Getting a
tattoo is a big decision. You've got to consider the design, the artist, and - perhaps most importantly - other people's reactions. When it's just something small in a place that nobody's likely to see it, then it's not really such a big deal. However, when it's on your face, you've got to put some serious thought into what you're about to have done.
So, when one woman got the word (actually, the
logo) "
Vegan" on her temple, she set herself up to be the subject of public debate. And it wasn't pretty.
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Katie Alice, a vegan (duh) from Preston in the UK, claims that she has faced a lot of online criticism after posting pictures of her new tattoo, and gets a great deal of hate in real life, too.
"I’ve received many negative comments on my tattoo which I expected as I’m used to facing criticism for being vegan on a daily basis," she said.
However, she doesn't think that people are attacking her for the tattoo especially, but more for her choice to be vegan.
"I don’t think people’s issue with it is because it’s on my face. People often get upset when they see the word 'vegan'," she explained, "and I believe this is because they feel very defensive as it encourages them to think about the consequences of their actions i.e. their purchasing habits."
It's not just Kate who has been getting flack for the tattoo, however. Her artist has also been receiving abusive messages.
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Jordan McCrea, who tattooed the word - along with a semicolon for suicide awareness - onto Kate's body, found herself having to hide the picture she had posted on Facebook. In its place, she wrote a post defending the young woman's decision to decorate her body however she wants, and to fight for her beliefs.
"The amount of negative comments I've had to delete on the picture of the vegan tattoo is f***ing disgusting," she wrote.
"Who is anyone to take the p**s out of what someone chooses to eat, never mind their reasons or what they do to show theyre [sic] proud of it.
"So f***ing what if someone wants to get a vegan tattoo on their face. I nearly didnt [sic] do this tattoo because I knew the reaction it would get but I thought f**k what other people say, however I was correct and there have been people tagging their friends and having a good old laugh at the girl."
Jordan went on to say that she is not vegan, and probably won't ever be one, but she empathizes with Kate's decision to defend what she believes in.
"She respected me and I showed her the same respect by doing the tattoo she really wanted and had done for a while, and making sure the whole process was vegan friendly, and listening to her talking about it," the artist said. "Whos [sic] lives are really that boring that they poke fun of what people do with their lives or what they choose to put on their bodies. And that statement doesnt [sic] just apply to this situation."
Of course, it's totally up to an individual whether or not they want to
get a tattoo like this. However, if Kate did this so that she would stop having to explain to people that she's vegan, I think she might have overlooked one small thing; perhaps nobody will question her diet anymore, but they'll certainly question her appearance.
