White Ink: Beautiful or Bland?

By Uloop Contributor on June 23, 2012

College is a time for young adults to grow up, be independent and find their place in society. But it’s also a time when you would be doing things that your parents would normally ground you for such as partying, drugs, alcohol, sex, but also something not as bad as the rest; body art. It seems that once people get to college, every third person you pass on your way to class has a tattoo.

Some are unique and beautiful and others are generic and overdone. I see people walking around with comic book characters, quotes, Asian symbols and ornate mehndi designs that you normally see in henna tattoos. It’s personal, it marks you, and it describes you in less than an ounce of permanent ink.

photo via flikr.com/OpalMirror

I personally have always wanted a tattoo, either something special hiding low at the nape of the neck or on my hand for the world to see. Hopefully both. However, since I’m looking for work, I faced a dilemma with the hand tattoo; either I get it and lose many opportunities or not get it and increase my chances. The problem is that many employers don’t accept those with obvious tattoos out in the open, since there are many potential customers who view body art negatively. No matter how simpleminded this stereotype, it’s a ruling opinion for some. If you’re like me and you want a tattoo and a job, you’re going to have to look for work in places where they welcome body art, or just not get one in an obvious place.

Or . . . get a white ink tattoo. Rising in popularity, it appears pale on the skin; a subtle and almost invisible marking that almost vanishes into the background as long as the skin is light and fair. It’s like legal scarification, since it appears like an extremely well made scar. The special thing about white ink tattoos is that the tattoo is now more personal and can only be seen by those close to you, whereas the classic black or color tattoos were seen as bold statements. Maybe that defeats the purpose of why you wanted the tattoo in a more obvious place such as the wrist, arm or ankle but if not, this is a great alternative for the darker inks and it may allow you to get around the no-tattoo policy.

photo via fashiontrendsabout.com

However, white ink, since it is lighter, has a tendency to fade faster than dark ink. To prevent this from happening and prolong the life of your tattoo, try to keep it out of sunlight as much as possible.

If you’re enchanted by the white ink tattoo style, it’s definitely something to consider as an alternative to the black or color tattoos that most other people have. You can even fool people by telling them it’s a scar or even a birthmark just for laughs.

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Get Top Stories Delivered Weekly

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format