Fashion

tattoo of the week: meet simone

October 10, 2014

Simone hails from Oakland, CA. This badass Black, queer and feminine lady is on her journey to feel comfortable in her own skin. She’s our Tattoo Of The Week.
To submit your tattoos for Tattoo Of The Week, send pictures + answers to the questionnaire below to afropunk@afropunk.com.

-Name: Simone Thompson

-Age: 22

-City: Oakland, CA

-Occupation: I’m currently a student and I work part time as a sex educator and sales associate at Good Vibrations.

-How many tattoos do you have? 5

-Which one is your favorite? The lovely lady on my left arm.

-When and where did you get it? Back in April at 2 Spirit Tattoo in San Francisco.

-What does it mean to you? I chose to get this tattoo as a physical manifestation of my journey in finding happiness and contentment in my identity. I relocated from Brooklyn to Southern California at a young age and grew up predominantly in white spaces feeling uncomfortable in my own skin and attempting to assimilate to a culture that was not my own. Despite growing up in a household that educated me and taught me to be proud of who I was, for years I wrestled with embracing being black, queer and feminine, often feeling ashamed and disempowered by what made me different, rather than celebrating and feeling empowered by those differences. It’s been a long, continuous journey of self-love and increased awareness but i’m finally at a point where I feel whole and rejoice in what society often attaches shame and stigma. For me, this tattoo serves as a reminder of the incredible power and beauty of black female sexuality and the immense strength and resilience of our people as a whole.

-How old were you when you got your first tattoo? 19

-Why should we feature your tattoo? As I’ve gotten older I’ve met many others who voiced feeling similarly throughout some point in their lifetime. This story is not unfamiliar and fully embracing your identity is something that we all struggle with a one point or another. With that being said, for that reason I think it’s important that more conversations surrounding self-love and acceptance are started. The more people speak out and start the conversation, the less alone others who are going through the same thing feel.

-Do you have a particular tattoo artist you go to? If yes, where is he/she located? Website? Each tattoo I have has been done by a different artist. Most recently however I got work done by Matt Matik, who now is working at a new shop in The Mission. He can be reached at mattmatiktattoo@gmail.com

-Have you ever received a tattoo under the influence of drugs or alcohol? Nope.

-Do you regret any tattoos you have? I got a $13 tattoo with a friend over the summer which I sort of regret, although it was an experience.

-Are you a tattoo addict? Nope, only because I’m too broke.

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