Debutante Ball

I could not resist this color fest in the East Village in front of Porto Rico - an importer and seller of coffee. The painted trash can near this woman's tattooed arms begged for a photo to be taken.
Personally I would not want to commit my skin to tattoos. But I do often admire them as artistic adornment. In principle they are really not so different from the myriad of other ways men and women have adorned themselves for millenia: hair treatments, nails, makeup, jewelry, piercings, scarification etc. However, unlike many of our more common beautification methods, tattoos are permanent (relatively), so they make a serious statement of intent and confidence.
I think the full arm tattoos of today's subject may limit some of her social options - or she will be buying a large selection of long sleeve shirts. For example, she is probably no longer a good candidate for the debutante ball at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Perhaps this is a sacrifice she is willing to make.
If you wonder whether there was any issue taking this photo, there was not. I motioned silently to her indicating my desire to take a photograph and she nodded in the affirmative. So I had carte blanche to take a number of photos in a stress free manner. Her cordial behavior and gracious approval was as befitting as someone being groomed for exposure in the next debutante ball :)

Related Postings: Hair Wraps, Cappuccino and Tattoo, Physical Graffiti, Fashion Forward, Fantasies.