Korea may seem like a great big old uni-mind or perhaps a huge hive of drones, but if you look a little harder you’ll find pockets of rogue Korean rebelling against the norm.
This past August 29th on a lazy Saturday afternoon was just such an opportunity presented itself with the first ever Korean International Tattoo convention: TA2 Virus! Tattoo artists from Singapore, the US, and Japan joined their Korean counterparts to ink some bare skin and tat up all comers.
Back home getting a tattoo may not seem like such a big deal. No one even blinks an eye at all the cutesy butterflies on ankles, zigzagging tribal patterns on biceps or even zodiac signs on some lower back. In Korea, however, a tattoo is a fruit so forbidden that grown ass men have been known to quake in their Nikes at the thought of their parents ever finding out they even thought about much less got a tattoo.
And that’s just for some teeny tiny discreet anchor or rose thorns strategically placed for an easy cover up. Imagine how Korean rents would react when their son or daughter showed up with a full on flaming red skull of death on their shoulder blade?
No drone would get something like that done here in Kimchi land. These folks at the TA2 convention pretty much dropped the dr from drone and worked out their individual oneness.
The princess girly-girls were gone, replaced by fierce cutting edge chicks in combat boots and leather. No hairless fey metro sexual Wondergirl boys wandered around with their face stuck in a mirror. Instead, scruffy muscled tank top wearing muscle guys joked around with low slung jean wearing lean skater boys.
There’s nothing like an inked up body part to catch a guy’s eye or a girl’s. My friends Rebecca and Naomi scooped out all the cuties. Which was surprisingly easy since some were getting stripped down to their undies to get those torso to ankle wraparound body lengthy tattoos while others dropped shirts to get inked up on their back or chest. Wallflowers or prudes need not attend.
The price to get in the convention was only 30,000 Won and that came with a complimentary energy drink and a free tattoo. If you missed it, to bad. Nah, no worries, the whole shebang should be back next year so plan ahead.
This past August 29th on a lazy Saturday afternoon was just such an opportunity presented itself with the first ever Korean International Tattoo convention: TA2 Virus! Tattoo artists from Singapore, the US, and Japan joined their Korean counterparts to ink some bare skin and tat up all comers.
Back home getting a tattoo may not seem like such a big deal. No one even blinks an eye at all the cutesy butterflies on ankles, zigzagging tribal patterns on biceps or even zodiac signs on some lower back. In Korea, however, a tattoo is a fruit so forbidden that grown ass men have been known to quake in their Nikes at the thought of their parents ever finding out they even thought about much less got a tattoo.
And that’s just for some teeny tiny discreet anchor or rose thorns strategically placed for an easy cover up. Imagine how Korean rents would react when their son or daughter showed up with a full on flaming red skull of death on their shoulder blade?
No drone would get something like that done here in Kimchi land. These folks at the TA2 convention pretty much dropped the dr from drone and worked out their individual oneness.
The princess girly-girls were gone, replaced by fierce cutting edge chicks in combat boots and leather. No hairless fey metro sexual Wondergirl boys wandered around with their face stuck in a mirror. Instead, scruffy muscled tank top wearing muscle guys joked around with low slung jean wearing lean skater boys.
There’s nothing like an inked up body part to catch a guy’s eye or a girl’s. My friends Rebecca and Naomi scooped out all the cuties. Which was surprisingly easy since some were getting stripped down to their undies to get those torso to ankle wraparound body lengthy tattoos while others dropped shirts to get inked up on their back or chest. Wallflowers or prudes need not attend.
The price to get in the convention was only 30,000 Won and that came with a complimentary energy drink and a free tattoo. If you missed it, to bad. Nah, no worries, the whole shebang should be back next year so plan ahead.
I’m a blogger, writer, and teacher. I’ve been working in South Korea’s ESL field for the last three years. My one year contract has unexpectedly turned into a journey that I’m still on and loving.
Oh yes we DID scope out the cuties!P.S. WONDERGIRL BOYS! What??? A term coined by great minds!
I know what you mean! I foud out that same day. I should have posted a quick posting about it.I hate finding out about things too late.
if only i knew about this. i would have went.