Tatt's it – zombie woman and the lotus flowers are going, going gone

The tattoo on Colin Stark’s* neck is meant to symbolise his struggle to escape the poverty and violence of his early life. “Sink or Swim” runs the legend across his throat, below images of a “zombie woman” and a cheerful “cartoon woman”, for the swim option.

At Stark’s next fortnightly appointment, she’ll turn her attention to the words “stay true” spelt out letter by letter on his knuckles, and various symbols on the backs of his hands, applied, like most of his ink, by bikie tattooist friends in his teenage years. In about 18 months, when his throat and hands are “clean” again, all visible signs of Stark’s troubled past will be gone.

Suburban parents got them to bond with their kids; middle-aged professionals got them in “discreet” locations to enliven their self-images; gang members and military types weighed in, as always, to identify with their tribes; celebrities and sports stars splurged on beautiful, expensive tatts, then cheaply and hideously copied by thousands of crazed fans; fate-tempting lovers got them in the name of fidelity, and countless other ordinary, law-abiding citizens got them because it was fashionable.

“The tattoo craze was starting to reverse,” she says. “There was a whole [Millennial] generation that got inked up fast, and often badly, and a lot of them wanted these tatts gone forever.” “It was a nice tattoo, and not something you’d think was forced on her. But apparently his thinking was that lots of guys don’t like tattoos, so this was another way of controlling her.” Now separated from her abuser, the solicitor is in the final stages of having his “stamp” removed. “As it comes off,” says Collings, “I can see the psychological weight of it coming off her as well. It gives me a lot of joy to be able to do that.

On her 18th birthday, holidaying with friends after finishing high school, Cryer came across a tattoo shop in Airlie Beach offering small tatts for $60. “And I thought, ‘Right! I’m gonna do it!’ ” She chose a bird from the shop’s flash-card display – “Even though I don’t really like birds” – and had it inked on her left wrist.

“And unlike [Collings], they didn’t change the laser wavelengths to [alter its intensity] for different colours,” Cryer explains. “They just set the laser at full bore and zoomed all over everything. My skin blistered as they did it, but they told me that was normal!” And instead of applying antiseptic powder to the treated area and covering it with a sterile silk bandage, the technician applied moisturising cream and wrapped it in cling film.

GoodWeekendMag No damn surprise.

GoodWeekendMag We also have the wind and solar boom. The removal will be costly & toxic! ......but tattoo story more apt for hipster readers!

GoodWeekendMag I never understood it. Many motivations but may be lack of meaning & alienation, even in big cities, were 2 causes. Tattoos fade.

GoodWeekendMag People don’t put bumper stickers on Ferrari’s.

GoodWeekendMag You look a bit silly being an antivaxxer sporting ink

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