Inked Talk

Knuckletattoos is one of those websites that you wish was updated more often.  By no means is that a reflection on its creator - admittedly, knuckle tattoos aren’t as common as tramp stamps or bicep babes, so even the best efforts on such a site are limited by the number of people sporting “job stoppers.”  Knuckletattoos asks its readers to submit photos of their knuckle ink along with stories behind their tattoos, and despite the relative rarity of hand tattoos, it boasts a large and growing collection of images.

Not surprisingly, the vast majority of those on Knuckletattoos.com with tattooed hands are tattoo artists themselves or otherwise work in the tattoo industry.  Of those who aren’t, some mention the fear of unemployability because of their ink.  Others focus on the reason for their ink, and many of those reasons are very moving and reflect personal struggles and accomplishments.  The tattoos range from the utterly frivolous (”I Luv Toys” or “STFU N00B”) to the philosophical (”Half Full”).  By and large, the photos on Knuckletattoos.com are fun, and the stories engaging.

What is the attraction to knuckle tattoos?  Like hand or facial tattoos, any sort of tattoo that cannot be easily concealed signifies a real dedication to being tattooed, or on a deeper level, a commitment to accepting that others will form opinions about their bearer which may be based solely upon those tattoos.  It is a commitment that many cannot, or will not, make.  On some level, those who will not take that plunge may look at these tattoos with a degree of envy, while on the other side of the coin some will look at them with revulsion or a sense of “how can you do that to your body?”  Sites like Knuckletattoos.com serve to remind us that, yes, people who get tattoos on their hands are something other than average and ordinary, and I count myself in the group who looks upon them with envy.