Big words about the fashion show the Skull Boy took part in: ‘Fashion moves from temporary to real tattoos.’ I don’t see it happening, though – sooner or later they’ll move on to something entirely different and better for the models not to get tattooed in hopes for a few lucrative gigs. Fashion industry tends to move back and forth between many different styles and it never lasts long. I remember these beautiful ‘ethnic’ models from Ethiopia and other African countries whose bodies were so wonderfully and naturally slender, Jenny Shimuzu whose tomboy look was nicely underground-ish or Eve Salvail who rocked a tattooed scalp and now they’re long gone and replaced by generic, Slavic beauty type of girls.

A lil in this vein, too, a Polish article on Suicide Girls. 

The good thing, though, that tattoos and body art still can be admired and reflect upon: ‘when a holy man’s skin is the canvas’ about the exhibit showing pictures of the Sadhus and a very interesting essay submitted by Bastian: ‘the art of mutilation’ by Crispin Sartwell. 

An interesting project at the Florida Atlantic University: ‘stories on the skin’ (their official website). 

Speaking of ‘mutilation,’ the Florida-based policemen are banned from many different kinds of body modification (and modifying ears and tongues is called ‘mutilation art!)

 A bit of history thanks to an interesting submission from Bastian: ‘the truth about Sissi’ (a bit more info on the empress!) and an article about an upcoming book devoted to Milwaukee’s tattoo pioneer!

 For those who consider getting tattooed there’s a whole bunch of German articles submitted from Bastian (very productive of him;)): ‘beautiful and dangerous’ (risks), ‘pretty or ugly’ (a survey) and ‘before you get inked’ (tips from those who already got some work done). 

Local artists: two tattooers from German-speaking countries and one caught in action at the Rites of Passage tattoo convention in Australia.

Finally some odd ones: ‘M.I.A. asks fans to decide on tattoo,’ ‘facebook-inspired tattoo’ on another rapper, a Texan woman banned from getting tattooed by a local judge and New Zealand cops accused of forceful piercing removal.