Post indicates societal stigma still an issue
The WordPress.com user known as, karamazov1989 recently closed their account to the public eye after posting a brutally biased blog post about women with tattoos called Tattoos and Other Easy Ways to Ruin Your Body.
“Women, let me tell you something that your friends and many guys will not. Your tattoos are ugly. We do not like them,” writes Karamazov in their post. “We respect you less for them. We think you’re a pawn without a sense of solidarity in a world that pressures you to conform.”
The post went viral after upset readers shared their concerns over social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr.
Among many unfounded allegations, the blogger claims that any woman with a tattoo is “exceptionally easy to conquer sexually with minimal effort,” while adding piercings are no different.
I am an individual with a handful of piercings and tattoos and I had trouble reading this post. What really bothered me about the user’s claim was the assumption that women with tattoos are horrible individuals who are riddled with diseases.
“Hmm. My first three adjectives would be ‘loose,’ ‘kinky,’ and ‘*likely* diseased (use condoms).’ Wassamatta? Not down with some inked skank?” writes Karamazov. “You are just some old-fashioned fundamentalist bigot. Well, your brother, Karamazov happens to be old-fashioned at the age of 23.”
But Karamazov doesn’t just stop at the endless insults to women; he goes all the way to say men with tattoos will never have respect.
“Like sleeping around, the detrimental effects of a guy doing this are much less severe. It’s not fair, but neither is child leukemia. Understand that certain men, like myself, will automatically respect men with tattoos less.”
The writer ends the post saying women with tattoos are societal mullets that can’t be shaved off and any female with a tattoo will forever have a lower social value than those without one.
TATTOOS MORE THAN SOCIAL MULLETS
My issue with this entire post is being judged by someone who doesn’t know I exist that assumes that, as a woman with tattoos, I sleep around and have no morals.
My tattoos are pieces that mean a lot to me. I have an Italian phrase and my grandfather’s “dog tag” number from the Second World War. It is a reminder every day of the sacrifices he gave so I could live a free life.
I have a poppy right beside the words, which symbolizes remembrance, not some Bat-Signal to the public that I’m a loose individual.
I am not the only person to be hurt by this post. Calgarian Laura Anne Hickli was shocked that someone attempted to relate artistic expression to sexual tendencies.
“My tattoo has two mayday flowers on top of lilac leaves. It’s on my wrist. The flowers remind me of the tree I used to climb every day when I was growing up,” said Hickli.
“According to this writer, one’s body art makes them sexually promiscuous. I would like to argue that tattoos are an adaption or change to one’s bodily appearance and would fall into the same category as other body alterations such as haircuts, shaving, nail polish, jewelry, and clothing,” Hickli added.
Hickli’s tattoo is a reminder of her childhood. It is innocent. Hickli, myself and many other women and men were inadvertently labelled as something we are not because someone decided to publish hate online.
Karamazov’s WordPress account is blocked to the public but copies of the original post can be found on newswithtags.com.
hcawsey@cjournal.ca