Your Thoughts on Showing Tattoos

[lotus]

in my own experience, ehat I have observed is that some middle eastern audiences hate tattoos. Not all of them, but some of them.

However, there is a loophole: which is that if the dancer is hot enough, she can get away with pretty much anything while dancing for ethnic audiences (except unshaven armpits)

Personally, the only thing I dislike is seeing tattoos hang out of a costume, partially exposed. For some reason it seems gross to me. Slovenly somehow. If the entire tattoo is showing, then I'm not bothered.

I have no tattoos for personal and religious reasons. But all my friends in high school got them, and we used to sneak over the border to New Hampshire because of the blue laws in MA.

There's nothing quite like watching your best friend call home to tell the folks the car had break down, over state lines, while using a fake ID, to get the tattoo they forbade. Especially when they thought you were at the library. bwahahha!!

[Amaryllis]

I have one tattoo (so far - I want several more) - it's on my very lower back (Yes - I have a tramp stamp! heehee ) It's the eye of Horus (all black).
I have danced in every type of venue and for all sorts of different mid easterners and I have never had anyone make any sort of comment about my tattoo. Maybe it has to do with the cities I have lived and danced in (Denver and Las Vegas).
I waited a long time to get ink cause I knew it was a forever thing and that it could have some sort of consequence (it did - my mother didn't speak to me for a month! It was the most serene month of my life! )

[zot buffalo]

For me, it depends on the tattoo. Azhia, yours is gorgeous and would look beautiful in motion!

[damariz]

Her tattoes are lovely. I've seen her perform live and I felt that they complimented her costume well.

Originally Posted by Safiyah

Sonya of Chicago has visible tattoos and it works for her

http://www.bubbygram.com/bellydancers/sonyachicago.jpg

[zorba]

In the "for what its worth dept.":

In my neck of the woods (Central California), I'd say the greater majority of Belly Dancers have tats, even the cabaret dancers! Its a large part of the reason why I'm going to get one. Now granted, the usual stereotypes seemingly apply - Tribal dancers generally have more tats than Cabaret dancers - although I know of at least two Cabaret dancers local to me who are just covered with them.

[jetgirl]

Northern CA, lots of dancers have them. It would be hard to find a tribal gal without them, but I've seen a large number of the cab gals with them in the last few years as well. Heck, all the soccer moms have them!

[kamilia]

It was quite common for people out in the Egyptian countryside (especially Upper Egypt) to have small facial tattoos, or tattoos on the neck. It usually consists of 3 dots, and no, it doesn't mean "my crazy life" there

I've seen those three dots on hands of bad-ass guys from Morocco to Pakistan, but I think one difference in Egypt is that women get them, too. It doesn't have anything to do with gang activity...unless you believe Saidis to be one, big , bad-ass gang. I haven't seen that particular pattern on women of other countries besides Egypt (and Sudan), but that's just my experience.

Christians more often than not get tattoos in Egypt; usually a cross on the wrist or the hand, sometimes with a birth date. If the parents don't think it out too well and the baby gets one soon after birth, it can be pretty big by the time they grow up.

Although permanent tattoos are known to Egyptian culture, I don't think they usually show up on dancers. A lot of people think only country bumpkins have them. Also, I don't think a Christian woman with a tattoo would want to show it while dancing, lest she get harassed, banished from the church community, whatever the reason.

However, henna designs are very common on Egyptian dancers who perform at street weddings. The bride will get pretty designs on her thighs, her stomach, etc. For whatever reason, the dancer sometimes gets part of the henna action, too.

Knowing this, I have some small tattoos, and I'm looking into getting more. If some Egyptians think I'm a cheap street-tent dancer, and if people from other countries think I'm weird, not my problem. They know I'm American and that I don't look to their respective countries' attitudes on things to guide every part of my life.

And I like the point that we're dancers anyway; we have nothing to lose!

[nisaasaintlouis]

Originally Posted by badriya_al_ahmar

Some Arabs find belly dancers offensive, with or without tattoos, so obviously there's no pleasing everybody.

That's so true... As my BF (Arab, Muslim) likes to remind me, "It's all haram anyway, so who cares?"

[tattood1]

"It's all haram anyway, so who cares?" i agree with this. we are worried about offending people who already think what we are doing is bad. tina

[artemisia_danst]

thanks, that's even better put Tina. i should remind myself of not caring about that more often (in other areas, i dont have tattoos).

Originally Posted by tattood1

we are worried about offending people who already think what we are doing is bad. tina

[CFerhat]

I think there are two elements here - the religious one, where defacing the body w/tatoos is seen as bad, but, as noted, on a haram bellydancer who cares? The other is that, typically, one of the dancer's roles in Arabic culture is to embody the feminine ideal, which doesn't include tats. Even though tatoos are getting fashionable in Lebanon, it's still mostly the guys who get them. You just generally don't see them on Arabic women, like you don't see pixie haircuts. I think an tatooed Arab dancer with an Arab audience would catch a lot of flack, for Americans the rules are a bit different.