Older people getting inked as tattoo stigma fades

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Tattoos have been around forever but Rehoboth Beach resident Bob Kotowski jokingly believes the inked embellishments once had a bit of an unsavory reputation.

"Back in the old days, only four types of people got tattoos: convicted felons, those likely to become convicted felons, outlaw bikers and sailors," said Kotowski, tongue in cheek.

That may explain why Kotowski, a retired journalist, did not get his first tattoo until he turned 50. He now has six.

Turns out, he is not a convicted felon, though he does ride a motorcycle and was in the Navy for seven years.

"The choice always seemed to be to spend my meager pay on a tattoo or to spend it on beer — I always chose beer," he said.

His wife, Paula, a retired educator, got her first tattoo while in Hawaii celebrating her 60th birthday. It was a full-color hibiscus, placed discreetly on her right ankle.

"Until then, I was not much of a tattoo fan," she said. "But, while we were there, I just decided to get a tattoo."

Back in Delaware, Paula Kotowski decided one tattoo was not enough. She had John Minka of Bewitched Tattoo in Rehoboth Beach add a starfish design on her left shoulder.

Bob Kotowski, got his first tattoo in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, while waiting for his then-17-year-old daughter to get her inaugural, a small daisy on the shoulder.

Kotowski chose a modest bird of paradise tattoo that turned out to be too small to be seen.

Later, he had Minka superimpose a larger eagle tattoo to cover up the too-small bird.

"Now, I’m 70 years old and have six tattoos: four on my calves and two on my forearms," he said. "All are animals. Besides the eagle there’s a yellow-crowned night heron, a rattlesnake, a sea turtle, a tiger and a manatee."

Once the tattoo floodgates opened in the Kotowski household, both their daughters got some permanent ink. And, later, their husbands joined in the fun. When they were old enough, grandchildren and in-laws got inked, too.

"I wasn't surprised when my dad got one but I was with my mom," said daughter Taffi Lang of Dover.

Though other family members also got tattoos, current careers dictate some discretion about discussing them, including those who are school principals or state troopers.

"In some professions, it is hard to have one," Lang said.

In her family, Lang's husband, Scott, and son, Anthony, have matching tattoos of their family crest.

And, that, to many, is the importance of tattoo selection.

"If you get one, it should mean something," said Lang.

Added her mother, Paula Kotowski, "To me, the tattoo should definitely have some meaning."

READ MORE: Tattoo artist uses ink to tell stories

"Some people have a family doctor but we have a family tattoo artist," said Paula Kotowski.

Indeed, while once viewed as an oddity, wearing tattoos has entered the mainstream, enjoying unprecedented popularity among young or old, male or female.

"Having a tattoo certainly has become a big deal," Minka said.

Jeff Clayton, 54, owner of Endeavor Trading Co. in Rehoboth Beach, got his first tattoo at age 18 and he admits it was a bad idea. The tattoo was of the Zig-Zag man, an image associated with rolling cigarette papers.

"It was dumb but I was just a stupid kid at the time," he said. "It was not a good tattoo."

Clayton has since added four others, all representing intricate calligraphy associated with his Muslim religion.

"Mine are all religious now," he said.

Clayton's religious tattoos have all been done by the Ancient Art Tattoo Parlor in Lewes.

"They are all artists there," Clayton said.

Many agree that societal attitudes toward tattoos have changed dramatically in the past decade.

"I think the stigma is changing," said Paula, who mentioned a swim class she was taking at the Rehoboth Beach YWCA.

"Most of the women are my age and older and you would not believe the number of tattoos," she said.

One of the most respected tattoo artists in southern Delaware is Minka, owner of Bewitched Tattoo in Rehoboth Beach.

Minka has been doing tattoos for 20 years, the last 11 in his own parlor, which is in the Midway Shopping Center on Route 1.

In addition to Minka, several other tattoo artists are on staff.

"This, to me, is an art studio," he said.

Both Bob and Paula Kotowski went to Minka to repair tattoos that were done by others. Minka said that is not that unusual.

"A lot of my clients come in to me to repair something they regretted," he said.

Though tattooing in the early days was freestyle and primitive, today, many parlors can work from intricate designs, which they can turn into computer-generated stencils that are used to map out the image on a customer's skin.

Though the procedure varies, the artist commonly uses a tattoo machine with multiple needles to inject a permanent ink into the client's skin.

"If you go in with an idea, they can make it work," said Clayton. "And that is because they are all artists."

"It is an art form," parlor owner Minka said.

The current cost of a tattoo in Minka's parlor: $75 minimum and $150 per hour.

Some intricate designs can take as long as six hours.

Though previous tattoo wearers, as in Bob Kotowski's estimation, may have had a shady past, many now agree that the popularity has extended to a much wider cross-section of society.

"I have clients that are all ages," said Minka.

• News

June 27, 2016