by katie sawyer
“At first, it was like a whole new world,” said Mads Kjær, leaning on a park bench in Aarhus, Denmark, his jacket wrinkled by the cool autumn breeze. Peeking out from under his collar, you can see a forest of inky tattoos on his skin. His hands, folded haphazardly in front of him, are a mixture of lines and skulls, and each finger of his left hand has letters spelling out the name of his son Aros.
But perhaps the most stunning of all the tattoos are the two black straight lines running parallel to the face from just below the eyes. “Now it’s like part of the day,” he concluded. Kjær is regularly stopped by people on the streets of Aarhus. Some openly insult him, asking, “Why do you stain your face with something so ugly?”
Keir is an Afghanistan war veteran and father. He’s covered in tattoos all over his body, but the one that’s gotten the most attention is the one on his face that was added four years ago. “It’s actually a little depressing. I was at a sad moment in my life,” Kjaer said.
Face tattoos are illegal in Denmark, as are neck and hand tattoos. The law dates back to 1966, when the Danish parliament officially banned it. Ironically, former Danish King Frederick IX had several tattoos at the time, some of which were given to him by Tattoo Ore, the world’s second-oldest tattoo parlor in Copenhagen. . The law was updated in 2018, but there was some backlash from local tattoo parlors and tattooed residents who felt the law represented outdated ideals.
tattoo of the day
Magnus Aalgaard Nielsen, co-owner of the Aarhus tattoo parlor Wenrig Hilsen, says Denmark’s local tattoo culture has changed dramatically and that the law is no longer representative of Danish society. Stated. “The law is trying to prescribe conscience and morality. I think the reason it’s actually there is to satisfy some people on the more conservative side of the Danish parliament,” Aalgaard said. Nielsen said. “I don’t think that’s the government’s position to dictate.”
Aalgaard Nielsen has had face, neck and hand tattoos throughout his career as an artist, and accepts them on a case-by-case basis. “I’m going to give you a tattoo on your hand,” Aalgaard Nielsen said. “It’s different if you’re young and don’t know what you’re doing with your life and it’s one of your first tattoos.”
Jugular vein judgment
Wenrig Hilsen means “Thank you very much,” and this is reflected in the welcoming attitude towards those who come to Aalgaard Nielsen’s stores. Although he has no visible tattoos, shop manager Anders Husum is covered nearly from head to toe. Husum began his tattoo journey when he was still a minor, ordering his tattoo gun and tattooing the number “13” on himself at his home. “I like the fact that I’m different from the average Joe and that I’m the kind of person who challenges prejudice,” Fousam said.
The father of five has a tattoo of a colorful tiger on his right hand and a growling dog in a beanie on his left. The words “TRUE GENT” are carved into his knuckles. His neck tattoo extends from his hairline to his cheekbone and is a combination of nautical and floral artwork. Husum said she was surprised that the law banning tattoos on the face, hands and neck was updated in 2018 and wanted it abolished.
Husum has been called a criminal and a gang member during public appearances and is regularly refused access to bars and clubs in the Aarhus area. Still, Husum doesn’t regret his decision to get a tattoo, and he’s currently working on his latest tattoo, a large piece of a ship’s chest.
regret and resignation
Many of Kjaer’s tattoos have great meaning to him, like his son’s name written on his knuckles. Children love his tattoos, especially the animal ones, he said, pointing to a grinning blue and black shark from the back of his left hand. But after experiencing the sentencing for his own facial tattoos, Mr Kjaer understands the importance of preventing young people from getting visible tattoos that could change their lives forever. He said he could. “I think it’s good that young people don’t just go get tattoos on their necks because I’ve seen for myself that people are very critical,” Kjaer said.
Jesper Schuman, owner of tattoo removal clinic Remove It, makes a living by working with customers who are dissatisfied with their tattoos. He estimates that about 5 to 10 percent of his customers are people with tattoos on their faces, hands, and necks. His clients come to have their tattoos removed for a variety of reasons, from drunken mistakes to a change in perspective.
“When you get a tattoo, you stand in a certain place in life, but in 10 years you won’t be in the same place,” Schumann says, before joking that “people regret their free-spirited youth.” “Maybe,” he added.
Remove-it actually shares space with several local tattoo artists, which Schumann recognizes as an irony. However, Schumann’s Laser His service can help brighten tattoos that customers want to cover up with new artwork, and resident artists can tattoo the client’s desired art over it, so his 2 The two work well together.
Schuman said social and occupational influences often lead to tattoo removal. “Especially the visible parts of your throat, face, and hands because you probably look like a bad guy. Or maybe it’s because of your job.”
Schuman said the law banning tattoos on the face, hands and neck is good for business because many customers come to the store hoping to have their tattoos removed in the future. Schumann would like to see the law banning hand, face and neck tattoos repealed, despite the benefits to his business. “For me, I don’t think it’s a problem at all. People can have that, but I’m not a judgmental person,” Schumann said. “I don’t think it’s a crime for a police officer to have a tattoo on his hand, regardless of his job. I think it should be legalized.”
Although the social reality for people with visible tattoos remains frustratingly judgmental in Denmark, people like Kjaer remain hopeful for a better future.
“I think things will change,” Kjaer said. “I think in 10 years it will become the norm because more and more people are getting tattoos.”