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INKEDblog takes you beneath the skin of today's tattoo culture. Our mission is to celebrate tattooing as a modern art form which incorporates art, fashion, style, and pop culture. While paying homage and respect to the past, we look to present a contemporary take on the present and future of skin art.
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Monday Dec 05, 2005
INKEDblog Interviews Cara, the “Tattooed Teacher”
"Cara’s got some major ink – 18 tats to be exact. And she ain’t stoppin’ there. The really cool part? She’s also an NYC school teacher. If only my teachers had rocked that hard, I might have actually gone to class. Cara recently took some time to talk with me about her ink and the reactions she’s gotten on the job. What she has to say is definitely worth a read, no doubt. "
– Justin Pelegano
INKEDblog: You got your first tat at 16...what was the occassion?
Cara: My best friend and I were the "bad ass" kinda Catholic school girls that hung with these skeevy dudes that knew how to tattoo so we decided to get tattooed in her boyfriend's bedroom one day. I sat backwards on a chair and held onto a baseball bat while they smoked cigarettes and watched me get my "sweet tribal" which was oh so cool in ‘96. It was above my ass and I thought I was the hottest with my new tatt and Jnco's. (I have since covered it). I got the whole tattoo and I was pretty proud because when it came to be my friend's turn she got 2 lines and then chickened out.
INKEDblog: Which is your favorite piece?
Cara: My favorite tattoo so far would have to be my chest/shoulders. I think it's the prettiest and I was able to take part in the design. I have a star/flower theme so this one incorporates the two.
INKEDblog: And now you're addicted! I sort of love to hear that -- I mean, considering the addictions out there...an ink addiction ain't that bad...and makes for some amazing art. What inspires you to choose a certain design?
Cara: The majority of my tattoos are flowers and stars. I really like them. I have stars and flowers all throughout my apt and my classroom. I have a few tattoos that don’t fit the theme, but eventually I will become a botanical garden.
INKEDblog: “The Tattooed Teacher” -- that's some nickname. What do your students think about your tattoos? Do you think it changes they way they perceive you in the classroom?
Cara: Only a few of my tattoos show when I go to work. Some of my students have made comments about it but I just pretend that they're seeing things or deny having a tattoo. They giggle and I call them crazy. It's cute. Tattoos are becoming so common now that it's not THAT big of a deal to them. I still run a tight ship and they see me as their teacher and not some tattooed freak. One time I had a tattoo that got infected. I had to walk with a cane. So when my students asked what happened I didn’t want them to know that I had an infected tattoo. Instead, I told them that I fell into the bear pit at the Bronx Zoo and got bit by a bear cub. By the end of the day the whole school thought I was bitten.
INKEDblog: The principal [of your school] and the superintendent...what are their worries about the ink? Do you sense an unfair bias towards you because of your tats.
Cara: My principal is very conservative and I was worried that she would give me sh-- for having tattoos. Legally she can't. When I first got hired she noticed a tattoo when I bent over and reminded me to keep it covered. Since then I have proven to her that I do my job well and now she loves me. I feel as though I might have changed her opinion on tattooed people or at least broke the stereotype. She's never had anything bad to say about the ones that show, but she almost had a heart attack when I showed her my chest and back. I keep those covered at work and surprisingly enough, she has actually made me show a few of my superiors. She has me show them after they observe me doing a lesson. I usually get the "great lesson and oh my, what pretty tattoos" response. Which makes me think that they're thinking... "wow a tattooed person can actually do a great job"
One time in the teacher's lounge the topic of tattoos came up. I was fairly new at the school and didn’t’ know everyone. This particular day none of my tatts were visible. A teacher started going on about people with tattoos. He called them lowlifes and said that they never amount to anything. He said that people with tattoos are idiots because they can’t get a career and all they do is drink and listen to "that punk rock music". I kept my mouth shut and just listened to his opinions and then I asked him what made him feel that way and he could only say that he would never get a tattoo so he doesn’t get it. I simply said that I know several people in various professions that are covered in tattoos, showed him some of mine, said I wasn’t stupid or a low life and then walked out of the teacher's room. He now kisses my ass.
INKEDblog: If you had to give up getting ink to keep on teaching...would it be a no-brainer or a difficult decision?
Cara: At this point I have plenty of space left so I think that I will be getting tattooed for awhile. However, I don’t like cluttered tattoos so I place them strategically enough so that they're not taking over each other or highly visible. Do I want half sleeves? Sure do.. but I work in an unairconditioned classroom and having to wear long sleeves in sept and june would just kill me. I am addicted, I do love tattoos but I'm also highly educated and far from stupid. I'm not gonna lose my job because I want to decorate myself more. That’s why I will one day find that rockstar husband that will support me so that I can be covered! Ha. Yeah right.
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