I’ve never wanted a tattoo.
As a kid, I met some of my father’s navy friends and saw what old tattoos look like on old skin.
Tattoos are like skin grafitti. They can be clever, but how many are worth a lifetime’s contemplation?
As one who strives to live in the here-and-now, I would find it distracting to have a constant reminder of the done-and-gone on my forearm, though I suppose I could tattoo “here and now” on my forearm to remind me.
I don’t wear visible clothing. No t-shirts with messages, no designer labels, nothing like that, so why would I wear visible skin? My car doesn’t have any bumper stickers; why would I want one on my arm?
That being said, I think about tattoos a lot. I wonder: “If I had to get a tattoo, what would I ink?”
Most of my ideas range around the person-as-product theme. I am very intrigued by the idea of tattooing scannable codes such as a UPC symbol -- the only question is what amount it would scan to -- or an ISBN code to my favorite book or a QR code that brings you to Outer Life. These tattoos would be more than just ink on skin, but they would also be potentially obsolete someday as scanning code technology progresses.
I also like the idea of an FDA Nutrition Facts label calibrated to me as if I were a food product. I could enhance the effect with a “sell by” date on my forearm -- probably the day I turned 40.
Maybe a dotted line running down my chest with “Tear to Open”?
Might be fun to tattoo a few designer labels on my body while I’m at it, though I’m not sure what I’d do if I got a cease-and-desist letter from Ralph Lauren or Marc Jacobs.
Completing the product theme, I would probably need something like “SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Thinking Causes Questioning, Undermines Authority, Alters Consciousness, And May Complicate Life.”
Then, properly packaged, I could be consumed by the world.
Tattoos are like skin grafitti. They can be clever, but how many are worth a lifetime’s contemplation?
As one who strives to live in the here-and-now, I would find it distracting to have a constant reminder of the done-and-gone on my forearm, though I suppose I could tattoo “here and now” on my forearm to remind me.
I don’t wear visible clothing. No t-shirts with messages, no designer labels, nothing like that, so why would I wear visible skin? My car doesn’t have any bumper stickers; why would I want one on my arm?
That being said, I think about tattoos a lot. I wonder: “If I had to get a tattoo, what would I ink?”
Most of my ideas range around the person-as-product theme. I am very intrigued by the idea of tattooing scannable codes such as a UPC symbol -- the only question is what amount it would scan to -- or an ISBN code to my favorite book or a QR code that brings you to Outer Life. These tattoos would be more than just ink on skin, but they would also be potentially obsolete someday as scanning code technology progresses.
I also like the idea of an FDA Nutrition Facts label calibrated to me as if I were a food product. I could enhance the effect with a “sell by” date on my forearm -- probably the day I turned 40.
Maybe a dotted line running down my chest with “Tear to Open”?
Might be fun to tattoo a few designer labels on my body while I’m at it, though I’m not sure what I’d do if I got a cease-and-desist letter from Ralph Lauren or Marc Jacobs.
Completing the product theme, I would probably need something like “SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Thinking Causes Questioning, Undermines Authority, Alters Consciousness, And May Complicate Life.”
Then, properly packaged, I could be consumed by the world.
Comments