4. Interviews & Analysis
4.6. Gigi
國
立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
4.6. Gigi
Picture 26: Gigi’s tattoo on her right arm Picture 27: A portrait of Gigi
Gigi is in her third year studying Psychology at National Chengchi University and 21 years old. She lives in the dorms and finds the study environment to be a very safe space for her, where people accept her style and her having tattoos. I approached her at Louisa Café near our campus, where she often sits with her laptop, sometimes accompanied by her boyfriend.
She stands out among a crowd with her colourful and happy style. She got her four tattoos when she was 20 years old and they resemble herself and her fashion. She is the only one with tattoos in her NCCU friend circle but met quite a few tattooed people during her work and
travel experience. Gigi could not quite tell me which cultures she is interested in, it was a
question she found hard to answer but in general she likes to go work out and swim, listen to music, be outside with her friends and go travel. Her preferred style of music is soft Taiwanese Rap. Also, she checks Instagram daily and follows several tattoo artists who reflect her taste and style. Gigi shares instastories regularly that are, just like her own style, very creative and fun to watch.‧ 國
立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
Intertextualization
R: Gigi, could you first introduce yourself? Who are you, what do you like?
Y: So… I really like music, I really like Hip Hop and Rap. There is this company called 顏社 KAO! Inc. for example. The people there have a lot of tattoos themselves, I do think it influenced me on one part. I am a very open-minded person, I like to make friends. I go to the gym at NCCU but recently I am busy with studies to prepare for the master degree.
Gigi is the second interviewee after Jarvis to mention KAO! Inc. to me, a company that focuses on the local Taiwanese Rap scene. This company is very active on social media and they feature Taiwanese artists who embrace fusions of styles from African-American Rap scene to Reggae Rastafari or European Hipster culture. Gigi mentions that their style did influence her in deciding to get tattooed which again underlines the importance of online culture and culture in general.
Socialization
R: Do you think people have certain stigma towards your tattoos?
Y: I think here at NCCU it’s okay. People are young and open-minded, tattoos are more ubiquitous and normal now. They used to be connected to criminals and the underground scene, people used to think you need to be like that in order to have tattoos but today it’s different and the youth know it’s not that strongly connected anymore.
There are different styles, more colours, so here I think it’s okay. But the elderly generation still has that opinion.
Personalization
Picture 28 – 30: Gigi’s tattoos
‧
R: Could you tell me a bit about your tattoos?
Y: The first one I got last year in November, I was still 20 when I got them. The first one is the face on my arm and the other three I all got at the same time.
R: Why did you get them?
Y: So, beginning from my teenage years I was already really interested in tattoos. I started to think about it but I only got it when I was 20. So this one (the face) is supposed to be me and remind me of myself when I was 20 because that year was really special to me, I had a lot going on and really had focus in my life. Last year in the summer vacation I went to Green Island for one month to do work and travel. I worked at a hostel where I got food and accommodation in return. Many young Taiwanese like to do this sort of thing. So I just chose Green Island and I was very happy there. And you know…the original Green Island people there, a lot of them have tattoos and are open-minded and very warm-hearted. So I wanted to kind of be a little bit like that…. After I came back to Taiwan I started my third year and started to intern, that work was also really nice. I was doing marketing, I liked it a lot and felt like my 20th year was very special.
Gigi’s story shows that the people in our surroundings can have a great influence in motivating oneself to get tattooed. With Gigi we can see that she was somewhat driven by the people she met on Green Island, people who were “tattooed and kind-hearted”, who embraced a life style that Gigi could identify with and wanted to embrace herself. By tattooing her skin, she wants
“to be a bit like them”, belong to a special group of people that she met on Green Island.
R: What about the other ones?
Y: These ones I got all together and they don’t really have a story. It’s more because I liked the design.
R: Last year when you got your first tattoo, was there any difference you felt after obtaining it?
Y: I think…a little bit. Because this feeling… I have to think…. It’s a proud feeling…when others see my tattoos, and they have a big meaning for me, I think it looks good. So it’s a good feeling.
R: Do you think it makes you more confident, more beautiful?
Y: Oh, yes, yes.
R: Why did you chose these places for your tattoos?
Y: There is no special reason, it’s basically because I like these spots.
R: After you got your tattoos…what was the biggest difference?
‧ 國
立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
Y: The biggest change… I think it added more confidence to myself. When others see them…it feels good. I can show other people my style. It makes me more confident. I do think I am already a confident person. I just like to show my style, also when it comes to fashion.
Gigi feels more confident and more beautiful with her tattoos and, just like most of my other interviewees, there is no greater reason why she chose the places on her body for the tattoos. It seems to boil down to aesthetics and each individual’s perception of what design and which body part is most attractive. Gigi seems to enjoy the attention she gets for her tattoos, as well and the fact that it represents her fashion style. As she got all of these tattoos after she turned 20 years, a year where she had experienced things that had a big impact on her, all of these tattoos seem to be a statement of a rite of passage – growing up, finding herself.