This is not a statement against having one’s flesh inked. I just think the motivations and results are often at odds. People often get tattoos in order to feel unique, owning the bodies they were born into without choice. Selecting a generic design from a book however, seems to only reinforce conformity.

You may recognize the references to Velázquez, particularly in the pose and the cupid tattoo. The Rokeby Venus by Velázquez was vandalized by a feminist in 1914. The slashes the Venus endured are suggested here in the fabric folds.

I’ve been experimenting with chalk based mediums lately and here’s a prepared medium that I coincidentally used.