Baby Got Back?

Photographed By Ellinor Forje 

Here’s where the blog takes a bizarre Sir Mix-A-Lot detour. Actually, I should probably add "almost" to that previous sentence, because I’m easing into the even more fascinating territory of what is known as "The Howard Stern Show."

The other day, Danny Trejo appeared on the program, and after the usual who, what, when, and where questions, the conversation turned to Trejo’s torso tattoo, which features a Mexican woman wearing a sombrero. The tattoo has a remarkable origin story. It was designed and outlined by Harry Ross, a fellow inmate during Trejo’s incarceration at San Quentin in the 1960s.

A "turn of fate," to put it mildly, led to Trejo being transferred to Folsom. Before his departure, Ross repeatedly reminded him, “Don’t let anybody touch it. I’ll be in Folsom, I’ll be in Folsom!” The piece was unfinished, and it was also the first tattoo Trejo had ever received.

About six months later, Ross was expelled from San Quentin and deported to Folsom, where he reunited with his friend and was finally able to complete the unfinished work. After another prison riot, the two men found themselves relocated to Soledad penitentiary, where they were ultimately able to bring the project to completion.

Side note, "Oz" has nothing on "Machete."

So, what does this story have to do with fashion?

Well, these days, it seems like everyone and their Justin Bieber has a tattoo, often wearing the ink like a badge of authenticity or rebellion, as if they all graduated from the school of hard knocks. Which makes me wonder, has tattoo culture lost some of its original meaning, its mystique, its "it" factor, assuming it ever had one?

Has the significance of the tattoo faded now that it has become so commonplace?