The interview below was done with Nora Chehouri, a fellow AUB student majoring in Business.
She answered a couple of questions about tattoos and shared her opinion about them.
One tattoo trend that has always been popular is quote tattoos. It could be a tattoo of a quote that they love, a quote that resonates with them, or even lyrics from a song.
They can represent an experience, be a dedication to someone, or their life motto.
During World War II, the Nazis used tattoos as an impersonal way to strip Jewish prisoners of their identities and gave them with an insignificant number permanently inked on their arm. Who would’ve thought that tattoos would come such a long way and become considered by many as art. Now, we not only have black ink tattoos, we also have coloured ink ones, and white ones, even UV tattoos that only show under UV light.
And just like in all communities, tattoos have been for a long time frowned upon and considered deviant in Arabic communities. However, we notice today that more and more people are getting “inked”. It’s no longer something abnormal or weird. It’s becoming more common and accepted. We can find now plenty of tattoo shops around Lebanon, especially in Beirut, with many tattoo artists making a name for themselves in this field, such as Hady Beydoun.
When I was about 15 years old, I became fascinated with tattoos. I loved the idea of having art permanently drawn on you There’s something about getting a tattoo, it’s like you become a walking piece of art.. Some tattoos tell the story of a person; what they like, what they’ve been through, their experiences etc. They’re sort of a diary; they can be a quote, an image, a date, a reminder of a person or a milestone or even a tragedy. As I grew older, I was still obsessed with tattoos and became more convinced than ever that I wanted to “get inked”. I would sit for hours looking up tattoos on the Internet and coming up with many tattoo ideas I’d love to get. Of course the thought of getting a tattoo revolted my mother, who was, and still is, completely against tattoos. However, in December 2012, I got my first tattoo (as an act of rebellion after getting into a fight with my mum), and I was already planning my second tattoo the week after. Now, it feels like I’ve always had my tattoo, it became a part of me, a part of who I am. I can’t imagine being without it.
That’s why I decided to start this blog, as a way to document all those tattoos I come across and like, and to share them with you if you want to get a tattoo and you’re looking for an inspiration or a tattooist in Beirut, or if you just like to look at other people’s tattoos.
“If there are no ups and downs in life, it means you’re dead”
Beirut by Ink 