Tattoos... Huh? Revision

Take a moment to play the song.... and ask your self, what type of genre does it relate to. A Gang Banger?

HIM 

Venus Doom

Pacal

Mestiza

Mayan Serpant

LA California

The XX



         I never had any problems with tattoos growing up. The only people that i knew had tattoos were my uncle’s. They weren't bad people. They all had happy lives beings bakers. They never did anything bad. So i never assumed tattoos were bad, the only bad there was to a tattoo was to whom they were affiliated to, for example gang bangers. I never thought of the tattoos saying they were bad people, just the actions of these people were bad so I never participated in any gang events. These tattoos just tell stories, they don't make you bad. My friend Wilbert is an example how tattoos don't make some one bad, but a story book. 

         Wilbert is hardcore about his culture. A proud Mayan by stating "I am VERY ,VERY proud of being Mayan", equally emphasizing on both "very's". When you see Wilbert you see this guy with skinny jeans , tight shirts, you know how most rockers look like. Any other person would see him as a pot head but theres more to it then that. He has embedded himself into the roots of his culture and his love for music. At the age of 23 he has a total of 8 tattoos and doesn't plan on stopping. Having the HIM heartagram which is basically a heart with a triangle inside it, inside a circle, located on his wrist, he dedicates it to being one of his favorite bands, on top of that you would see his Venus Doom tattoo, an album of HIM. 

When some one has TWO tattoos of a single band that just comes to show he LOVES this band because the lead singer has such a unique tone in his voice. Another band tattoo that he has is The XX on his tricep because of the uniqueness of their beat is what he loves. Now I don't know much about them but that's a pretty big tattoo which is a big “X” with plenty of roses inside of which is still incomplete because he needs to put the color in the roses, which is equally as loved as HIM. 

         He has a tattoo of the state of California with an LA symbol on his bicep because thats the only place he knows, where he spent his childhood and adult life. Why does he have it there? He told me , "I like to show it off". I mean I guess if you like showing your guns you might as well show where you're from, right? He has the Mestiza to represent his Yucatan culture which is a face of a woman in a skeleton type of face paint located on his fore arm and this being his most recent tattoo "This is what I hate, taking care of it" as you can see its peeling. His last two on his arm represent the Mayan side of him, both tell stories on the ancient Mayan times. One being the face of Pacal, just picture a mayans side face which is the last Mayan emperor which he likes to show that he is a leader, the leader of his family him being the one in charge of his sisters because their parents don't live with them. The other one being the Mayan Serpent in a hieroglyphic style which tells the story of men cutting the tip of their tongue and putting copal on it and would start hallucinating and see this serpent that would give them words of wisdom which he relates to himself having to always take decisions for the fate of his family. He got these cultural tattoos because his family is from Yucatan, so he wanted to express that on him with the Mestiza. He found the way to express his Mayan inner self by getting the Serpent and Pacal.

 When I first saw his tattoos I was nothing but curious to find out what they meant. The most visible ones being that of HIM I assumed they were all related to bands. I was wrong though. Most of them expressed who he was. The Mestiza show the Yucatan side of his family and the Mayan art showing his deep love for that culture. Wilbert is the type of person that if you don't like his tattoos, he just wont give a fuck about your opinion, unless if its a compliment to his tattoos. He states "there's a negative taboo for tattoos" yet he still has a lot and wanting more and more. 

Society makes the assumption that if you have a tattoo you're automatically a bad person, not fit for society. Like I said, Wilbert doesn't really care what society thinks, I mean he runs his own clothing shop, he's a BOSS. If any other person would see him one would think he's a gang banger but really he isn't, the guy just loves to express wheres he's from! (Term not to be confused with the famous gang saying.) Society sees him as bad, I see him as any other person in this world being comfortable with whom he is.

       
As you listen to the song ( The XX-Do You Mind) do you imagine a hostile environment, or a peaceful setting. Wilbert has this band tattooed on his tricep not to show he's a gang banger, not to show he does drugs, but to express what he likes. One thinks of heavy metal rock being affiliated to tattoos and thats it. When in reality its their assumptions that get the best of them.