How a tattoo flash day is revolutionising the industry

How a tattoo flash day is revolutionising the industry
Still not asking for it — Still Not Asking For It is a US-based event celebrating women and survivors. Artist Liv Wynter explains why her studio Red Point Tattoo – led by Claudia de Sabe – is bringing it to the UK.

Bodies can so often be battlegrounds, particularly the bodies of women and gender non conforming people. We spend our lives having them policed: too big, too small, too black, too brown, too masculine, too feminine, too queer. It is hard to feel like our body belongs to us. Being a survivor of sexual violence can create some very complicated relationships between yourself and the skin you live in.

For me, tattooing has always been a way for me to be in control of my body, to take some ownership and feel powerful. To fall in love with a piece of skin that I previously loathed is a very romantic, and for me, a very real reason to get tattooed.

Even in 2019, it seems tattoo studios still have a lingering bad reputation. Most women and gender non conforming people who choose to get tattooed have to enter studios that feel intimidating and hyper-masculine – definitely not places where you feel confident to take your clothes off. Tattooing requires a lot of trust, so it needs to be done in a space where people are made to feel comfortable and secure.

That’s why, in 2015, Ashley Love started Still Not Asking For It – a feminist tattoo flash day based in America, which hopes to celebrate and bring together survivors of sexual abuse.  And this year, I’m very proud that my studio Red Point Tattoo is hosting the London version on June 9th, featuring amazing artists from all across Europe.

Cloditta

Virginia of Black Garden Tattoo

The five female artists we will be hosting are Claudia de Sabe, Cloditta, Inma, Rizza Boo and Virginia of Black Garden Tattoo. We have also collaborated with jewellery designer Bloody Mary Metal for a special feminist fist charm, and put together a zine of poetry (by me).

All the proceeds are going to Solace Women’s Aid, a non-profit organisation that offers support to women and children who are escaping or living with abuse. For £52, Solace can cover the cost of a one night stay for a family seeking refuge. For £208, they can cover the cost of a four-night stay. For £500, they can fully furnish a home for a family who has been forced to begin a new life. Our aim is to raise £1500, which we should be able to do with your support.

Tattoo artist and co-owner of Red Point Tattoo, Claudia de Sabe, is working on the project alongside us. “When Ashley Love asked us to be involved, I was stoked,” she adds. “The fact that it’s not isolated but is a worldwide event is very powerful, and has the potential to really attract attention and make a difference within the tattoo community and beyond.”

“I come from Italy, a country where I have never felt equal to men, and where women’s rights are so basic it’s soul destroying. Awareness and ownership of our bodies is a topic that’s not talked about in the mainstream media or in school enough. The fact that talking about rape, abortion, or simply body image still provokes eye-rolling is proof of how much work needs to be done, and why we shouldn’t stop talking about it.”

Self-love takes many forms, and it isn’t just bath bombs from Lush. Sometimes it’s some positive pain, some sick flash, and entrusting your body to an incredible female artist in the name of solidarity. We’re hoping to raise a big chunk of money for Solace, so please come down, get tattooed, cop a zine, or just drop some money in a bucket. Love and rage!

Claudia de Sabe

Inma

Still Not Asking For It is happening on June 9th. Learn more about it on the organisation’s official website.

Liv Wynter is the Shop Manager at Red Point Tattoo. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter.

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

Latest on Huck

Analogue Appreciation: Maria Teriaeva’s five pieces that remind her of home
Culture

Analogue Appreciation: Maria Teriaeva’s five pieces that remind her of home

From Sayan to Savoie — In an ever more digital, online world, we ask our favourite artists about their most cherished pieces of physical culture. First up, the Siberian-born, Paris-based composer and synthesist.

Written by: Maria Teriaeva

Petition to save the Prince Charles Cinema signed by over 100,000 people in a day
Activism

Petition to save the Prince Charles Cinema signed by over 100,000 people in a day

PCC forever — The Soho institution has claimed its landlord, Zedwell LSQ Ltd, is demanding the insertion of a break clause that would leave it “under permanent threat of closure”.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Remembering Taboo, the party that reshaped ’80s London nightlife
Music

Remembering Taboo, the party that reshaped ’80s London nightlife

Glitter on the floor — Curators Martin Green and NJ Stevenson revisit Leigh Bowery’s legendary night, a space for wild expression that reimagined partying and fashion.

Written by: Cyna Mirzai

A timeless, dynamic view of the Highland Games
Sport

A timeless, dynamic view of the Highland Games

Long Walk Home — Robbie Lawrence travelled to the historic sporting events across Scotland and the USA, hoping to learn about cultural nationalism. He ended up capturing a wholesome, analogue experience rarely found in the modern age.

Written by: Isaac Muk

The rave salvaging toilets for London’s queers
Music

The rave salvaging toilets for London’s queers

Happy Endings — Public bathrooms have long been contested spaces for LGBTQ+ communities, and rising transphobia is seeing them come under scrutiny. With the infamous rave-in-a-bog at an east London institution, its party-goers are claiming them for their own.

Written by: Ben Smoke

Baghdad’s first skatepark set to open next week
Sport

Baghdad’s first skatepark set to open next week

Make Life Skate Life — Opening to the public on February 1, it will be located at the Ministry of Youth and Sports in the city centre and free-of-charge to use.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Sign up to our newsletter

Issue 81: The more than a game issue

Buy it now