Body art

John Hult

Visitors to South Dakota State University who’ve been away a few years may notice a little more color on campus than they are used to. Or at least they’ll see some shades of grey.

Tattoos used to be noticeable in South Dakota only as relics from Naval service or an obvious sign of Sturgis Rally attendance. But the boom in the inking business and acceptability of the body art has made tattoos a common sight on campus, decorating students of any major.

According to Boz, Brookings’ only professional tattoo artist, the trend actually hit the town a few years ago.

“I don’t think its booming right now?I think it boomed two years ago. Now I just think it’s become so common and so accepted that it’s not a big deal,” Boz, who didn’t want to reveal his real name, said.

His shop, Body Illustrations, has seen several generations of SDSU students come and go over the years. The Brookings artist started out in the inking game as a hobbyist.

“I started 12 years ago when a friend of mine was doing them. I’ve done them here in Brookings the whole time. When the guy I learned from was doing them, I just thought it looked easy,” Boz said.

Tattoos have been around for ages, often carrying religious or cultural significance for the wearers. Junior photojournalism major Mike Gussiaas said that his tattoo, along with being appealing artistically, carries a heavy burden for him.

“I got a gargoyle on my back due to the fact that they are aesthetically appealing and because then I always have something to watch my back and guard from evil spirits,” Gussiaas said.

That sort of spiritual significance can make a tattoo more meaningful, but students have found many reasons to go under the needle.

Junior journalism major Ian Bingner’s four tattoos come from comic books, with a Spiderman, a Superman and two Batman symbols sharing space on his arms.

“A lot of people from my hometown will get them, and my friends and I will get together and go get them,” Bingner said. “It’s something I started doing in high school, and I’ve got one every year so far, except for last year.”

Freshman graphic design major Kyde Spilde found still another reason to get the artistic scar.

“I got it in Bismark about a month after my 18th birthday. I don’t smoke or anything, so I had to do something for my 18th birthday,” Spilde said.

Surprisingly, though acceptance of tattooing has grown over the years, many people still like to be able to hide them. Although Spilde’s mother went along to make sure she didn’t “get something stupid,” she still feels more comfortable knowing that no one can see it.

“I’m probably not going to be embarrassed about it later on, because I got it in a place where I can cover it up,” Spilde said.

Boz also pointed out that many of his clients want to keep the art a secret from most of the world.

“You’d be surprised. In this town I’ve done doctors, I’ve done lawyers, I’ve done a lot of nurses. You wouldn’t believe the people that have them,” Boz said. “You wouldn’t know unless they showed you.”

In future generations, tattooing may earn the type of mainstream acceptance that would make such hiding unnecessary, but as of now, the trend seems to be one to be advertised only by the trendsetters themselves. And the deep meaning may never play a large role in the adornments.

“From what I’ve seen in Tattoo Magazine, there are certain styles of art that appeal to younger people,” Gussiaas said. “It’s just visually appealing, as opposed to a deep, symbolic meaning. Like the tribal tattoos, they’re everywhere. You see athletes on TV with various tribal armbands, and it just seems cool to do.”

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