Hollywood has always played a big part in being influential upon the culture of the North American people. I think it would even be safe to say, the people of the world. The glamorous stars have mingled with politics, music and fashion since the first movie reel hit the theatre. The common folk always turn to their hero and heroins for inspiration and in many cases advise. And these Performers have a great understanding of how they can be an influence by using the media to convey their personal thoughts, ideals and agendas to the mass public. One of those people was Charlie Chaplin. Even today Charlie Chaplin's 1940 political satire film “The Great Dictator” can be seen all over the internet. And singer-actress Judy Garland, from The Wizard of Oz, inspired young women to be true to themselves by saying, “Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else”. Not only did Judy have a iconic role that would inspire creative thought for half a century, but she used her platform to send an empowering message.
Young women, particularly teenagers, have always looked to other successful females to be their role models. I’m sure it has been that way since the days of Cleopatra and it will continue to be so. Those in the position of being an influence yield a special power to say what is ok and what is not ok. And it is my opinion that some of these Hollywood female stars are sending the message that having a tattoo can be socially acceptable and in many cases quite classy. By having a respected role model openly show their tattoos proudly, it removes the stigma that only bad girls get tattoos.
For my example of a Hollywood singer and actress I will be using Demi Lovato for two reasons. One is because I used her as an example of “don’t drink and ink” gone wrong and need to make my karmic amends. And the second reason is because Demi is a great role model to a lot of people out there. She has been through many personal battles and has come out with her dignity and authenticity. Since that first tattoo, Demi has continued to get more tattoos that reflect her at a more thoughtful and mature level. I think she is a great example of, if you make a mistake you can correct it.
Having battled bulimia and cutting herself, Demi spent much of her younger years struggling with addiction and mental health issues. I think it shows her inner strength to rise above these battles she has had to fight through. So many people, quietly, silently, understand this dark night of the soul. And it is through the art of Ink that Demi chose to illustrate the internal plight of her soul through words of poetic gestures and illustrations of hope.
To stop the internal programming of cutting herself, Demi had the words Stay Strong tattooed on her wrists. In an interview with 20/20 she says, “The message is for me. It says ‘Stay Strong.’ So every day no matter if I’m putting on my shoes or putting on my makeup, I see it every day, to stay strong.”
On her right hand she has a cross tattoo which signifies her Christian faith. On her one foot it says “Let Go &” and on the other foot “Let God”. Then on her forearm is the word “ Faith” amongst a flock of 12 Black Birds. When iHeartRadio asked why she had twelve birds, Demi answered, “I love the freedom that birds represent and I didn’t specifically have a huge reason why I got 12 of them. But one day, one of my friends that I was at Sober Living, I was living in her Sober Living house, and they asked, ‘So why’d you get … How many did you get?’ And I was like, ‘I don’t know. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve,’ and I was like, ‘Whoa, I didn’t mean to do that.’ But it’s like, it was kind of like a God thing, like I worked the 12 steps, so as I got that while I was in Sober Living, apparently it was really meant to be.”
On her shoulder she Inked the phrase “now I’m a warrior” which comes from her song “Warrior”. And on her side she has the words “You make me beautiful” This side tattoo is an ongoing project for Demi. She has since added feathers, a dream catcher and smaller feathers.
Demi has an array of many other tattoos that represent the birthdays of her family members, reminders of those who have passed, and other forms of keeping her faith. And the famous lips tattoo has been converted into a beautiful rose upon her arm. I think as she matures so does the art upon her.
I think the really great message that Demi projects is that it doesn’t matter how famous or infamous a person is, we all still have our shit to deal with. And it is through the art of tattooing that she can see on a daily basis of where her strength comes from. It is her personal poetic reminder to stay strong. And I think it is a beautiful gift that she is authentic enough to share that with others.
Sources:
http://stealherstyle.net/demi-lovato/?post_type=tattoos
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