tattoos news stories on Newser

'Police Gang' Probed in LA

Mary Papenfuss — Thu, 17 May 2012 02:49:11 CDT

Seven deputies suspected of belonging to a "police gang" that supports street crime crackdowns backed by shootings have been suspended from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, according to officials. The so-called "Jump Up Boys" apparently operated like a squad within a squad, with members believed to sport similar tattoos...

Going Punk: Your Pets

Matt Cantor — Sun, 06 May 2012 11:48:43 CDT

Colored fur, tattoos, trendy haircuts: The punk look isn't just for humans anymore. Temporary tattoos are increasingly popular in the canine world, says an association of "creative groomers." "People love it—it's hilarious," says one groomer. Adds another: "People are amazed—they do a double take." The tats, which cost...

10 Famous Duos Prove Matching Tattoos a Bad Idea

Evann Gastaldo — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 09:40:24 CDT

Surely you were moved last week by the touching story of 57-year-old Kelsey Grammer and his much younger wife , Kayte Walsh, who walked into a Chicago tattoo parlor last Saturday so that Grammer could get "Kayte" tattooed on his hip. But The Frisky fears for their union: It turns out,...

Pick Up Your Phone, Your Tattoo Is Vibrating

Mary Papenfuss — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 06:03:00 CDT

Hello, brave new world. Nokia may be working on an invention that would cause a tattoo to vibrate every time you get a call on your cell. The Finnish firm's filing with the US Patent Office describes tattooing, stamping, or spraying "ferromagnetic" material onto skin—or a fingernail—and linking...

Malaysia Cancels Concert Over Erykah Badu's Tattoo

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 10:34:28 CST

Erykah Badu's Malaysia concert has been canceled, and it's all thanks to the singer's tattoo. A newspaper photo revealed that Badu has the Arabic word for "Allah" inked on her upper body; officials called it "an insult to Islam" and canceled tomorrow's planned performance in Kuala Lumpur. The newspaper that...

Neo-Nazi Loses Racist Beliefs—and Tattoos

Rob Quinn — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 09:26:06 CDT

Bryon Widner, once one of America's most notorious white supremacists, turned his back on racism—but still had a face covered in racist tattoos. Shunned by society and unable to find work, Widner says he became so desperate he considered dousing his face in acid to remove them. Instead, Widner...

Parents Squawk About Barbie's Tattoos

Mary Papenfuss — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 01:00:00 CDT

A new pink-haired tattooed Barbie has some parents spitting plastic bullets. Mattel crows that the rocker babe version of Barbie (who has a little dog named Bastardino), designed by Los Angeles-based fashion label Tokidoki, is a "funky fashionista," notes the Telegraph . But for "those who look to Barbie as a...

Senior Gets 'Do Not Resuscitate' Tattoo

John Johnson — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 15:16:05 CDT

An 81-year-old UK woman wants her end-of-life wishes to be crystal clear: She had the words "Do Not Resuscitate" tattooed on her upper chest, reports the BBC . "If I'm found lying about and can't say something, I want [medics] to accept that," explains Joy Tomkins. And if she happens to...

Could Toxins in Tattoo Ink Cause Skin Cancer?

Matt Cantor — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 12:30:33 CDT

Before you get a butterfly stamped on your back, take heed: Tattoo inks can cause rashes, infections, and inflammation, and doctors still aren’t sure how the inks’ chemicals—which eventually migrate into the lymph nodes—behave in the long term. A chemical in black inks called benzo(a)pyrene, for example, has...