Flash back a whole lot of fridays. Back to when I was seventeen to be exact. It was a couple of months before my 18th birthday but I felt like I was turning 30 and I knew the meaning of life and everything. So, it was time to get a tattoo! I went to the tattoo shop with a schoolfriend of mine. Because, all the top models, (the rockstars of my teenage years) had one or two tattoo’s. Totally En Vogue. No longer was getting inked just for seamen or Hell’s Angels. No, I wanted one too!
My friend knew exactly what she wanted. The signature she always used under her name. A tiny doodle with a flower on the bottom. Cute.. But I wanted something more rock&roll! Being totally clueless about what I wanted I just went trough the tattoo book for some inspo (cause yes I’d given this so much though..). After only reaching page two I saw it..The tattoo that was going to be on my body forever. A…PANDA! Yes, people..cause, ‘it’s unique just like me’ I totally made that up on the spot. ‘I’d like it in black please, feel free to use a lot of ink and I want it on my ankle, thank you’.
The copy was made and the blotting paper was on the right spot. ‘Are you sure? I’m sure..’ Speak now or forever hold your peace and about 15 minutes later mr. Panda and I were joined for ever.
I went home a happy camper and felt kinda bad ass until I saw mommy dearest. ‘Look what I got!’ I showed her whilst pulling down my sock and holding the leg of my pants up. Mr. Panda, by now was swollen and a little bloody, ouch. Never ever had I’d seen the usually very cheerful mommy dearest so angry! Yes, it’s physically possible to get steam coming from your ears! A lot was said in her mother tongue Papiamento* which I can not repeat here on TheTrendAttendant.com but what hit home the hardest was:..AND YOU CAN FORGET ABOUT GETTING DRIVING LESSONS!!’ Crap..
To make a long story short, mr. Panda and I didn’t stay together very long because one week later I had an appointment at the laser clinic. I had to choose between getting my drivers license and mr. Panda. And that wasn’t a hard decision to make. I don’t have any pictures of mr. Panda because during his life he has mostly seen the inside of a bandaid.
Many, many bags of money and painful laser treatments later (I’d rather get inked than have another tattoo removed) you can hardly see any evidence of mr. Panda ever being in my life. Only a few white dots and grey spots (the laser also removes skin pigmentation, especially when you are dark skinned) and that’s it.
And after all of this, contradicting I know but we ladies sometimes are, I did go back to a tattoo shop a few times. However, it’s been many years later and now I’d given it a little bit more thought. I got some small girly tattoo’s that are easy so cover up and are not very visible. Mommy dearest is still not a fan but at least I have my drivers licence! 🙂
My girly tattoo’s: anchors, stars and hearts.
(*papiamento is the language spoken in the former Dutch Caribbean.)
xx Mishanou
