A colorful emerging facet of a more open China is the increasing number of females opting for the ink. “The amount of Chinese women now getting tattoos is about equal to men,” says art graduate and tattoo artist Yoyo Zhong, who has been wielding a needle for more than 10 years. Initially, expats made up the bulk of her business, but the ratio to locals – notably Chinese women – has equalized over the five years since Zhong has been running Lotus Ink Tattoo in Shenzhen, reflecting a rapid shift in cultural attitudes.
With the simplest tattoos taking around 10 minutes to sleeves and full back jobs that require multiple sessions, Zhong notes with a touch of amused pride that “girls can take much more pain than men. Men, though they pretend to be stoic, can take about two hours compared with girls, who can easily last four.”
First-time women tend to go for something arty, pretty and beautifying, compared with the chaps, who think harder about the meaning behind a design. Now, more girls – around 50 percent who visit Lotus – bring in their own designs, often “something that evokes a memory or a moment, which expresses herself more,” comments Zhong, who herself has over 20 tattoos, all of which she’s – very impressively – done herself. “But when girls fall in love with tattoos, they tend to select designs that have more meaning."
The ladies are also getting more hardcore: “I have lots of requests for sleeves and full back tattoos – in fact, girls are often going for bigger designs than men.” Zhong creates many designs herself; frequently, women arrive with a clutch of concepts from which a final, holistic design will emerge, often comprising several pieces.
Though a lifestyle statement that is ostensibly anathema to traditional Chinese culture, the Confucian link to familial ties is alive and well in the tattoo arena. “In the past week I’ve done about five portraits of parents, as well as spouses or lovers,” says Zhong. While many may view this as a curious testimony of devotion towards one’s progenitors – and certainly a scarily stalkerish one for a lover – parental attitudes to girls getting inked up are more relaxed than the uninitiated may expect. “The main thing the older generation worries about is that a girl will find it hard to marry if she has tattoos. After she’s married, though, most parents are accepting if the husband doesn't mind,” explains Zhong.
The average age for women getting a tattoo is between 25 and 35, "but the oldest woman I’ve worked on is in her 70s,” Zhong recalls. On the flipside, she is aware of the vagaries of youth. “If a girl of around 18 comes in requesting a sleeve or a big tattoo, I repeatedly question whether she’s sure and ask her to consider the impact on her future, such as in the areas of relationships and jobs.” As Zhong tends to be booked-up well in advance, "younger girls go to the back of the queue to give them some more thinking time.”
Occasionally, regrets occur, particularly with one design that Zhong will invariably question: “Girls often get a tattoo of a boyfriend’s name.” Realistic about the first flush of love and fully aware that a tattoo isn't just for Christmas, she remarks that “the most ill-advised is a name of a boyfriend around the hip area. Many come back some time later for a cover-up, which is difficult.” As any woman on the planet sagely knows, the blame of regret in the areas of ink and life firmly rests with men.
// A3-501, Xiangshan Dong Jie, OCT-Loft, Nanshan District 南山区华侨城创意园香山东街A3-501 (135 1048 5517)
Tat Talk
Croaky Chen, Shenzhen, 18
Number of tats… Seven.
First one… Fourteen years old.
The reason… I'm happy that I have tattoos because they tell my own stories about things I want to remind myself about. I’m lucky to be able to do something I like and I hope more people are starting to see tattoos as art, not the sign of a bad girl.
The designs… A compass, a gun and roses, the Chinese word for dog (犬), a traditional Asian design on my thigh and an Arabic sentence on my lower back. I chose Arabic so that others couldn’t read it. I also have a ring of lace around my right thigh, ‘cause it looks cool. The seventh tattoo on my inner wrist was done by myself.
The meanings… The compass means always find your way home. Dog means be strong, loyal and faithful. The Arabic translates as, ‘A prayer for the wild at heart, keep caged.’
Parents’ view… They didn’t like the first one, but after my second tattoo they just kept saying, “Don't get too many!”
Society’s view… Most people think girls with tattoos must be bad, but now more people think they’re cool, which is good for us!
Christy Tang, Shenzhen, 24
Number of tats… Seven.
First one… 2011, aged 21.
The designs… The one on my wrist is Portuguese: viva suavida (live your life). The one on my right shoulder is a piece of music from my favorite book, The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera, and the following words in German: “Muss essein? Es muss sein!” This translates to: ‘It has to be? It has to be!’
The meanings… The one on my wrist is to remind myself to live my own life. The one on my shoulder was done recently; I found out I was pregnant and was struggling to make decisions, I realized I have to make up my own mind but it has to be the right decision.
Parents’ view… They’re fine as long as the tattoos don’t negatively affect my life.
Society’s view… Small tattoos are not really a problem, but big tattoos might give people the impression of ‘not serious’ or ‘gangsta girl.’ Traditional Chinese people don’t like women with tattoos and consider it a symbol of a bad girl.
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