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Recently, it was proposed that an Australian tattoo register be made: this has led to varied reactions; mainly disbelief. Why would someone with a discreet tattoo wish to be linked to criminal social elements on a register that is obviously meant to be a tool to assist in the prevention of crime?
Looking at the changing face of tattoos, this version of adornment or beautification is creeping a little too close to a deliberate act of maiming and disfiguration. My recent exposure to non-mainstream tattoos on young females, sometimes by "famous" artists, has revealed a hideous side to the art. If the intention is not to beautify, according to an individual's personal taste, is the intention to disfigure?
Thirty years ago, a Point Road tattoo artist, in the red-light district of Durban, told me that the best tattooists had a code of ethics, which included not tattooing faces and hands.
Yes, a tattoo register could be a useful social tool but not for the tattooed...I think that every owner of a tattoo tool, tattoo kit, or tattoo business, and any person performing tattoos, should be on a register with a code of ethics and national regulations.
Tattoo crimes are happening today, but it is as taboo as the tattoo.
