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SALT LAKE CITY -- It's a sign of the times. Tattoo artists around the country say they're seeing a lot more of one particular client coming through their doors.
Anchor Ink Tattoo manager Thomas "Buzz" Busby remembers the first time he gave a tattoo to a woman over 50.
"She was like a little, frail old lady that you'd help across the street according to the old TV shows. I thought she was joking, but she was straight-faced," he said.
Buzz remembers everything about this customer. Her name was Emma. Her knee-high stockings were down around her ankles. His recollection of this woman is so vivid because even though she had never received a tattoo before in her life, she wanted to get a long-stemmed rose on her face.
Tattoos by generation, Feb. 2010
| Age | Percent with tattoo |
|---|---|
| 18-29 years old | 38% |
| 30-45 years old | 32% |
| 46-64 years old | 15% |
| 65+ years old | 6% |
| Source: Pew Research Center |
"She just wanted to accentuate the frames of her new glasses," he said. "So, I tattooed her face, and she loved it."
Emma isn't alone. NBC reports that a lot of women in their later years are deciding to get marked.
Busby agrees that the amount of older women getting tattoos has been steadily increasing for years. He says the perceptions of body art are changing among people of this age group, who used to believe only thugs and bikers got marked.
"There was fine art back then, too, but it wasn't seen that way. It was just a tattoo," he said.
You may think younger skin may be more resilient after getting a tattoo, but Busby says that's not the case. He says older skin seems to heal more quickly, even though it has lost some of its elasticity.
E-mail: pnelson@ksl.com
