As children, adults told us: “What tattoo?!” When you grow up, you can at least get a prick on your forehead!” “Big Village” found four Samarans who took it and tattooed it: we find out what kind of pain - physical and mental - the crosses and anchors on the face cause, how loved ones and passers-by react to them, whether a tattoo changes a person and whether you want to erase all this beauty.

Nastya Rosso

Model

At the age of 15, I went to my tattoo artist and said that I wanted to tattoo my face. He answered with one phrase: “No, damn it, you’re too small for this.” I had to persuade him for a long time, and, as you can see now, I succeeded.

I have always been a supporter of such actions, and no one was surprised at my outburst: my friends had already gotten used to it, my relatives reacted calmly - everyone except my grandmother. She always wanted to raise me to be a real lady, and when she saw what happened to my face, she was silent for a long time, and then asked if I was injecting heroin. After the negative answer, however, I calmed down and after a while I got used to it. I already lived separately from my parents and I also tried not to be an eyesore for my grandmother.

For the first six months I flaunted my tattoos. I quickly got used to my reflection and wanted people to pay attention to me more often. But after a year, the constant glances in my direction began to freeze.

Grandmothers on the street periodically crossed themselves, some dropped their grandchildren off on the bus, and also shouted after me so that I wouldn’t breed. They reacted to me like I was a dinosaur.

But young people like my tattoos. I shoot nudes for famous photographers and my photographs are popular. Sometimes my tattoos are covered up because they don’t fit the concept of a photo shoot - in particular, they do this for “before” and “after” collages. But I don’t really like covering them up: face tattoos are a way to forget about a difficult past. When I cover them up, I again remember the pain and powerlessness of the days that today I would like to forget.

However, I recently covered up the tattoo myself in order to meet my boyfriend’s parents. As soon as I got on the subway, I realized that no one was looking at me and I missed it.

At the same time, I never thought about removing my tattoos because others don’t like them. For me it's cool and aesthetically pleasing, and nothing else matters. I didn't make them to wash them. But I don’t know what will happen in the future - people tend to change, and I don’t exclude the possibility that I will want to remove something from my face or body. I just try to live by logic: feel yourself, do what you want, and not what others want from you.

I often had to change jobs. For example, when I worked in an apartment sales company, ten deals out of a hundred ended unsuccessfully: employers and customers were biased towards me - they thought that because of the tattoos on my face I was incompetent or that I was simply too small for such work. I actually studied to become an actor-theater director, but I realized that it was not for me, and I consciously left my studies. In a year I'm going to apply to become an art critic, because art is what I am.

My body is proof of this. It's completely covered in tattoos. They are everywhere: from arms and legs to ribs and pubis. Everything is spontaneous: I never wait several months before a session, but immediately go and hit. Sometimes it hurts like hell, and sometimes I don’t even notice how it goes. It was the same with my face - I never made a sound during all the sessions. But the best thrill is the feeling after. Every time I look at myself in the mirror and see a new tattoo on my face, I happily swear. That's all. This is incomparable to anything.

After such tattoos, not only your appearance changes, but also your inner self - you find yourself in a different caste of people, going beyond what is permitted. When you have a tattoo on your face, you don’t care what kind of makeup you go out with or what sneakers you’re wearing. My motto in life is to simply look for yourself. And it doesn’t matter whether you have drawings on your body or whether you wear a leopard fur coat with striped leggings.

I believe that facial tattoos are a slap in the face to society. It turns out that those around me think more about my life than I think about them.

Pavel Malafeev

Entrepreneur, Harat's employee

At the age of 18, I got my first tattoo on my face - a small anchor. It didn't make much sense, I just liked the nautical theme. I tattooed the word Trust (translated from English as trust) above my eyebrow because I believe that without this quality no relationships in society are possible. The white rabbit is a reference to Alice in Wonderland. He is the coolest character who controls time. The rabbit often tells me, whispers in my ear, what needs to be done. By the way, the sketch came to me in a dream. And my strongest tattoo is a cross on my forehead. It shows my attitude towards religion: I respect the story about Jesus Christ, it is my favorite. From it you can glean something that is not visible on the surface.

I decided to fill my face and realized that there was nothing to lose - my neck and whole body were covered with tattoos. It all started with music: as a child I was a violinist, and then I started playing guitar, drums, opened a recording studio, and organized concerts. I looked at the downtrodden musicians and thought: “I want tattoos too!” I liked being noticed. Everyone in the music community supported me, but passers-by on the street stared and stumbled. Because of this, I felt scared, so I tried not to take public transport, only take a taxi. Buses sucked all the energy out of me. Sometimes the grandmothers turned into girls, flirted, discussed what kind of boys they were now.

There were no difficulties finding a job. I found an informal place - Harat's Pub. There are no strict standards here, no one points a finger at you. Before that I worked at a tattoo parlor called Riverside Tattoo. There was even a “Let’s kill your face for free” campaign. Anyone has used it - from teenagers to old people. At one point I had to leave for another job on business, and when I returned, I was simply amazed: even minors were beaten to death. Schoolchildren left the salon with eyes painted on their foreheads. I told the masters: “What are you doing, really? We will have problems." But no one complained. During the entire operation of the salon, we scored exactly thirty people. We can say that we participated in the birth of a new movement in Samara.

In my tattoo parlor they tattooed others, but I noticed that I myself was missing something. The cross on the forehead filled this void, and everything fell into place. It's cool that I'm not one of those guys who dream and don't dare. I'm the one who took it and did it. In addition, such actions helped me become more self-confident and overcome modesty - I consider this quality unnecessary in our world.

Denya Kolchanov

Tattoo master

My girlfriend forbade me to get tattoos on my face, but I dared. Secretly from her, I came to the salon and asked the master to make my dream come true. At home, of course, I was a little upset, but then I thought more about how to explain my choice to my parents. They live in other cities, and I decided to just send a photo. Mom reacted calmly: she worked as a tattoo artist for a long time - and by the way, she gave me my first tattoo at the age of 13. Dad looked at the seal of Lucifer on my temple and asked: “What is this, a drink?” I was most ashamed in front of my grandparents, but they simply remained silent.

In general, no one has caused scandals for me at home, this won’t surprise anyone on the street - every second person is downtrodden, and it’s difficult to impress clients - I work in a tattoo parlor. True, after a while I still began to regret that I had gotten a tattoo on my face and thought about removing it - I began to develop real social phobia. It’s good that my friends convinced me to leave everything as it was: they said that it was part of me, and without it I would be different.

Recently I was thinking that there is a place near my cheek where I would like to stuff my knife hand. Or a crown of thorns on the forehead. But this is still in my thoughts, my face is pitiful. In general, I began to notice that getting a new tattoo for me is like buying sneakers: you wear them carefully for a couple of days, try not to get them dirty, and then you feel comfortable and forget about them until the next passer-by starts openly yelling at you stare. When you have 57 tattoos all over your body, it's hard to hide it.

I have one cool tattoo, although not on my face. My ex-girlfriend had a chubby friend, and I laughed at her all the time. One day, to hook her even more, he stuffed a plump woman in an ice cream cone on his leg, wrote her name and sent it to her. The girl didn’t appreciate the joke, but I still really like this tattoo, it reminds me of that friend and fun times.

Problems with law enforcement agencies arise constantly. Every time I travel by train I am searched by the police. They think I'm driving drugs. For them, a tattoo with a spider on their hands is something from the zone. Because of this, I am often labeled as a person who has served time. Recently I was riding the metro near Zvezda. The female police officer gave me a real interrogation and threatened to take me to the police station. I looked at the photographs of criminals on the wall and said that I looked like one of them - simply because I also had dark hair. When she got tired of looking for leads, she let her go, but didn’t explain anything - and didn’t even apologize for the inconvenience. Over time, people on the street stop bothering you: headphones in your ears are a good thing. Grown-up women and men are increasingly coming up and saying: “Beautiful!” I am sure that if you are a closed person and treat the comments of passers-by with aggression, then they will treat you the same. I'm open-minded, so I've never been told that tattoos on my face look ugly.

Almost all of my face tattoos have no meaning. I have a cobweb on my head with a butterfly and a spider, near my temples there is a razor and a knife - American old school. It feels like getting a tattoo on your head is like going to a dentist for a session, only it’s as if they’re treating your brain, not your teeth. And also this sound, when the needle taps on the bone... I could barely restrain myself - just so as not to interfere with the master doing the work. At one point he suggested splitting the session into two parts. But it hurt so much that I replied: “No way!” I can’t stand this again.”

In this matter, it is important to catch the line and understand when to stop. I won't get any more tattoos on my face. Every person has natural beauty, and if you fill your whole face with ink, it will disappear and you will become faceless.

Tattoos have long ceased to be associated with the prison past or subcultures, even among the older generation, and clogged “sleeves” are not a hindrance when applying for a job. Surprise and increased interest continue to be caused only by tattoos on the most visible areas of the body - for example, on the head or face.

The Village talked to people who were not afraid to decorate their faces with tattoos and found out how they live and in what ways they fight the hostility of others.

Bertha, 19 years old

A security guard appeared in front of me at the entrance to GUM
and said: " Sorry,
but you can't come in,
We don't allow people like that»

I got my first tattoo at the age of 16. All my friends were stuffing something small, but I freaked out, went and made myself two Van Goghs - one for each hand. My last tattoo appeared a month and a half ago - these are lines on my face. And this Thursday I’m waiting for the next session - I’ll fill in another eye. I do everything with one master, he comes up with very cool ideas. Although I can draw everything myself, I’m an illustrator.

There is a separate story connected with the eyes and their image. I was about 14 years old, I had problems sleeping, and socialization was also difficult: after all, those around me do not always understand creative people. I had strange dreams: some humanoids, ladies and gentlemen, dressed in dresses and three-piece suits, and instead of faces they had a white sheet, and they all carried small teapots in their hands. Suddenly, a bunch of eyes of different sizes and different colors begin to open on their white, empty faces.

These images haunted me for a long time, and I made my eye on my forehead last summer. The excess paint came out along with the lymph, and it looked as if the eye was crying black tears. At that time, my employer, for whom I no longer work, just called me and invited me for an interview.

I come with this eye dripping with black tears to the studio that makes children's cartoons, and they take me there without any problems. The studio is called "Airplane" - it makes "Fixies". Apparently, among artists and designers and in the field of film production, no one cares what is written on your face - unless you are an actor or producer, of course.

My left arm is completely covered in tattoos, and I will be re-stuffing my neck - there is a tattoo that my ex-husband gave me. A certain number of tattoos are associated with films, games and music, which I am very attached to. And on my face I have a whole composition - like a visualization of the superego. The eye is an eye, it does not fall asleep and always sees everything, as if being above everything, and never looks into the eyes. I am a very strong Freudian, I even have a portrait of Freud and a pig in rabbit ears on my arm.

Grandma keeps repeating: “Get this bullshit off your forehead.” The first three days when I stuffed, she didn’t notice at all. I sat next to her, she watched her Petrosyan, I stole chips from her, and everything was fine - despite the fact that I had a fresh, bright tattoo on my forehead, still shiny with cream. But then my grandmother suddenly noticed, and since then she has been repeating this “Unstick” all the time.

I don't know about mom. About 15 minutes before they smeared painkillers on my face, I wrote: “Now I’m getting a tattoo on my face.” Then I sent her a photo, my mother replied: “Mmm, I see.” Sometimes loved ones have outbursts like “Look at yourself, you’ve mutilated yourself.”

I only recently encountered discrimination. We at Vyshka organized a private screening of the film at the GUM cinema. My friend and I came to the session. Already at the entrance to GUM, a security guard appeared in front of me and said: “Sorry, but you can’t come in, we don’t allow people like that.” I clarify: “Which ones?” To which he replies that my appearance is unacceptable and is considered indecent. But then another guard came up and reluctantly let us through.

My favorite phenomenon in society is sociable alcoholics. One day during lunch break I went out to eat. I approach the cafe, finish smoking, and suddenly a carcass in sky-blue jeans and a denim jacket of the same color - a real Marlboro cowboy - tumbles out onto the street. He is staggering around me near this cafe, he is shaking, he smells terribly of fumes.

He stops, looks at me for a long time and says: “Do you have an intrapersonal conflict?” It was unexpected - I don’t even remember what I told him. And as he left, he threatened me with his finger several times. Perhaps it was a failed psychiatrist.

Tattoos are like icons for me. Only on the icon you show the face of the one sitting at the top with a beard, but here you depict on yourself what is inside you. If we look at this from the point of view of psychoanalysis, then in all the tattoos that people continue to cover themselves with, one can see a very strong connection with the characteristic features of a person.

In general, I think that I can qualify for a diploma in psychoanalysis. I was even kicked out of art school for having “phallic” eggplants. I didn’t even know such a word then, I was 11 years old. We were given the task of drawing a still life with eggplants. I started, the teacher came up to me and said: “What did you do? This is obscene! You’re actually in a decent establishment.”

Then this woman called other curators, who also rolled their eyes. And I stand there and don’t understand anything. It was then that they explained to me that, you see, eggplants are phallic, that I had drawn something indecent and unacceptable. Since then I have been wondering if there are eggplants that are not phallic.

I think I have found my tattoo artist and he is perfect for me in all respects. I have a lot of tattoos, a bunch of small ones combined into one big one, so it’s hard to count. There are definitely 30 pieces.

They gave me anesthesia a couple of times, but it didn’t work in three places: on the forehead, on the left cheek and somewhere else. It seems to me that the more stuff a person has under his skin, the more painful it is. When they got a tattoo on my stomach, I almost died. After that, she moved around for two days, bent double. It hurt so much that I had to fill it in two sessions.

A lot has changed for me since getting face tattoos. The eye is an amulet that protects against idiots. With these tattoos, you immediately begin to understand how a person treats you, what he thinks about you, why he communicates with you, and what he generally needs from you. They often started taking pictures of me on the subway - it really infuriates me. A photo of my sleep-deprived face even appeared in the “Moscow Metro Fashion” public page. But I have much fewer complexes. A face tattoo is definitely a solution to socialization problems.

Kirill, 20 years old

Last time, when my girlfriend and I were counting (and this was six months ago), I found out 70-odd tattoos. There are eight of them on the face

When I first decided to get a tattoo, I was 15 years old. Then I was dating a girl - those great teenage feelings. When we parted, I decided to paint her full back portrait. I found out how much it costs and realized that it would be better to abstain. About a year has passed. It was my birthday, I had some free money, and I thought: “Damn, I still want a tattoo.”

As a result, I got a tattoo on my stomach - a rose with wings, the size of two palms. It came out to 2,500 rubles, but I negotiated down to 2,400 rubles. It took me five hours to get this tattoo. It is, of course, small, but due to the fact that it includes many colors, it took a long time to make. After the third hour, I had the feeling that a knife was being driven back and forth through my guts. I tell the master: “Let me give you 2,400 rubles, and I’ll buy cigarettes for 100, because this is hell.” After that I swore off ever getting tattoos. But then I changed my mind, of course.

The most painful thing was getting a tattoo on my Adam's apple. As soon as the contours began to fill in with brown, I felt bad - I went to the toilet and threw up in pain. After the session I was supposed to meet my friend. I get out of the subway car, stand in the center of the hall and see my friend going down the steps. I walk towards her, but then the pain from the session catches up with me, I switch off and fall to the floor - I lay there for about five seconds. But the tattoo healed in literally two days.

The last time my girlfriend and I counted (which was six months ago), I had 70-something tattoos. There are eight of them on the face. There will be three more soon. I want to somehow play up the person on the left cheek in a more interesting way, otherwise he just looks like a big spot. I got my last tattoo on my knee about a month ago, and another lotus on my forehead. I want to somehow organize everything I’ve done, because I’ve been getting tattoos for four years now. And from them you can notice changes in my philosophy of life - like in the painting of some artist.

Recently I had an interesting story related to a tattoo. My friends and I went to Yalta for a festival this summer. Afterwards we hitchhiked to Krasnodar. My friend has an acquaintance living in Rostov, and we stayed with him for a day. As a result, we went on a spree and I met a tattoo artist. The next day I wake up and go get a tattoo. I look at the master’s sketches and understand that everything is beautiful, but not catchy. And then he pulls out a dusty sketch from somewhere, and there from “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”, instead of the main character, a bat with glasses, a cigarette holder, and a Panama hat. And I think: “And this is what the trip was like.”

Initially, I had small tattoos on my face, which I got when I was 17, but literally six months ago I covered them all up with large works. Mom was very worried and is still worried. She, of course, wants me to bring them together, but she is already more calm. On the other hand, she sees that everything in my life is gradually working out. She knows what my goals are and what my values ​​are. And my mother is proud of me. Of course, my sister sometimes teases me. She has one tattoo, which she got when she was 16 years old - a hieroglyph on her shoulder blade. But that's all.

In general, different situations related to tattoos happen every day. For example, I’m reading a book and I feel like someone is watching. I automatically turn my head to the right and make eye contact with someone. Sometimes I notice some kind of rejection from others, but this, I believe, is a projection of your inner state. What you put out is what you receive.

If you notice that some kind of hostility is coming towards you, it means that you yourself allowed yourself to emit it. I try to be neutral about this. But there were different cases. For example, once on my birthday, a non-Russian wanted to beat me right in the subway. He says: “I’m going to drop you now.” And literally after three minutes of conversation, he gave me a Nuts chocolate bar and left the carriage.

I recently encountered a problem. My girlfriend and I came to look at an apartment for rent. The owners there are Armenians, very kind, interesting and hospitable. But before us, literally ten minutes later, two girls came with the same question. We immediately decided to rent an apartment and were ready to pay a couple of months in advance. And the owners say: “No, the girls came first after all.”

Then we went to look at the next apartment - a two-room apartment on Mosfilmovskaya. The owner of the apartment spoke to us friendly over the phone. And when we met, he immediately became taciturn. He began to blurt out: “The owner is my wife, I’ll talk to her and give her an answer before the morning.” Naturally, he refused, but he and his wife argued that we were too young a couple for them and they would like to rent out the apartment to more serious people. Although I work, and the girl has no problems with money either. No one will openly say what the reason is. And whoever says it, I will shake hands.

At first, tattoos were just decoration for me. Two years later, I realized that they still contain some meaning. I started to work more selectively and look at quality. When you get tattoos for a long time, and then consciously look at yourself in the mirror, you see the flow of your life. Last year I started getting tattoos very rarely, but more serious ones.

There are a couple of foreign tattoo artists that I would like to work with someday. In general, if I really need it, fate will work out in such a way that I will get to them. As they say in ancient myths, you don’t choose the artifact, but the artifact chooses you. There's something similar with tattoos too.

Dasha, 27 years old

One day one grandmother, seeing me in a minibus, I decided to wash myself with holy water

I made the first tattoo on my left hand, and the last one on my nose, several dots. There is no hidden meaning in them. It’s just that one evening there was a party planned in Armagh, and I wanted to paint my face. Right at work, I took a black marker, drew dots on my nose and walked like that all day, and by the evening I realized that I wanted them forever. That evening I went and did it.

Almost all of my tattoos appear like this - I never think for a long time. Sometimes I draw them myself, but I can’t reach some places. If I see that the artist has drawn something cool, I immediately fill it in. There are people who come to the salon, and it begins: “Well, I don’t know what I want.” If you don’t know, then you don’t need it. This doesn't happen to me.

Now I work at the Trajectory store. I specifically choose a job where there will be no problems with tattoos, and in my resume I immediately mention that I have tattoos. When people see me, of course, they are surprised.

I don't know exactly how many tattoos I have. More than thirty. But I still have many places on my body without tattoos. For example, the back is clean. But that's it for now. I have six or seven tattoos on my face, including white ones. Perhaps they even glow in the dark under some kind of fluorescent lighting - I haven't tested.

I got my first tattoo at the age of 18. Then it was not as popular as it is now, the tattoo was small, and at the university everyone was fine with it. They said it was cool, asked if it hurt. Yes, it hurt, the wrist is a terrible place for a tattoo. In extreme cases, there is a painkiller that helps. Until recently, I didn’t use it and was always against it. I thought: “This is a tattoo, you have to endure it.”

But one day I decided to get a tattoo almost on my ribs, it lasted an hour, and it was the worst hour of my life. They never applied painkillers to the area, and I greatly regretted it. It hurt so much that I didn't even look at the tattoo when it was finished. It was also painful to do on the palms.

When I got my first tattoo, my mother gave me money for it, and I assured her that there would be only one tattoo and that it would not be really visible. But then the second, third, and so on followed - already on a global scale. Mom, of course, was very upset, I was even ashamed. And to this day she constantly reproaches me: “You said this was the last one!” And dad mocks me, teases me all the time, jokes about tattooed people. He says that only prisoners and bad aunts and uncles do this.

Maybe the fact is that dad is a man of the old school and is quite conservative. Still, my mother probably treats my tattoos more adequately. And my sister, for example, really likes them, although she always says that I’m sick. She has children, my nieces, they love to look at me.

Personally, I’m not part of any tattoo crowd, but I have another crowd - skaters, and among them there are a lot of tattooed guys. Not on the same scale as me, of course. Often they look and say: “Lord, how do you live with that on your face?”

Maybe I started paying a lot of attention to this, but I don’t like the way they treat tattoos in Russia. It's terrible when you're traveling in public transport and trying not to notice the stares. They openly stare at you and shake their heads - they say, you mutilated yourself, this is a nightmare. I try not to react to this in any way. But there are also people who like it: they raise their thumbs up and say: “Wow, cool tattoos!” (or something similar). Not a day goes by without questions about facial tattoos from the series “Did it hurt or not?” and how white tattoos are made.

One day, one grandmother, seeing me on a minibus, decided to wash herself with holy water. I hear the phrase “I mutilated myself” quite often. Again, I don’t care, I have done and will continue to do tattoos because I like it. I probably like the process itself even more than the result.

I get tattoos in my friends’ salons. But not for free: I appreciate their time, and the material is also quite expensive. Although, of course, I'll give it at a discount. Previously, it seems to me that tattoos were more expensive than now. My most expensive tattoo cost me 20 thousand. It is all colored and takes up half of the caviar. There is a sloth with a skateboard, my friend Dima Tabachny made it for me - he draws very cool.

Tattoos for me are like markers of certain periods of my life. Now I'm planning to make a black sleeve on my right arm. I just want more black. This is my favorite color and it looks really cool.

My life changed a lot after I got a tattoo on my face. Probably no one looks at other people that way. I'm even glad that winter has come, when I can relax and put on gloves so that no one stares. Plus the hood also helps. They say to me: “Well, how do you live with so many tattoos - are they probably boring you?” No, they don’t bother me, I don’t even notice them when I look at myself. This is part of me.

Vitaly, 24 years old

To work, it seems They took me just for the tattoos, because To be honest, I don’t cut my hair very well

I got my very first tattoo at the age of 17 - on my arm, a heart with birds. Then, of course, he filled it with other tattoos. I did the last two last month - I finished off the neck and made another one on the face, in the shape of a knife. Besides that, I have a black hand and a lot of stuff. In general, I'm packed quite tightly - only my chest (it's in the contours) and back are clean. Hands and feet are already fully occupied.

I always tattoo different people. Mostly these are some close acquaintances or friends - some work in salons, some beat at home, some in basements. I never went to any luxury salons - only to my own, trusted guys.

It is important for me that a person understands the matter, so that it is pleasant to communicate with him. The last time, for example, I got a tattoo from a female colleague: she recently started doing tattoos, but I was interested in how she beats.

I can't say exactly how many tattoos I have. For example, if the arm is all black up to the elbow, how much is it? One? I don't count them.

I got my first face tattoo three years ago. Now I have four of them. Mom still scolds me. And she doesn’t even know about the last tattoo. Mom has a very negative attitude towards tattoos, but she had to come to terms with it. Dad doesn’t care, he wants a tattoo himself, but mom forbids him. My brother also got a tattoo, but he doesn’t want one anymore.

Basically all my friends also have tattoos, plus I hang out with people who like punk rock. Probably, tattoos are a subcultural decision. Although, maybe this is only the case here, in Russia. In Europe there are policemen with their sleeves stuffed up, and a presidential candidate with tattoos on his face - he ran in the Czech Republic. Tattoos are common there.

I never thought about what tattoos meant to me. Most likely this is a decoration. At first everything was very thought out and each of my tattoos meant something, but then I began to simply choose the right place and image - so that it would look normal. By the way, I don’t divide people into tattooed and non-tattooed. A tattoo is a decoration. Some wear chains, some insert gold teeth, some cut off their ears.

Recently I got a tattoo - and it slightly overlapped another - and it hurt quite noticeably. I don’t know - maybe it depends on the hand of the master. I've covered up old tattoos before and nothing happened. It was most painful to do on the chest and head. There are bones there - probably because of this. It's also unpleasant on the neck, but tolerable. They say it hurts a lot on the ribs. In front of me, my friend was hurting one girl’s stomach; she lay there and cried. It's probably because there are muscles there.

When they see me, my grandmothers cross themselves in all seriousness. About once a month, conversations like “Oh, grandson, what have you done to yourself?” happen. But they also often praise. There were a million dialogues on this subject - all of the same type: “Where are you hitting? Why are you hitting?

After I scored my hands and neck, I had no doubts about my face. Now, if I decided to score my face first, and then everything else, then yes, I probably would have doubts. When I was killing my brushes, I was offered a job in the authorities - as an assistant investigator. It was clear that it was possible to get such a position only without tattoos. I thought carefully and realized that I didn’t want to work for the police, which I didn’t really like.

Last summer I started working as a barber, and before that I was a bartender. It seems they only hired me for my tattoos, because, to be honest, I’m not very good at cutting hair. Haha, just kidding. There used to be circus performances, freak shows - I’m also something of a local freak at my work.

Face tattoos are kind of fun not for everyone. It is difficult to imagine that they could gain much popularity even in our modern democratic society. Face tattoos are still rare, unique and unusual. You will only see photos on the Internet of a small number of people with such tattoos.

Ancient people used various designs on their faces, which meant something common or even sacred to their tribes. Nowadays people simply decorate their bodies and even their faces with the help of various symbols, ornaments and signs.

First of all, you must understand that a tattoo on the face is the very idea of ​​risk. You can't hide your face if your tattoo is terrible or just doesn't suit your needs. This is not the place for hiding or deleting. If you are going to get a tattoo of your face, you must be sure of the skill and beauty of your design.

Also, keep in mind that you live in a society and not all people will view this type of self-expression in a positive light. Tattoos on the face can become an obstacle when looking for work or contacts with people.

You can only create small images to tattoo your face. Your sketch is unlikely to embody your ideas. However, there are some exceptions.

Facial tattoos are also sensitive to age-related changes. Every crease can distort your tattoo.

As well as the benefits of facial tattoos, they are also interesting in the aspect of body decoration like all other tattoos. Only a courageous and self-sufficient person did not dare to decorate his face with a tattoo. They always attract attention and are in the center of people's views.

How painful were the tattoos?

The process of getting a face tattoo is painful. However, there are several factors that determine the range of soreness. One of them is psychological attitude. A good mood is the best way to save the situation.

Every person carries the pain that accompanies the process of tattooing, otherwise. It's hard to predict how you will tolerate this tattoo.

The meaning of a face tattoo

Although you might be surprised, facial tattoos are a historical phenomenon. In ancient cultures, they were used not only as a decorative element, but also as a sign of belonging to a particular caste, religion, cult or tribe. In those days, facial tattooing was the hallmark of warriors.

Today we live in relatively peaceful times where tattoos are a staple of personal style. People with face tattoos are creative, bold, attention-grabbing and goal-oriented. They are independent and are not afraid of criticism.

Face tattoo prices

It is difficult to list all the popular objects depicted on the most exposed part of our body. This is not a list of popular face tattoos. Each case is individual and unique, and there are not a large number of people involved.

Among the face, tattoos are dominated by patterns, letters, hieroglyphs, quotes, and some thematic images.

Some facial tattoos:
daggers and knives. The main meanings of tattoos with daggers and knives are strength, dexterity, revenge, betrayal and loneliness, a symbol of military service, wit and determination, impeccable clarity and precision in actions, freedom, protection and perseverance. This image is common to both men and women.

Stars. Stars are universal symbols and have many different meanings for different people. They are generally a symbol of prosperity, success and the sky.

Anchor. An anchor tattoo means hope, salvation, safety, strength, devotion and care. They often signify an endless love of swimming.

Butterfly. The butterfly is a symbol of the soul, immortality, Renaissance and resurrection. This means the ability to convert and make changes.

Such images are universal for both girls and boys. There are not any man or woman restrictions. It all depends on the style and design of the sketch. The most important thing is that this painting is valuable and special to you. This will be the best solution.

Features after care

Taking good care of your face tattoo is very important as it is the most exposed part of the body and every wrong step after care will be noticeable. The wound should be washed periodically and treated only with the necessary cream. Heat and dust are extremely unfavorable for such tattoos.

Famous tattoo face

Michael Tyson with a face painting. According to various tabloids and press reports, the tattoo design on Mike Tyson's face refers to the traditional image of the Maori tribe.

Gucci Mane. Mane has a tattoo on his face in the shape of an ice cream cone. Mane stated that he got this tattoo to show how he lives his life, “cold as ice.”

Rick Genest. Canadian model from Montreal who is better known as Zombie Boy because of his cool tattoo of a human skeleton. His face is covered with a skull tattoo.

There are many photographs of a woman named “Ruslan” on the Internet. This girl tattooed her lover's name on her face the day after she met him.

15 Crazy Face Tattoos!

We can assume that the custom of decorating the face with tattoos came to us from the Maori tribe and the peoples of Polynesia, who used them to intimidate the enemy and developed a special way of applying tattoos to the skin. However, times have changed, and tattoos are increasingly used as a way to attract the attention of others. Why are facial tattoos becoming increasingly popular today among both girls and boys?

Lotus flower on a girl's face

Historical meaning of face tattoos

From time immemorial, male and female facial tattoos have had two strictly defined functions:

• violent - tattoos were applied to slaves or captives by force; served as punishment for serious crimes or played the role of a stigma;
• aesthetic - noble or wealthy members of the tribe put tattoos on their faces to openly demonstrate their position in society and their occupation.

Zombie man with face tattoos

Why do people get face tattoos today?

If in ancient times small tattoos on the face carried a very specific message, today the motives of a person putting a tattoo on the face are very diverse and often defy logical interpretation, as can be seen from the photo.

Face tattoos, after a long period of oblivion, gained new popularity around the 1960s, when punks and other radical subcultures “ruled the roost.” Their representatives expressed their protest through tattoos, spitting “in the face” of social and aesthetic norms.

In the modern world, wearers of facial painting are most likely with the help of a tattoo they try to attract attention to their person from others, and also try to express themselves in this way and direct their creative potential in a productive direction.

Girl with tattoos on her face

Important! If you decide to decorate your face with a tattoo, choosing a beautiful and extraordinary design, then be prepared that not every passerby will share your opinion regarding the aesthetics of your tattoo, because the concept of beauty is quite subjective. They may point a finger at you, get scared, or, conversely, you may be invited to socialize in their “get-together”; the emotions of others may be different, but you will definitely not be left without attention.

Guy with face tattoos

Tattoos on girls' faces

Oddly enough, girls, not lagging behind men, also share the love of getting tattoos on their faces. And there are no limits to women’s courage: they can almost completely “fill in” their face, which not every young man will dare to do. Moreover, the sketches of ornaments sometimes also amaze with their brutality: a fragile, sweet girl can get a tattoo like Mike Tyson’s!

However, a tattoo on a girl's face is a rather controversial topic, as are male options. Not every artist will agree to tattoo a girl on such an open and remarkable place. There have been cases when girls sued tattoo artists because they were not satisfied with the result. After all, it is very difficult to make any changes to such a tattoo, so after application the result will most likely be final.

Tattoo on the face with inscriptions

I find facial tattoos very attractive, I even got 3 small stars above my eyebrow a year ago. Despite the fact that people around me sometimes behave inappropriately when they see my tattoo, they constantly ask why I did it and how they hired me later. This is my body and face, and I do whatever I want with it, and whoever doesn’t like it, don’t look!

Elizaveta, Moscow

Tattoo in the form of an inscription above the eyebrow

Celebrities who have decorated their faces with tattoos

Many celebrities decorate their bodies with tattoos, but the most “desperate” ones put them on their faces. One of the pioneers was the famous boxer, Mike Tyson, who decorated the corner of his eye with an intricate pattern, due to which Mike was later compared to a brave warrior of the Maori tribe.

Nowadays, Latin American and African-American rappers have a special love for facial tattooing, depicting various inscriptions with meaning, “tear drops” and other small symbols on their faces.

Is it painful or not to decorate your face with tattoos?

Tattoo artists are often asked this question, to which we can answer without hesitation that the process of getting a tattoo on the face is quite painful and unsafe. Of course, it all depends on the individual’s pain tolerance and the positivity of your attitude: even if a person tolerates pain well, but is terribly afraid at the moment of applying a tattoo to his face, then rest assured that the tattoo site will hurt, because fear significantly increases the pain.

The wide popularity of facial tattooing dates back to the 60s of the last century. This is due to the movement of subcultures such as punks and rockers. At the end of the last century, piercing was extremely popular, which later gave way to facial tattoos.

Not everyone, even the brightest creative person, is ready to decorate their own face with a tattoo, because this area cannot be hidden under clothing. Therefore, in addition to facial tattoos, images tattooed on the neck and behind the ear are popular - where you can hide the tattoo with hair. Cosmetic tattooing of a woman's face is also common. With its help you can correct the shape of your lips, eyebrows and eyelids. The difference between this type of art and traditional tattooing is that it is intended only to emphasize the natural beauty of a woman’s face.

The history of facial tattoos

The tradition of applying distinctive signs and decorations to the body arose several millennia BC. The first mention of them can be found when getting acquainted with the characteristics of the Polynesian, Eskimo and Mayan culture. At first, such images were dotted, curved and straight lines. They indicated a person's tribe and status. Tattoos originated as decorative elements in Ancient India.

In most ancient cultures, warriors were identified by tattooing on the face. Their main goal was to intimidate the enemy. It was believed that the image on the face protected its wearer from evil spirits and was a talisman to attract good luck.

Pros and cons of face tattoos

The undoubted advantage of a successfully applied tattoo on the face is its individuality. Printing an image on your face should be entrusted to a highly qualified craftsman. Such a tattoo indicates a brave, extraordinary and creative person. With this type of jewelry you can hide defects or scars.

As with all tattoos, images on the face have negative aspects. These include:

• painful sensations during the application procedure, because the skin of the face is sensitive and thin;
• an unprofessionally executed tattoo can ruin your appearance;
• With age, facial features tend to change, which can distort the image;
• Over-indulgence in facial tattoos can limit access to some serious positions.

Before choosing a face tattoo, you should seriously consider your choice.

Face Tattoo Ideas and Meanings

Images on the face are not conventionally divided into male and female. Many fragile girls choose masculine tattoos. An elegant tattoo applied by a talented artist cannot spoil the appearance. In addition, the experience of the salon artist will help you decide on the choice of tattoo design and the exact location of application. Girls rarely choose tattoos on their faces, but sometimes images on a woman's face can be brighter and bolder than on a man's.

As a sketch for a face tattoo, you can choose laconic monochrome drawings, tribal paintings in the form of ornaments, ethnic elements, inscriptions, stars, flowers, symbols of the Zodiac signs and large three-dimensional images. They can be abstract or realistic.

Small tattoos can be applied along the contour of the brow ridges. You can also place inscriptions here. Drawings and ornaments for tattoos can be with or without meaning.

The meaning of some symbols that can be used on the face:

• diamond, diamond - a symbol of constancy, honesty and inflexibility;
• tongues of flame - rebirth, renewal;
• a pentagram pointing upward is a symbol of protection and harmony;
• a pentagram with rays pointing down is a symbol of Satan, it is better not to apply such an image;
• owl - the personification of wisdom and knowledge;
• crown - power, high status, love;
• the sun is a symbol of life, light and creation;
• feather - lightness, peace and tranquility.

There are many ideas for face tattoos. In order not to be disappointed in your choice years later, you need to take a serious approach to choosing a tattoo theme and a tattoo salon. Getting rid of a tattoo on the face is very difficult and troublesome. Therefore, it is necessary to weigh the pros and cons before deciding how to decorate your face.

Photos of facial tattoos for men and women