Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (June 4, 2014)
THE PRINT’S GUIDE TO BOOT MODIFICATION TATTOO TALES OF TERROR by ERIN CAREY news & culture editor by LIZ GOMES associate photo editor E ver since I w as young, I loved tattoos. M aybe it was because m y grandm other hated them,- m aybe it was because I always ended up drawing on m y skin during boring classes, or m aybe it was the edgy appeal o f them, tiie stories they could hold. Either way, turning 18 m eant one thing: I could get a tattoo. And, I did. Setting out w ith m y idea in m ind and m y m oney that was probably m eant to be spent on better things from m y birthday (sorry, Grandma), m y best friend and I found a tattoo shop that looked relatively decent, A ngel Ink Tattoo in Oregon City. Let’s remember for a second that I was a stupid teenager who was sneaking behind her dad’s back to do this. The idèa was that Tom Petty’s lyric “everybody’s had to fight to be free” w as how I ’ve always felt, entwined vVitli m y love o f elephants, and the history that as a calf in carnivals, they’d often tie the elephants up with heavy ropes and stakes they couldn’t fight out of. They became so accustomed to this that even these nearly seven ton animals w on’t pull the stake out o f the ground and free themselves. The design was created, and I sat through an hour o f Black Light (U ltra V io le t) Tattoo - Tattoo w ith ink that's only visible in black lig h t o r that.is visible in regular light bu t glows in black light. . BodyMod - S hort fo r B ody M odification, w hich includes ‘ hairstyles, tattoos, piercings, implants, and o th e r unnatural • , physical modification? Body Suit - Tattoo th a t covers the to rs o o r eh tife b o d y completely, ofte n w ith one design Or them e. Branding ‘ Intentional burning and scarring o f skin w ith the use o f h o t metal o r electrodes. Cadaver - Someone w ho doesn’t talk to the artist while being ta tto o e d Cover Up - A ta tto o designed to cover an existing ta tto o on the skin, usually w ith a larger a n d /o r darker design. Ear Pointing * R em oving a triangle piece ,from .the .top o f each ear and then Sewing th e sides back to g e th e r to achieve an elvishTpok. Flash - Legally-produced sheets o f a rtw o rk showcased on the walls o f a shOp or studio. • Being an under aged teenager in Portland, tattoos were .the most fascinating thing to nie. The art of decorating your body with, different colors and?symbols was intriguing. My m ind was set on getting one; I didn’t care what, I just wanted to decorate myself. There was only one problem: Oregon law prohibits tattooing anyone under the age of 18. ' I-Was'fflfidus. I wanted to be walking art, so 1 started with piercings. I pierced myself countless times. I was so lucky I didn’t really harm myself. Now beingsom ew hat educated on body modification^ I now know the extreme dangers of getting an unprofessional piercing or tattoo. But back then I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I was so tough to put a needle through m y face by myself, and that’s w hy when I saw a random guy at a party with a tattoo gun, m y little naive brain jum ped with joy. I ran into the kitchen with excitement. He was wearing surgical gloves, so I thought to myself “O h look, he’s being safe, this guy clearly knows what he’s doing.” Oh how I have regretted that decision sq m any times. He smiled at me, and asked w hat I w anted as he started to change the needle. I froze. W hat did I want? I should of know n right then and there that I wasn’t ready for a tat too. I thought as I looked around, a couple of kids in the living room were playing M ario Kart. I did like Mario Kart < as a game, b ut I also really enjoyed the art. “I want Mario m ushroom s,” I said w ith a nervous smile. He asked m e where. I had to put them somewhere where I could hide them from m y super strict deacon father. Gauge - The increm ent, b y w h ic h a?strcfcche$ piercing is , , measured. Hand-Tapped - A ta tto o by w hich ink is inserted into,the skin b y manually poking (ta p p jn g ) th e skin w ith a needle/1 sharp stick, animal bone, *or clay disc. O ften used fo r ritualistic purposes. Henna - plant-based te m p o ra ry dye us^d to stain skin o r hair fo r decorative purposes1'. ¿Common In South Asian celebrations and rituals. Migration - M ovem ent o f a piercing o r im plant caused by th e b o d y’s rejection o f it&< Plug- A solid disc or cylinder-shaped piece o f jew elry w orn in a stretched piercing. Scratcher- An am ateur ta tto o a rtis t w ho does sloppy ta tto o w o rk in sketchy conditions (also know n as kitchen m agician). - Skin cutting - MakirYg intentional decorative incisions in your skin w ith the purpose o f achieving decorative scars. Skin Peeling - C utting an outline and then rem oving pieces o f th e s k in to Create a scarring design. Sleeve - A ta tto o o r series o f ta tto o s th a t com pletely cover all o r p a rt o f an entire arm. Stretching - The practice o f gradually increasing the size o f a piercing by inserting larger o r heavier jewelry. Subdermai Implantation - Body jew elry placed under the skin to create raised shapes after healing. Suspension - Hanging the human b o d y fro m hobks pierced th rd u g h th e skin. Tongue Splitting - The act- o f centrally c u ttin g the tongue | fro m the tip to th e undersidebase to achieve a forked look: Tramp Stamp - A sym m etrical, o fte n trib a l o r b u tte rfly - related ta tto o on th e lower back. Also know n as ass-antlers. having a needle run up and down m y forearm. Save for the thinner-skinned parts, I was okay. Save fo r the m isspelled word, o f course. U pon actually looking down at m y tattoo, reading it carefully, the first ‘y ’ in ‘everybody’w as missing. A nd as appealing as a southern drawl in m y tattoo sounded, I was pissed. The only saving grace I had w as that he m anaged to fit the m issing letter into the w ord before I h ad to walk hom e w ith it on m y arm. I explain to people why it’s im portant to do research for their tattoos and their tattoo shops. U pon m eeting my two other best friends, one w ho’d gotten tattooed by the same guy (thankfully no longer at that shop) had a missing hand from a Pikachu design. The other one had gotten a small scene o f bats and a moon, and the m oon was done so badly you couldn’t actually see it at all. Never go to a shady looking shop in a small town, kids. Understand this is stuck on your body forever, save for som e expensive laser surgery. M o re importantly, have enough common sense to check the spellirig. by AMBER FAIRBANKS associate arts & culture editor Flesh Tunnel - Hollow* tube-shaped, je w e lry w orn ir/a stretched piercing. Shop Rat - A person w h o frequents a ta tto o shop.w ithvthe hopes o f befriending th e a rtis ts and-potentially-landing a job. JU k by AMBER FAIRBANKS associate arts & culture editor I Body modification has become so much more than just angsty teens getting a nose stud to piss off their parents; it’s an art form. People can express themselves through the tattoos and piercings adorned all over their body. W hether it’s a lyric from a song that really speaks to you, a portrait of your pet or amemorial piece to honorsomeone, it’s walking art. We had a chance to interview body modification model Libby Luxurious who is in love with decorating her body. - and I want to feel at home in my home. Libby. Yuck. It’s disgusting, just not worth the risk TCP: How m any piercings do you have altogether? Libby: O h gosh, probably like 30. TCP: How do you feel when people attack other people with extreme body modifications so to speak? Libby: I hate it. Everyone’s been picking on that guy on Facebook who has his dimples stretched and I defend him every chance I get. It’s like; just m ind your own business. It’s not your body, feel free to be judgm ental everyone is. I’m judgmental, but don’t be ignorant. Ask questions. Curiosity is totally acceptable. I don’t m ind if people ask me questions, but don’t be an ass. TCP: How many tattoo pieces do you have? Libby: I lost count a long time ago. Too many and not enough. The Clackamas Print: How did you first get into body modification modeling? Libby: I had some friends who were aspiring photographers and asked to take my picture. TCP: W hat size are your ears at?' i I Libby: Inch and three fourths, [and] I just stretched them. They were an inch and a half but then I saw someone with bigger earlobes than me and I was like ‘not today! ’, and now I’m going up to two inches. TCP: When did you first decide that you wanted to modify your body? Libby: W hen I was 5, there was this guy who worked with my mom everyone called him ‘Chicken I don’t know why. He had, well they probably weren’t as big as I remember them being, but when I was a kid it seemed like his earlobes were just giant. I remember just being in awe of him and wanting to be like him when I grew up. So until my 18th birthday I just sat and waited very impatiently all m y childhood to grow up and be like Chicken. My body is m y home; its like when you buy a house, you aren’t just going to leave it bare, you’re going to paint it and plant flowers and make it yours. My body is m y home TCP: Do you have a tattoo that you’re not particularly fond of? Libby: Not really, I like all my a r t But if I had t a choose maybe the diamond on my face, but only cause someone the other day thought it was the Superman sym bol I might get it covered up. TCP: Are all your piercings and tattoos professional? Libby: Absolutely. TCP: What do you think about people who do not get their piercings or tattoos from a professional studio? TCP: Do you have any advice for someone who is just starting to m odify their body and wants to get their first tattoo? L ibby W ith m y first tattoo, I had drawn it but and I sat and thought about it for a long time. I looked at it m onths later after I had drawn it, and m ade sure it was still something I wanted to look at in the first plate. A nd find the right artist for you. Find your artist. Don’t just pick the first person that’s there. Look through everyone’s portfolios and m ake sure the piece that you want and the artist go together. TCP: D o you have a favorite studio in Portland? L ibby In Portland, Adorn Body Art, but my favorite is High Priestess in Eugene. “In the m iddle of my back?” I asked, almost making it a question. I could wear a T-shirt to cover it up. “Okay, lay down,” he instructed me. I did as I was told while countless people stood around cheering him and me on. The first initial line with the needle was the worst. I didn’t know what to expect, and it was right on m y spine. But after that I think I went num b because I don’t rem em ber it hurting that m uch after. I do rem em ber however the next m orning when I took a shower and the hot water hit my back. It hurt so bad that I screamed out loud, which caused my father to come banging on the door. I quickly m ade up some lie about getting soap in my eye. W hen I got out of the shower and proudly turned to look at my back, my jaw dropped. I was horrified. Some of the lines didn’t even connect and the piece wasn’t even centered. . I was so upset that I didn’t know what to do. I had a pit in my stomach. Now, years later, I have almost saved up enough m oney to get the piece I want to cover it up. G etting a tattoo underage by a “kitchen m agician” was a horrible decision. I was lucky that I didn’t get a severe iiifection, and that it is a simple enough tattoo that it can be cohered u p easily If you are thinking about getting a tattoo, th in k about the design that you want for at least a year, wait until you’re old enough to get a professional tat too, find an artist you trust, and rem em ber— cheap tattoos are not good tattoos. INFECTION PREVENTION TIPS byDENEE SHELTON photo editor B3* Don't turn, twist, or tamper with your new metal. Your h’ands are dirty and the metal you're turn ing into your piercing is dirty. You don’t want to put that ihto an open wound. CST Don’t use alcohol, healing ointments, or hydrogen peroxide for cleaning. These healing agents cause the skin to heal to the metal as opposed to around it. Use o f products could lead to the surrounding skin swelling and consuming the metal. ygi=» Clean it in the shower; even if it is just running your shampoo-y water over it, it’-s still better than nothing. E3P Change your pillow case / sheets more regularly. Your body heals when you’re sleeping; provide it with a clean environment to do so. ESP Avoid exposing it to infection. I know that sounds obvious, but think about it. Try not to get hair spray / gel in it; don’t let your pets lick it; don’t go swimming; don’t touch it! Sea Sdlt Soak:T/8-teaspoon sea salt mixed in to 1-cup warm water. Three time? a day for three minutes. Try to soak just the piercing in the water, but it won't hurt to get it other places. Soaking it allows the salt to work into the skin and boosts the healing process. However, this can cause ' some awkward positions and sore backs. Instead try... 1 3 “ H2Ocean Spray. Seriously, this stuff is magic. It’s saline solution mixed with a numbing agent; it comes in an aerosol can. Spray it on 2-3 times a day or as needed. 1 3 * When cleaning, only use disposable tools. For example: q-tips, cotton balls, tissue, etc. Yet some piercers would argue th a t even these could get contaminated because they're exposed to the air.
