"To be honest, I don't know. Maybe this one - it's from the Euros," she says, stroking her skin. "It says HOME, and the H is made up of two Roman I's, II - like the number two. It stands for my second Euros title." A symbol of home, of the connection between origin and success. "It reminds me of where I come from and what's possible if you never stop believing."
As a Japanese man born and raised in the United States, Kitamura said he struggled with imposter syndrome. Though he was part of a Japanese tattoo family, apprenticed to a Japanese tattoo master, and works with primarily Japanese-American clients, he worried that his own style was Americanized compared to the traditions he was studying. Now, nearly 29 years into his own practice as a tattoo artist (Kitamura opened his own studio, State of Grace Tattoo, in 2002 in San Jose) he feels "This is me accepting who I am and being proud of that," he said.
I'd clocked him as I walked up to the restaurant. Well dressed, not Irish. Nice tattoos. What did you talk about? Having quickly established that we are both from the same part of London, we ascertained that we'd had the same driving instructor as teenagers (shoutout to Ollie). We also talked about recent plays we've seen, our tattoos and their meanings, trainspotting (the actual activity) and the fact I've been reading this column religiously since I was seven.
I started life modelling 18 months ago. My mum said: You're getting all these tattoos and no one gets to see them. That triggered something in me. I've always loved art and I wanted to see how artists would respond to my tattoos. I replied to a local advert looking for life models on Instagram. I was only given two hours' notice before my first class, because another model had dropped out.
Despite how visibly common or acceptable tattoos may have become, they are still a target for quick judgment by others. People often make quick assumptions based on a single image or style, or about what someone's tattoo may say about their personality. It's not just the presence of a tattoo that prompts assumptions, but also the kind of tattoo. From the design and size to the placement or style, people often form quick opinions about someone based on the body art they've chosen.
Schottenheimer stated, "It's something permanent. It's something that's important to you. For me, it's a way of checking in when times are good, when times are bad, if you need to humble yourself, if you need to build yourself back up."},{
For many young Kashmiris, tattoos once symbolizing resistance against Indian control are now seen as burdens; individuals like Sameer Wani are opting to erase them during escalating state scrutiny.
