BODIES OF ART

I’m thinking about getting a tattoo. Or maybe I’ll get something pierced. It seems to be quite the fashionable thing to do these days. Tattoos and piercings are everywhere. Yesterday I happened to be in the mall and, as a diversion to the boredom I sometimes experience while walking around in circles, I started counting bodies adorned with various types of art. On the first lap I counted women and girls with tattoos. Then I counted men with tattoos. Then I counted both genders that had some sort of piercing.

It was amazing. Since it is summer and there is a lot more exposed body surface at this time of year, that first lap was a real eye opener. Legs, arms, necks, shoulders and on through the anatomical check list I observed art. From the tiny little butterfly on an ankle to the intricate gothic design descending into the back of a young lady’s shorts I noticed all types of body accessorising. I had to be careful in my observations for fear of being accused of public lechery or something. Science and investigative journalism have their hazards. In the food court I saw a group of women, it looked like a family of middle aged and younger girls, all wearing rather low cut tops and shorts that were generally a size or two too small. There were bare and bulging bellies, buttocks and bosoms. Every one of those surfaces had tattoos. Some had five or six elaborate decorations. As I was watching them (discretely) about five men joined their group. All of those men had a myriad of body art showing on their arms, legs and necks. These folks didn’t look terribly prosperous and I wondered how they could afford to pay for those high quality designs that must take many sessions to complete.

On the next lap I counted men with tattoos. That’s probably even more dangerous than looking at the ladies. I got a couple of threatening glares as I ambled around my circuit. After that lap I concluded that about seventy percent of the men in the mall at that time had at least one piece of art. Now I know why our little town has ten places to get tattooed. It’s a big business. My oldest grandson draws pretty well so I’m going to encourage him to pursue a career in body art. It probably pays better than most other artistic pursuits.

On my final circuit of the mall I counted piercings. It’s harder to do that because I’m sure a lot of body piercing is not available to public view. I did see some girls who had evidence of one or two particular pieces of body jewelry showing beneath their extremely tight shirts. Little dumbbell shaped things seem to be the favorites there. Pierced ears were evident across all age and economic groups. Some people had more metal than flesh showing around the edge of their ears. Lips, eyebrows and noses also had a lot of holiness. There was a little clutch of teenage girls eating ice cream cones with some difficulty because the studs in their tongues were freezing up and causing them to drool. I would say about thirty to forty percent of the people in the mall had a piercing. The number could have been higher if everyone there was walking around naked, but I’m only guessing.

I had thought that body art was starting to fade as a fad but I guess I’m wrong. At least the people who hang out at the mall on a workday seem to be bucking any trend away from those art forms. Maybe if I went someplace where people were actually working I’d find a different result. Maybe not. I have decided that piercing is out for me. Skewering yourself with little metal appliances doesn’t actually qualify as art in my book. Expressing your artistic nature by stabbing yourself in the belly button or lower lip just seems weird. Some of my extended family members will disagree, I’m sure, but I’m old and that’s how I feel. Tattoos however are a little more thoughtful and artistic, especially if they’re done well and placed in an interesting location. So maybe I’ll get one of those. I’ll do that just as soon as I convince my dear wife to get a cute little butterfly on her… well, on her body somewhere. That’s about as likely as Obama lowering taxes. So I guess my body will be an art free zone. Although I think those little rub on tattoos still come in some boxes of Cracker Jack. Maybe I’ll try one of those, just to see how it looks.

Have a fine day.