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Fangirl time!

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I’ve written here before about how much it sucked that Kat Von D. got fired from Miami Ink. In retrospect, I’m just thrilled that she got her own show, based around her own shop in LA, because she’s amazingly talented, and cool, and a rock star her own self.

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And I’m even more thrilled that the new show not only features a shop full of women, but tackles issues of women’s empowerment, women in male-dominated fields (there are three female artists in the shop, and it was the first time any of them worked with other female tattoo artists), the perception of women in certain fields, and the sociality of women, even the choice whether or not to have kids (in an episode dealing with Corey Miller, the only guy in the shop, and his struggle about whether to have a vasectomy, Kat let drop that she’d done a lot of research on sterilization because she’d told herself that when she was 25, she wanted to get her tubes tied. Corey, unfortunately, did a little of the “But what if you change your mind?” business, but Kat just smiled through that). And all in prime time, with a bigger audience (at least initially) than Miami Ink, which is all-guy.

Plus, all the artists do amazing, amazing work, at a level that puts pretty much everyone on Miami Ink but Chris Garver to shame. I would fly all the way to LA to have any of them do a tattoo for me, but as good as Kat is at portraiture, I’d really want to seek out Hannah Aitchinson for color.

22 thoughts on Fangirl time!

  2. I have two.

    You just haven’t seen any of them. Because I didn’t feel much like stripping off in Julia’s backyard.

  3. I’d like shoulder/back tattoos of creatures from the Book of Kells, or some kind of Mucha-like artwork on my arms.

  6. My boyfriend has two sleeves (at 21), and I have one large piece on my leg. So I’ve spent a lot of time in tattoo shops over the past two years or so, and I’ve found that shops without female artists tend to be near insufferable in their misogyny. I guess I’m just not used to all-male environments that are so open about it.

    Also, I don’t know, but I think LA Ink has more female viewers than you think, or maybe its just that the only people I know who watch it are women.

  7. I love the show as well. But, Corey actually isn’t the only male tattoo artist working at High Voltage. There are 12 listed artists at High Voltage: 9 males, 3 females. One of the shop managers is male as well.

    I’m curious to know how they will incorporate these other artists in the second season (if there is one planned), considering that the show has been promoted as a “women in a male-dominated field, doing it for themselves” type of show (even though Kat, Hannah and Kim certainly are doing it for themselves and are highly respected artists).

    Besides this point, I’m still iffy about getting a tattoo. But if I do, I would love to get one from either Hannah or Kim if my ideal tattoo is color-heavy. I’ve also love Japanese dragons and tigers; so if I were to want something dealing with Japanese art, I would love to get a tattoo from Corey.

  10. Corey, unfortunately, did a little of the “But what if you change your mind?” business, but Kat just smiled through that

    Why “unfortunately”? If he, himself, was thinking about getting sterilized, it’s a perfectly reasonable question to ask.

  12. Why “unfortunately”? If he, himself, was thinking about getting sterilized, it’s a perfectly reasonable question to ask.

    It’s reasonable for him to be asking himself, but the question assumes that she doesn’t know her own mind.

  13. I was a little skeptical of LA Ink at first – between the stripper pole and the woman who got the “Get back in the kitchen and bake cookies” pin-up tattoo (because women no longer bear the disproportionate burden of household labor, didn’t you get the memo????) the show looked a little to “post feminism” to me. Also, Steve-o gives me the freaking creeps. I kept watching it though because I, too, have a massive crush on Kat Von D and I love the tattoos (I would DVR Miami Ink and just fast forward to the tats because omg those guys are SUCH a-holes, except Chris Garver who seems kind of cute). The fact that she chose not to have implants sufficiently soothed me so I’m a fan again.

    Also? I want to go out for drinks with Kim.

  14. A few of my best tattoos were done at a place called Ancient Art in Orlando, which is co-owned by a woman (she did my work actually)…I’ve also noted in a lot of shops, the piercers are female. Eh, there are a lot of studios in the North VA/ DC area with women artists…which is cool.

  16. I’m not sure how her practically tattooing in a bikini (unsafe) and covering such hard hitting issues are breast-implants denotes empowerment. In the first episode she says something to the tune of she has to bring in a man so the shop full of women don’t get out of control.

    I particularly love in last week’s episode when they go to watch the queers like a zoo exhibit at drag bingo.

    The fact is she does mediocre tattoos but has managed to make a name for herself because she’s on television and manages to find the cameras at conventions. She promotes and perpetuates non-sterile, and unsafe practices. The only person on this show worth mentioning, who actually is a tattoo heavy-weight is Hannah Aitchison.

  17. If you are interested in tattoos and specifically females with tattoos, you might be interested in this book

    Chick Ink
    The lady in story #39 is an internet friend of mine, and this book is on my wishlist, but I haven’t read it yet myself.

  18. Why “unfortunately”? If he, himself, was thinking about getting sterilized, it’s a perfectly reasonable question to ask.

    It’s reasonable for him to be asking himself, but the question assumes that she doesn’t know her own mind.

    Well, Corey himself seemed pretty ambivalent about his own vasectomy, so I just assumed it was his own ambivalence coming through, not necessarily questioning Kat’s choice (I did like the doctor who told Corey, “If you’re asking about reversing it now, this is not a good idea for you.”)

  19. I just hope that LA won’t be as staged and contrived as Miami. I used to really like Miami Ink, and then I had a childhood acquaintance of Ami shatter all conceptions of the show and its artists. It’s really a shame that we can’t have a real reality show.

  20. Love this show. My favorite tattoo was drawn from an emailed description and tattooed by a female artist at Electric Ladyland in New Orleans. I was blown away by how well she interpreted my request and the vibrant color she used.

    I am a little disappointed to find out there are so many men working at Kat’s shop since it has been touted as a shop run by women in the show.

  21. I guess I’m the only one who’s irritated every time another one of her Dita von Teese/Amy Winehouse wannabe commercials comes on with her rolling around on the floor spouting inane “power girl” phrases. I’m a sourpuss, I know.

  22. I’m a sourpuss, as well. Every time the promo with her in a corset would come on the television, I wanted to throw things. Why the hell do they have to market her as a pinup girl?

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