A New Generation of Tattoos

In my anthropology class, we defined culture as the shared set of (implicit and explicit) values, ideas, concepts, and rules of behavior that allow a social group to function and perpetuate itself. I think fashion is a way of expressing the culture of a place, and of interpreting/reading its norms and standards. Coming from a neighborhood where it’s very rare to have tattoos, wear jewelry, or have piercings, I could see the difference in culture between my hometown and Pitzer. Nearly half the people I’ve met here have tattoos, which speaks to the creative and free culture that was foreign to me.

I want to first acknowledge that tattooing practices and equipment usually aren’t sustainable, so I looked into places that do more environmentally friendly tattooing to understand what that looks like. Some of the materials used for conventional tattooing are metal and steel machinery, autoclave trays (which are made from thermoplastic polypropylene), disinfecting liquid, plastic covers (for tattoo machines, beds, and chairs), plastic waste containers, latex gloves, vaseline, disposable razors, plastic ink holds, etc. In contrast, more environmentally friendly tattoo places use biodegradable ink cups, machine bags, cord covers, barrier wrap, gloves, wash bottle covers, vegan inks, and razors. If you have the privilege to go to a sustainable tattoo place, I encourage you to do so!

I myself have two tattoos. My first is an Aquarius symbol on my ankle that I got with my classmates and my teacher on a school field trip to Hawaii. I got my second under my collarbone with my suitemates. It's a bougainvillea flower because I lived in a community called Bougainvillea in India during my childhood. Recently, I met another freshman at Pitzer named Megna Ratnapuri who will be giving me my third tattoo this weekend on my fingers.

Megna does stick and pokes and might even get a tattoo apprenticeship in LA soon. She’s currently curating her portfolio. She has come far- from practicing on fake skin at the beginning of quarantine to now being in the business of stick and pokes for a year. Megna has five tattoos. For her first tattoo at 16, she got matching fireboy and watergirl images with her sister, and was surprised her parents approved of it.

Megna’s second tattoo was a stick and poke that she did on herself of a matchstick.

She got her third tattoo a couple of months after she turned 18 and it cost $600. The pattern incorporates peacock flowers that her mom drew on her birthday card.

Her fourth tattoo was a stick and poke she spent 6 hours doing on herself! The drawing is from a book called Tumtum and Nutmeg which she read all the time as a child. It was her most painful tattoo.“The dynamic of the perfectionism of getting it right combined with the pain that kicks in once the adrenaline wears off is an interesting one,” Megna said. Staying steady for six hours despite the immense pain speaks to her resilience.

Megna’s final tattoo is my personal favorite. Once again, it’s a self-done stick and poke! The elephants signify Indian culture and the exact pattern is inspired by a stamp she found in a vintage store.