Pencil can be erased, pen is manageable with white out, and if anything, a person can always start fresh with a new piece of paper. Corrective fluid exists for paper - but not for skin. Tattoos are a permanent fashion statement.
Recently, Rick Genest, also known as "Zombie Boy," has gained a lot of attention after being featured in Lady Gaga's music video for her latest single, "Born This Way."
What really has people talking is his full body skeletal tattoo. Everything, including his head and face, is covered with ink to resemble the living dead.
Genest has made a career out of his body art that has transferred into the fashion world, even traveling to the skin of models who walked the runway for Thierry Mugler at Paris Fashion Week.
This fashion statement is not one for the indecisive. Ink applied with a tattoo gun is permanent. Removal methods exist, but they are expensive and painful. Therefore, one must think twice before making the commitment.
If fashionistas are looking for a less permanent form of body art, temporary tattoos are always an option. No, I don't mean the kind you get for 25 cents from the little machine at Publix.
Designers like Betsey Johnson and Chanel launched their own transfer-on tattoo lines in 2010 that are still available online.
These removable tattoos resemble jewelry and are definitely different. Although designer temporary tattoos are a strange concept, they are much better than the Ed Hardy tattoo sleeve craze of 2008. Today, it is more acceptable to actually have the real thing. But it's important to remember that however fun and personalized they may seem, tattoos are not like clothes. You can't take them off at the end of the day, so think before you ink. Trends come and go, but style is forever - and so are your tattoos.
