of Tattoo Removal

For most of the tattooed population, our tattoos are something we would never dream of parting with, and not just because of the cost involved. According to recent surveys though, up to about 17 percent of 

 tattooed Americans have considered a tattoo removal. So how exactly do you remove a tattoo anyway?

 

 

There are many reasons that someone might decide to get a tattoo removed. Perhaps the tattoo art wasn’t done right or doesn’t look the way it’s supposed to. Or maybe it includes the name of an ex, or has some affiliation with a group to which you no longer belong. Whatever the reason, removal is definitely a longer process than the original tattooing itself was. Here’s what you need to know:

There are a few basic methods of tattoo removal, and these include a cover-up, excision, dermal fading, cosmetic cover, and laser treatment. A cover-up is basically a new tattoo used to cover an old one that you no longer like. Many people who have multiple pieces of body art and simply wish to cover a name, lettering, or a small element of a tattoo they dislike choose to get a cover-up. These are generally on par pricewise with regular tattooing, though they may involve slightly longer healing and more sessions than the original tattoo.


 

Excision is surgical removal, which is currently used in conjunction with skin grafts primarily for larger or multi-layered tattooing that would be very difficult to remove via laser. In this method complete removal is of course possible in one fell swoop, but it can be costly and is likely to leave some type of mild scarring when used for larger areas.

Dermal fading includes methods like dermabrasion and fading balms, which either slough off the top layers of skin repeatedly or soak into them in an attempt to fade inks out through the epidermis. These practices generally take several months or years to reach their full effect and for most users will fade a tattoo, but not completely.

 

Cosmetic cover is a temporary method applied when necessary to hide the tattoo rather than actually remove it. In recent years this has come to include everything from various makeup products, to flesh colored microfiber sleeves, and even skin colored temporary tattoos that work in layers to hide ink like a band aid.

And finally, laser removal, is the most effective and widely used form of tattoo removal for those who require permanent fading. This type of service has evolved tremendously since the 1980s and currently uses primarily Q-switched type lasers to penetrate the dermis and break down ink molecules. These broken down particles are then absorbed by the body, allowing for a gradual fade of the tattoo. For most tattooing, more than one session will be required, and though costly, results are generally very pleasing. Because the laser will use different frequency pulses to target different colors of ink, certain hues are easier treated than others. Blacks and darker blues and reds will be easier to fade than lighter greens, yellows and oranges, and soft purples. With most laser removal procedures, topical anesthetic will be used to alleviate some of the discomfort (which is often compared to being snapped with a rubber band), and there is low risk of permanent scarring.


 

With all of these options available in the modern era, those who need to “fix” their tattoo art can certainly rest easy with the idea that “permanent” isn’t entirely, well, permanent

Body Art Bridging the Generation Gap

I’m in my twenties, and like a lot of twenty-somethings, I have a few tattoos.  The really cool thing though?  So does my mom.  Plus, she got hers after I got mine.  Pretty sweet, right?

For a lot of us who went through school during the 90s, our generational anthem was probably Will Smith’s “Parents Just Don’t Understand.”  We wanted to spend hours at the mall, and our parents said no.  We wanted to dye our hair blue, and our parents said no.  But when we wanted a tattoo, a lot of our parents actually didn’t say no.  I know my mother didn’t.

My mom wasn’t a biker babe, or a hippie, or anything like that.  In fact, she worked in insurance, but when my sixteenth birthday was coming up and I told her I wanted a tattoo, she wasn’t just okay with it, she was actually going to pay for it as the best birthday present ever.  We even checked out several tattoo parlors in the area looking for pricing estimates and feeling out artists.  The thing is, everywhere we went, the story was the same: no ink on minors, period, the end.

I live in the state of New York, and tattooing the under 18 set just doesn’t happen in my area, unfortunately.  So I ended up having to wait for my tattoo, and once I got it, I decided to get a couple more as well.  My mom’s skin was still blank though (they tend to frown upon visible tattooing at some insurance agencies).  It wasn’t until she retired early in her fifties that she got her first tattoo, and just like me, she quickly wanted more and ended up with a few extra.

 

My step-father has a few nice ones too, and he didn’t start getting inked until he was in his forties.  I also have several siblings who are tattooed, and in today’s world, I guess that just makes us the average American family.  Anyways, the point is, my mother was just like every other mother.  She watched as I crossed the street, interrogated my friends when I was invited to parties, and always made sure that I ate my vegetables.  There were a lot of things she just didn’t understand, but the beauty of tattoo art was never one of them.

Modern Piercing and Tattoo Subculture

In the United States and other Western countries, there is still some stigma attached to piercings and tattoos. Those who are modified are sometimes scrutinized as participating in illegal activities, being sinful, or just generally “up to no good.” In Japanese culture though, the tattoo, especially when coupled with piercings, is held to an entirely different kind of social discrimination. Tattoos are associated with the Yakuza, the Japanese mafia, and represent an element of power, illegality, and fear.

Strangely, this connection in Japanese culture, despite being deeply rooted, is a fairly recent phenomena, as the criminal gangs that eventually formed the yakuza didn’t come into existence until the Meiji era (beginning in the 1860s). Prior to this time period, criminals were tattooed as a punishment and to make them easily identifiable, and once the Meiji government abolished this practice, those who were branded with visible tattooing were segregated from society. Even today, some public bath houses, hotels, and other establishments refuse entry to those with visible tattooing.

For its part, horimono (traditional Japanese full body tattooing) is a unique and beautiful art form that requires years of practice and skill training to perfect. Unlike contemporary Western tattooing, real horimono, done in a method sometimes called tebori, is generally performed with several needles at once, creating a softer, more gradated, and water color-like appearance. The needles are arranged in rows at the end of a long handle and either thrust or tapped into the recipient’s skin. The American method of reproducing the fade technique common to tebori often uses a western style tattoo needle split down the center once or twice, sometimes referred to as a “fade needle.”

Piercings, which also became a symbol of power and status in connection with more contemporary gang and criminal activity, are in some ways also frowned upon, although not as much as tattooing and brands. In modern society, piercings show a strong connection with the gothic and rock music subculture, as many Japanese singers and musicians both male and female wear highly visible facial piercings. Some of the most popular amongst this grouping are piercings of the ear cartilage, navel, and lower lip.