According to a recent Harris Poll, 42% of tattooed females think having tattoos make them feel sexier. Hey, that sounds right. Whenever I take photos at a tattoo event, beautiful tattooed women can't wait to show off their latest ink for my camera lens. To my way of thinking, this is extremely positive. Most women don't like the way they look. They think they're either too fat or too thin. Their noses are too large or their hips are too wide. There's even a show on television that takes perfectly acceptable-looking women and convinces them the only possible way to achieve happiness is to insert chin implants, resculpt their noses, tuck their tummies, raise their eyebrows, collagen their lips, cap their teeth, suck out their neck fat, silicone their boobs, suction off their love handles, prop up their butts, relocate their navels and give the whole damn thing a chemical peel.

Forget that. It's a terrible example for the women of the world. To my way of thinking, a little mascara, a sprintz of perfume and you'll have to chase off the men with a stick. Sure, if you have a nose like a macaw, you might consider whittling it down a notch, but, most of the time, ladies, you look just fine. Lack confidence? Get a tattoo.

I've photographed lots of 300-pound women that giggle like schoolgirls when they pose. I've seen gals with more stretch marks than the San Andreas fault happily drop their drawers, tug off their tank tops and maneuver their muumuus, just to show me their latest Judy Parker mermaid.

Two things about a tattoo: One, if you spend the money and get world-class work by artists like Ed Hardy, Madame Lazonga, Jack Rudy or Filip Leu, for heaven's sake, who's going to give a damn if your tooth is chipped? Second, if you have some righteous ink and somebody looks at you funny, fuck 'em. You're the one that's happening, sweetie, not them.

Bob Baxter
Editor in Chief