No one is scared of needles now!

Call it the Saif Ali Khan effect who flaunts his ‘Kareena’ tattoo, or the Ajay Devgn effect who has Lord Shiva tattoed on his chest or perhaps the Sanjay Dutt effect who has so many of them on his body but youngsters are no more afraid of the needle.

Tattoos nowadays have become a style statement and youngsters are flaunting new tattoo designs complementing their personality. From a primitive practice to the symbol of rebellion, tattoos have come a long way and have been given a new meaning by tattoo lovers. Tattoos are also seen almost everywhere – in TV commercial ads, on rappers in music videos and even in movies.

At one time, tattoos were looked at as signs of rebellion by many. Some examples of people who got tattoos were often seen as gang members, rock n’ rollers, sailors, soldier, etc. This also gave people with tattoos the image of being rough. Initially, people having tattoos were hesitant to show off their body art at the workplace because of the ‘image’ they portrayed. As a result, many were even denied jobs or in other words, the way they looked affected their ‘job status’.

But, now things are very ‘chilled out’. Says Dipti Sahu, who works with Barclays. “Now people are not bothered with what you wear or what you do with your body. Yes, earlier there were issues but now tattoos have become so common that one cannot consider it as a criteria for not hiring a person. I personally have four tattoos on my body and want to have more. It is kind of an addiction. Even my parents are fine with it. And after seeing my tattoos many of my friends went in for this body art.”

Lokesh Verma, owner of Devil’z Tattooz in Delhi, says, “Earlier tattoos were sort of taboo. But, India is a land of followers and so we all followed our favourite actors and cricketers and gotten tattoos done. We even have TV shows solely dedicated on tattoo making and hence people have started accepting it.” The popular designs according to Lokesh include
portraits, names and religious designs.

Vinaya Vishwanathan, marketing head at Mike Tattoos, another popular joint for body art lovers, says, “Nowadays, kids don’t want anything off the net. They want something related to them and which will define their characters. They come well researched for their tattoos as they know it is going to be a permanent one. And that is why youngsters don’t want any demon designs as they think they might affect them. They all come after a proper study and with a concept in mind.”