I’m not going to get a Jedward tattoo. No fan tattoos and In
fact I’m not going to get any tattoos at all. I’m scared of committing to anything
too permanent, something I love today I might not love tomorrow, my passions
and obsessions are fleeting, ever changing and transient. And I hate to admit
it but I’m starting to regret stretching a 10mm hole in my ears when I was thirteen.
I did know at the time this was going to be a permanent thing but I just though
‘fuck yeah, just means I’m gonna be an
awesome cool dude my whole life!!’ but now I’ve grown and matured and I’m
starting to wonder if being an awesome cool dude may not be such a high
priority my whole life and having earlobes might be. Oh well.
Live and learn, eh.
Getting a fan tattoo is the ultimate sign of dedication. The
devotion is there etched into your skin forever.
It’s a fan’s loyalty at the highest degree; it literally becomes a part of them.
I’ve had the honor recently to be asked
to design a Jedward fan tattoo for a fan, which I’m very excited about! I get
the pleasure of having my artwork of fan devotion with the permanency, loyalty
and commitment for a tattoo without having to have it on my own body.
.
Something that makes John and Edward so good at being idols
is their commitment and dedication to their fans. They’re so good to us. That bond
between idol and fan that would usually just be a delusion is real, it’s there.
They don’t see us as just fans, they see us as people, they’re never condescending
or dismissive, they're humble and gracious. They go out of their way for us and they honestly care about us.
It’s beautiful, it’s moving and it's unique.
The tattoo aesthetic goes back to my first fan community/fandom experiences of being involved with the local hardcore/metal/punk scene as
a teenager. But it wasn’t a scene I really felt comfortably apart of or enjoyed. I liked
the look, the hair, being a public nuisance, the live music and supporting
local bands but it seemed to be for most about underage drinking, drugs, outdoor sex, bitching,
rivalries, causing as much drama as humanly possible and Myspace pages. But I have to confess the alternative/ tattooed aesthetic is still something I enjoy.
I still consider every now and again becoming a tattoo apprentice ..
This drawing (a magazine scan with blue ink intervention), is basically a role
reversal of fan and idol, imagining what it would look like for Jedward to show
their dedication and loyalty to us by getting fan tattoos of fans. And since there’s
a hell of a lot of fans, the tattoos would therefore completely cover their
bodies. It’s a very big nudge to the work of Dr. Lakra and the Tumblr trend of
Photoshopping tattoos, piercings and stretched ears onto Disney characters. The
names are fans I had in my Twitter interactions and I filled in gaps with
classic tattoo motifs and Jedward fandom in-jokes and references. And you know,
I really quite like it. Not just for the tattoo aesthetic but I think the blue
line on their white skin looks so elegant, like blue and white china, and I think
there’s so much more to expand on with this idea.
No comments:
Post a Comment