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| Maria Dias - Finncap |
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TATTOOS!
What's behind the surging popularity
of tattooing among celebrity women?
A recent popular men's magazine's readers poll offers a fascinating insight into the popularity of tattoos among women celebrities. FHM Magazine recently published their annual list of the World's 100 Sexiest Women in the World as voted on by FHM's readers (www.FHMUS.com). |
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A quick perusal of the Top 100 list reveals that one of the things that many of the women picked have in common is a predilection for body art, i.e. tattoos, also known around the world as tatoeage, tatouage, tatowier, tatuaggio, tatuar, tatuaje, tatoos, tattueringar, tatuagens, tatoveringer, tattos, and tatu. They are more popular now than at any time in recorded history.
An afternoon of research revealed the following results; six of the top ten sexiest women in the world have one or more tattoos (60%), eleven of the top twenty sexiest women in the world as voted on by FHM's readers have a tattoo (55%), thirteen of the top 25 have tattoos (52%), 22 out of the top 50 have tattoos (44%), and out of the top 100 Sexiest Women in the World 2002 as judged by FHM's readers, 36 have tattoos that I know about (a still impressive 36%)! |
These percentages are really quite amazing when taken into context with the overall general population. Esquire Magazine published a poll in March of this year that said one in eight of the general population in the United States sports a tattoo. Details Magazine published a poll that said 22% of those aged 18-25 have a tattoo. But neither poll can hold a candle to FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World. I think it's high time the mainstream media took a closer in-depth look at the popularity of tattoos and body art around the world.
Search Engine Lycos, ranks the Top 50 search terms every week. "Tattoos" was the fourth most popular search term on the internet. "Tattoos" was requested more often than Pamela Anderson, marijuana or Napster, illustrating that skin ink is now more popular than "sex, drugs and rock n' roll!" And the results are... |
1. Anna Kournikova
2. Britney Spears - tattoos - fairy on lower back
3. Halle Berry - tattoo - flower on derriere
4. Alyssa Milano - multiple tattoos
5. Jennifer Lopez
6. Jessica Alba - tattoo on back of neck
7. Jennifer Love Hewitt
8. Angelina Jolie - multiple tattoos
9. Sarah Michelle Gellar - several tattoos
10. Carmen Electra
11. Pamela Anderson - multiple tattoos
12. Nikki Cox
13. Jennifer Aniston - rumoured tattoo
14. Denise Richards
15. Tiffani Thiessen - tattoos
16. Charlize Theron - tattoos on feet
17. Christina Aguilera
18. Jessica Simpson
19. Lucy Liu - tattoo of tiger on lower back
20. Ashley Judd
21. Beyonce Knowles
22. Jenna Jameson - tattoos
23. Tyra Banks
24. Brooke Burke
25. Rebecca Romijn-Stamos - tattoo
26. Jaime Pressly - tattoos
27. Faith Hill
28. Nicole Kidman
29. Cameron Diaz
30. Jessica Biel
31. Elizabeth Hurley
32. Katie Holmes
33. Jenny McCarthy - tattoo on derriere
34. Janet Jackson - multiple tattoos
35. Ali Landry
36. Mariah Carey
37. Shania Twain
38. Catherine Bell - tattoo
39. Heidi Klum
40. Shakira
41. Sandra Bullock - rumoured tattoo on lower belly
42. Jeri Ryan
43. Kirsten Dunst
44. Jasmine Bleeth - tattoos
45. Melissa Joan hart - tattoos
46. Charisma Carpenter - tattoo on lower back
47. Salma Hayek
48. Natalie Portman
49. Julia Roberts - tattoos
51. Jules Asner
52. Mandy Moore
53. Beth Ostrosky
54. Jennifer Garner
55. Alyson Flanigan - tattoos
56. Catherine Zeta-Jones
57. Gena Lee Nolin
58. Drew Barrymoore - multiple tattoos
59. Reese Witherspoon
60. Cindy Crawford
61. Courtney Cox - rumoured tattoo
62. Holly Marie Combs - tattoo
63. Liv Tyler
64. Gillian Anderson - tattoos on feet
65. Rose McGowan - tattoo on back
66. Sofia Vergara
67. Kelly Brooke
68. Penelope Cruz
69. Katherine Heigel
70. Angie Harmon
71. Kristin Kreuk
72. Gwyneth Paltrow - rumoured tattoo
73. Susan Ward
74. Jennifer Connelly
75. Meg Ryan - tattoo
76. Eliza Dushku
77. Leeann Tweedan
78. Gwen Stefani
79. Jolene Blalock
80. Alicia Keys
81. Molly Sims
82. Aaliyah - tattoos
83. Paula Zahan
84. Megan Ewing
85. Samantha Mumba
86. Pink - tattoos
87. Kate Hudson - tattoo on foot
88. Bush Twins
89. Vanessa Marcil - tattoo
90. Laetitia Casta
91. Zhang Ziyi
92. Josie Maran
93. Chely Wright
94. Kim Smith
95. Yamila Diaz-Rahi
96. Jamie Sale
97. Kelly Furtado
98. Chyna - tattoos
99. Kelly Ripa - tattoo on calf
100. Shannon Elizabeth |
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photography © Brett Panelli |
photography © Brett Panelli |
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Is having a tattoo the ultimate unexpected edge for an Oscar-nominated actor?
You might think that the somewhat staid and tradition-bound reputation of the older-than-average Members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences might be put off by the rebellious image of actors with tattoos. But you'd be wrong. Very wrong!
A quick survey of previous Oscar winners shows that not only can they be expected to live years longer than their colleagues if they are blessed with the Golden Statue, but chances are, they probably have a tattoo! In fact, the chances of their having a tattoo is significantly higher than the 1 in 8 ratio of the general population estimated to have skin art in the issue of Esquire magazine.
See for yourselves! Check out this list of previous Oscar recipients with tattoos! Ladies first; Oscar winners Julia Roberts, Jodie Foster, Cher, Jessica Lange, Geena Davis, Marisa Tomei, Whoopi Goldberg, Melannie Griffith, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie all sport skin ink (maybe that's the secret to success on Oscar night!) And as for the men; How about Oscar winners Robert de Niro, Sean Connery, Nicholas Cage, Sean Penn, Cuba Godding Jr., Billy Bob Thorton and Ben Affleck? That's an astonishing array of glittering talent that may have figured out that having a tattoo is the secret talisman that will put Oscar into their hands on the night of the Academy Awards. And who might the previous winners be with secret tattoos that the rest of the world knows nothing about? Odds-makers will certainly be wanting to find out whether or not this years current crop of Oscar-nominees has gone under the needle in an all out bid to garner Oscar gold! This may be great news for Oscar-nominee Sir Ian McKellan who got a tattoo to bond with the rest of the actors who were part of the Fellowship of the Ring in, you guessed it, The Lord of the Rings. And Halle Berry? (She won!) Why she has a cute little flower tattooed on her left buttock. Their tattoos may be all the extra inside edge they need to garner gold at the Academy Awards. Now wouldn't it be appropriate if they gave Oscar a tiny tattoo of his own? |
A LITTLE BACKGROUND ON THE TATTOOS OF THE FAMOUS AND INFAMOUS
The first modern celebrities to push the body art envelope came, not surprisingly, from the rank and file of 'Rock n' Roll.' Just as their music tested the boundaries of society, musicians like Janis Joplin, Joan Baez, Duane Allman and The Rolling Stones were overturning stereotypes of body art. If you were into rebellion, there was no greater advertisement than a tattoo. Back then, tattoos were the indelible accessories of sailors, servicemen, outlaw bikers, criminals and prostitutes - and polite society would have nothing to do with them. True or false?
In fact, the aristocratic and royal families of Europe may well have been the first celebrities to indulge in a taste for tattoos! When Captain Cook and his men returned from their voyages to Polynesia, the salons of Paris and London were abuzz with tales of 'tattooed savages'. Cook's Science Officer and Expedition Botanist Sir Joseph Banks returned to England with a tattoo. Cook brought back with him a tattooed Tahitian chief, and presented him to King George. Many of Cook's men came back tattooed and introduced the word we still use to describe the art form. 'Ta-taw' eventually became 'tattoo'. Along with 'taboo', these are the only two Polynesian words to be adopted into the English language.
The English Royal Court must have been fascinated with the Tahitian chief's tattoos because King George V himself got inked with the 'Cross of Jerusalem' when he travelled to the Middle East in 1862. On a trip to Japan he also received a dragon on the forearm, from the needles of an acclaimed Japanese tattoo master. George's sons, The Duke of Clarence and The Duke of York were also tattooed in Japan while serving in the British Admiralty, solidifying what would become a family tradition. Taking their sartorial lead from the British Court, where King Edward VII followed King George V's lead in getting tattooed; King Frederik IX of Denmark, the King of Romania, King Alexandar of Yugoslavia and even Czar Nicholas of Russia, all sported tattoos, many of them elaborate and ornate renditions of the Royal Coat of Arms or the Royal Family Crest! King Alfonso of modern Spain also has a tattoo.
The tattooing craze spread to the upper classes all over Europe, but particularly in England. There, it was not uncommon for members of the social elite to gather in the drawing rooms and libraries of the great country estate homes after dinner and partially disrobe in order to show off their tattoos. Aside from Prince Albert's Prince Albert, there are persistent rumours that Queen Victoria had a small tattoo in an undisclosed 'intimate' location. Winston Churchill's mother, Lady Randolph, not only had a tattoo of a snake around her wrist, which she covered when the need arose with a specially crafted diamond bracelet, but, believe it or not, had her nipples pierced as well! Carrying on the family tradition, Winston was tattooed himself. |
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Asia Argento |
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WHO'S WHO ON OUR TATTOO HIT LIST?
Tattooing has gone beyond rock stars to become embraced by movie stars, sports stars, and even super models. Tattoos have become ubiquitous in the National Basketball League, where for the first time in the 2000 Season, more players in the NBA have tattoos, than don't. What is clear is that tattooing has emerged from the fringes of society and its unsavoury reputation of the recent past. Oscar winners Julia Roberts, Jody Foster, Marisa Tomei, Melannie Griffith, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie all sport skin ink (maybe that's the secret to success on Oscar night!), as do super models Christy Turlington, Stephanie Seymour, Amber Smith, Carrie Otis and Kate Moss. Pop culture superstars like Britney Spears, Charlize Theron, Gillian Anderson, Pamela Anderson, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Drew Barrymore, Christina Ricci, and Janet Jackson - or any of the Spice Girls for that matter - have all elected to get adorned with permanent body art. And how could you not mention Roseanne Barr? Or Rosie O'Donnell for that matter? |
You want tattooed men? How about Oscar winners Sean Connery, Nicholas Cage, Sean Penn and Billy Bob Thorton? Or Bruce Willis, Charlie Sheen, Johny Depp, Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg, Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs or David Duchovny? Other celebrities, like Michael Jordan, Shaquille O' Neal, Allen Iverson, Marcus Camby, Mike Tyson, Lennie Kravitz, Jon Bon Jovi, Eminem, Fred Durst, Billy Idol, Henry Rollins, Robbie Williams and David Beckham are all tattoo aficionados. And what about those folks that you would never have bet in a million years that they'd have tattoos? Great English actor Sir Ian McKellan? Yep, he got a tattoo to bond with the rest of the actors who were part of the Fellowship of the Ring in, you guessed it, The Lord of the Rings. Vocalist Pearl Bailey had a heart on her upper thigh. The most popular doll of all time, Barbie, recently came with tattoos! Great American Novelist John Irving has a Canadian flag in honour of his second wife. Golf great Lee Trevino saw fit to honour "Anne" on his right arm. Former President Teddy Roosevelt had a tattoo, as did his daughter Alice. Josef Stalin, fittingly enough had a tattoo of a death's head. And former United States Secretary of State George P. Schultz has a tattoo of a tiger on his derriere in tribute to his beloved alma mater, Princeton. Is there, indeed, anything 'tribal' about the emerging international tattooing tradition? Food for thought, grist for argument, and some daring body art to look at - these are all in the mix for Celebrity Tattoos.
THE VANISHING TATTOO - tribal tattoos, designs, pictures...
The Vanishing Tattoo web site, www.vanishingtattoo.com, has become the largest and most popular site devoted to body art and tattooing on the Internet, receiving nearly twenty million hits per month. It's also been rated the Number One tattoo site in the world by Google!. The Vanishing Tattoo is a 13-part (soon to be 26!) half-hour television documentary series devoted to the amazing history, powerful rituals and extraordinary social significance of tribal tattooing in many different cultures around the world.
Vince Hemingson
The Vanishing Tattoo |
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