Chicks dig tattoos

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Chicks dig tattoos
December 2, 2010
BY STEPH GREEGOR
The Other Paper

The proverbial glass ceiling has been cracking for years, and in Columbus, it recently spread to what years ago was primarily a bastion of masculinity—the tattoo parlor.

On Nov. 1, Evolved Tattoos opened its third location, and this one is unique—the first all female-staffed tattoo studio in the city.

“Sometimes you want to be away from the boys and all the fart jokes,” said manager Lindsay Hearts of Evolved Tattoos’ new location at 1644 N. High St. “I personally have found it a blessing because I’m a diamond in the rough in this industry. I’m taking it as an advantage.”

Hearts, a piercer certified by the Association of Professional Body Piercers, said the stereotype of biker-like, tattooed dudes inking and piercing Central Ohioans permeates the market and may make some customers—of the female persuasion—a bit uncomfortable. But in her parlor, women aren’t going to be “intimidated by the stereotype of big biker guys.”

“We just want the more artsy, creative vibe here,” she said, adding that the shop will host a monthly art exhibit featuring locals with creative vision. This month features Michael Bush. “We want our customers to have a totally different experience,” Hearts said.

Hearts said the Evolved “flagship” shop at 1906 N. High St. has a reputation for its custom tattoo designs and its cleanliness. The 1880 N. High St. location is a “high-traffic shop, it’s beautiful,” said Hearts. “It’s like a high-end jewelry shop. It’s a warm feeling when you walk in.”

Both shops, though, are predominantly male, she said. And while she said her testosterone-filled counterparts are professional and do great work, she’s looking for her shop to offer women—and men—a unique, art-filled experience with the softer sex.

“It’s not like there’s pink and Barbies everywhere,” she laughed. “But across the board, we’re more warming.”

The shop’s tattoo artists, Alana Robbie and Sarah Blinkhorn, said their female customers definitely notice a difference.

“The idea of personal identity and how a woman identifies with her body and a tattoo—it’s a pretty intimate experience. And for women, there’s a lot that’s attached to that,” said Blinkhorn, a 2002 Columbus College of Arts and Design graduate who’s been tattooing since 2008. “Having an all-female shop lends itself to that idea. There is a lot of sentimentality with tattoos, there’s a lot of emotional stuff that happens, too. And having a haven where there are artists you can relate to or feel comfortable around in making that experience the right one, is important.”

The shop’s other tat girl, Alana Robbie, started tattooing when she was 18 at a time when men would walk in and snidely ask if the tattoo parlor was “her daddy’s shop.”

“I’d be like ‘no’ and they’d say, ‘Oh, then you’re the secretary, right?’ It’s much different now than when I started,” she said, citing the trends set by female tattoo artists on television, like Kat Von D, as helping to bring about acceptance for women tattooers, including the shop’s third tat girl Kati Semones.

“In Columbus, we’re lucky to have a lot of tattoo studios that are staffed by real artists who show art on the walls and are active in the art scene,” Robbie said. “That makes it possible for any artist, male or female, to work in a studio.”

The fact that this all-female studio is making its place an artsy home will offer an environment that speaks to inclusiveness for both genders, said Robbie.

“The art vibe is really important because people are used to treating tattoo studios like a McDonald’s drive-thru: ‘Here’s what I want, now stick it on.’”

But, she said, the all-female Evolved shop is about showcasing tattoos as art for male and female clients.

“They should come in and feel welcome instead of feeling like they have their tail between their legs in the cool kids’ shop,” said Robbie. “That’s more likely to come out when you have a crew of tough-guy tattoo artists.”