Female coup de tattoo
Share
No longer do bikers, criminals and sailors dominate the tattoo world. Nowadays even some mothers can be seen sporting ink. And with the changing clientele has come a new generation of tattoo parlours and artists. Berlin’s all female Tatou Obscur is one prime example of the evolving scene.
Traditionally entering a tattoo parlour was the equivalent of entering a saloon in the Wild West – the smoky room falls silent, heads turn and you feel incredibly self conscious if you’re not a regular. But when you enter Tatou Obscur you see a stylish bar, an art exhibition and a funky shop. When you meet your tattoo artist, it’s not a fat bald guy called Axel or Randy, but one of four resident female artists – Sara, Julia, Berit, or Zoe.
Sara thinks the atmosphere promotes more respect between the artists. “Men have this alpha-male-thing going. Of course they don't have that with women, but I think they don't like it much, when they get the feeling that a woman can make a better tattoo. So they always have this competitive thing going. We don't have that here at all,” she told Euranet.
Tattoos have become less taboo in the last 20 years and it’s not uncommon to see everyone from actors and rock stars to students and pensioners wearing them.
But Sara, who is covered in body art, claims that not everyone is complementary about her appearance. “The summer time is the worst when I'm running around in some skimpy thing and you can see the tattoos on my arms, chest and on my back. Of course then I get looks,” she says.
But despite the few naysayers, Tatou Obscur’s clientele are very pleased with the results. Nick, a regular, says: “When you see some other studios it’s somewhere downstairs and dark with a lot of fantasy stuff on the walls. It’s completely different here. It's more a lounge than a studio.
The artists are improving, the facilities are looking better and the ladies are making their mark on the once male-dominated industry.
