My Wife: The Lovely Tattooed Lady

For my wife Jessa's 30th birthday, she requested an original tattoo design. So one night over drinks in a California establishment, aptly named Dive Bar, where women dressed as mermaids swim above the bar in a giant tank, she doodled an outline on a cocktail napkin: a Wonder Mop forming a stoic, hard X against a broom. Here were two symbols of domesticity and submission that had been taken back, reclaimed by women, both loaded with connotations of woman's innovation, choice, perseverance, strength, and mystery, the persecution of women as witches and man's fear of the unknown. With the dichotomy of the modern Wonder Mop and the ancient broom, the image also hinted at the long history of woman's struggle for respect and equal rights. Surrounding the symbol, in a witchy and archaic font, would be the word "ma'am"--an equally loaded title of respect (we brainstormed several other words that could have fit here, mostly consisting of four letters; I'll leave those to your imagination).

MA'AM

The finished product on the underside of my lovely wife's right arm. Ink by Fishladder Tattoo in Lansing, MI.

In early July, the weekend following her birthday, Jessa had the piece finalized and has been proudly displaying it ever since.

If you're looking for someone to draft an original design to permanently attach to your skin, drop me a line at caseyjbye@gmail.com