PSA posted to my TikTok earlier today. If you’ve ever felt pressured by your tat…

PSA posted to my TikTok earlier today. If you’ve ever felt pressured by your tattoo artist while getting a tattoo or choosing a design, you are not alone!! So many people go through this kind of experience not knowing how to advocate for themselves because of the power dynamics that some tattoo artists play. No one should ever act as if they have more say over what goes on your body than you. Artistic opinion only goes so far. Once you feel that the artist is acting out of their own interest, that they are pressuring you to “just get it done” even when you have vocalized wanting to stop, I am here to tell you - THAT IS NOT OKAY!! It is, however, totally okay for you to tell your artist AT ANY TIME that you are not comfortable, and if need be, WALK AWAY. Your body is not some paper these shitty tattooers can just play with and toss away. Getting a tattoo HAS TO 100% BE YOUR CHOICE. Otherwise, why do we get them? If you’re ever in a position where you feel you can’t advocate for yourself, please approach another artist in the studio and tell them that you don’t feel comfortable/you feel that you’re being pressured. I always encourage clients to speak up whenever they are not 100% happy with the design. I give especially picky clients extra time to sit with themselves and truly feel comfortable with the stencil before we start tattooing. Just because some people are quick to agree or are immediately down with the design you drew up, doesn’t mean everyone is built the same. Some people overthink, some people have had shitty experiences in the past and want to be extra extra extra cautious this time around. And that… IS OKAY!!! The boom in tattooing over the last 10 years has created a disgusting level of normalcy for a lot of tattooers to think that they’re some untouchable rockstars who have power over their clients because they’re “the artist” and they “know more than you” - which, yes, can be argued when considering composition, placement, even design elements, but there is a much more nefarious undertone when it comes to artists who think they have complete control over the appointment and anything the client wants can be waved away with some convincing.

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