MARKED FOR LIFE… ByDinaJitendra

From being attached to the stigma of gangsters and criminals to being appraised as works of art and a way of lifestyle, the “culture of tattoos” in Singapore has journeyed through varying phases of implications for society. While more and more of Singapore’s youth are immersing themselves in this way of life, the reputation of body art continues to be unfavourable and pessimistic, especially in mainstream society and the professional working arenas. The negative repute of tattoos however, as not stopped twenty-three-year-old Jesse Goh and her group of outgoing tattoo-enthusiast friends from getting inked themselves. I sit down with Jesse for a candid, honest interview about her opinions and reflections where this “tattoo culture” is concerned.

Good afternoon Jesse. Howmanytattoosdoyoucurrentlyhave?

I have3 at themoment.Oneonmywrist,onmychest,andabiggeroneatmyribarea. Igot themallwithinthe span of about one and a halfyears.

Do many of your friends havetattoos?

Not many. I know manyacquaintanceswhohavetattoos,butmy group of closest friends haven’tyet ventured into getting inked forlife.Andthosewhodohaveatattoogot them around the same time asme.

So what made you interested inbodyartthen?

It’s always been at the back of mymind,eversinceIturned18.Ineverpersonally associated with thedelinquency or rebellion that theolder generations of Singapore tendto link the tattoo lifestylewith. So Ialwayshada fascinationwith it. It’s

intriguing, you know, the idea ofhaving something permanent onyour body. And then there’s theInternet, which is full of ideas andinformation on body art and itsintricacies.

What do these tattoos mean toyou?

While I get them for a number ofreasons. Themost important is thatit needs tomean something. Allmytattoossymbolizesomething. Idon’tfeel comfortable telling you whatthey all mean because it’s verypersonal, but they stand for peoplein my life, or for situations ofhardship I have been through andwant to celebrate moving forwardfrom. I look at them and I get acertain happiness and satisfactionand I think that’s a good thing. Idon’t see how anyone can devalueme for that. It’s my body. And if Idon’t regret this then no one elseshould,forme.

What did your parents say aboutthe tattoos? Do they havetraditional views on the “tattooculture”?

Mydadonlyknowsaboutonetattooand my mum knows about two. Ikept the last one hidden even frommy mum because they are quiteconservativewhen it comes tobodyart. They don’t understand myenthusiasmforthiscultureorwayoflife because they have never hadpeoplearoundtheminterested in it.The only people they have everassociated this practice with arecriminals or rebellious people. Andso when I first brought it up, theywere very against the idea of megetting inked. But I went aheadanyway.ThereasonI’mkeepingtheother tattoos a secret from them is

justsowedon’tgetintoabigdebateoverwhatIcanandcannotdo.Ilovethem with all my heart, but I alsowish they would rid themselves ofthe prejudices they have acquiredfromyoungaboutsuchcultures.

Do you get stared at often whenyougoout?

Nosomuch,becausemytattoosarenot very in‐your‐face obvious. Theones that show are small andunnoticeable so I don’t get anyoutright disapproving stares. But Iknow of friends who have biggertattoos on their arms and legs. Andsometimes it’sdifficult to ignorethestarestheyreceive.Mostofthetimeit’s probably because people aresimply fascinated. But you can tellthat certain unfavourable attitudestowardspeoplewho ink themselvesstillperpetuateinoursociety.

Hasyourtattooeveraffectedyourschoolorwork?

I’mluckytohavestudiedinafacultywhere many other students didn’thaveignorantquestionstoaskaboutmy tattoos. They were mostlyencouraging and positive in theirand reception of it. My careerchoices have certainly been limited.There aremany jobs I cannot applyforbecausehavingatattooissimplyseen as distasteful in those lines ofprofession. Again, I think I stuck itlucky because I found my passionand job in an industry that choosesto value my inside personality andworkethics,ratherthanfocusonmyskin,whichhas“succumbed”towhat“normal” society deems uneducatedor unintelligent. I don’t think it’svery appropriate to label someonethat way based on whether theyhaveatattooornot.It’sjuvenileandignores so many other

considerations.Peopleofall classes,ages,races,professions,getatattoo.So really, a tattoo is just a body artform. It is not an indication ofinferiority or superiority. It’s justsomething else, from among all thehobbies and artistic avenues thatexist inourworld that somepeoplesimplydecidetoventureinto.

Do you think that there aredefinite biases in society againstpeoplewho participate in “tattooculture”?

Yes,toalargeextent.Alotofyouthsmy age say its no big deal, andacceptance is certainlygrowing.Butitsmainstream society that dictatesthis misconception and prejudicetowards people who enjoy gettinginked. And I think that as long asthese images keep being portrayedin our media with such negativityand ill‐conceived implications, thenit’s going to be very difficult tochangethemindsofanentirenationofpeople.Thisisn’tjustinSingaporeeither.All over, the tattoo culture is

still viewed as something that“normal” people should steer clearof, especially if they want aconventional, well‐adjusted life andprofession. And I think those aresucharchaicviews.Weliveinanagewhere individual expression andfreedomofspeechisveryimportant.So why continue to place so muchimportance in maintaining anunfavourable view of people whoenjoysuchlifestyles?

Are there a big group ofpeople/youthsouttherewhowishto get many tattoos onthemselves,andviewtattooingasan art form, and not justsomething to remembersomethingpersonal?

Yes,theredefinitelyis.Meincluded.Iam already thinking of my nexttattoo.And this time, it’s formerelyartistic purposes. I just wantsomething beautiful painted on mybody. I guess you could say I’m alittle addicted to tattooing. It’s justbecoming a way of life for me andsome of my friends who share mypassion. There is a big group ofpeople, both female and male, whoreallyenjoythisartformandwishtoexpand their body’s canvas to theartist.

What is you hope for the “tattooculture” in the Singaporenarrative?

I hope that people can ridthemselvesofunfoundedprejudices.I thinkweall justneedtobea littlemore‐open‐minded and lesssusceptible to falling for the “whatwill other people think?” trap. Thatseems to be the most importantconsideration for everybody. And Ithink that needs to come to a halt.I’m not saying that go and doreckless thingsorgeta tattoowhileyou’redrunk.Ijustthinkthatpeopleshould realize that those who areenthusiastic about tattoos and whoget inked, have given it anappropriate amount of thought andknow what they are gettingthemselves into. Yes, some peopleultimately regret their tattoos, butmost people enjoy them and livewith them until they die. So, I hopethat people will stop perpetuatingnegatiestereotypesandjustlearntolivetheirownlivesalittlebetter.

ThankyouJesse.Itwasapleasuretalkingtoyou.

Samehere.

JesseGohisagraduateofNUS,andiscurrently working for an establishedmagazine.Shebakes inher free timeandisalwaysthinkingabouthernexttattoo.Shehasnoplanstostopinkingherselfanytimesoon.