POTENT Issue #2 - The Women's Issue

Ink-Slingers:
Meet 3 of the
Caribbean's
Baddest
F m l
a t o
By Nneka Samuel
The stigma of tattoos on the
female body bears a long
history - one steeped in
religion, the “tramp stamp”
assumption of promiscuity and
societal norms that dare dictate what
women can and cannot do with their
own bodies. Being simultaneously
an inked woman and a female tattoo
artist Not exactly something you
would expect of most Caribbean
women. But these aren’t your
everyday, run of the mill chicks.
From Puerto Rico, St. Lucia and
Jamaica, three pioneers and
businesswomen are making names
for themselves in a largely maledominated
industry; one still deemed
taboo by Caribbean society at large.
But their work, talent, and sheer
determination to be at the top of their
game is helping to change negative
perceptions, all while ushering in a
new wave of ink-slingers.
25-year-old Lidiette Del Valle, owner
of Crazy Tattoos in Carolina, Puerto
Rico, is fully aware that being a
female tattoo artist is not a common
practice in her native country.
Currently the sole artist at her shop,
Del Valle has deliberately taken a
female apprentice, Jojo Colón, under
her wing. Fully acknowledging how
“women in the tattoo world are
marginalized,” Del Valle’s plan is to
transform her growing business into
a one-of-a-kind venue that solely
employs female tattoo artists. She
even wants all of the art on the walls
to be made by women. And while
the majority of her former work
colleagues have been men, Del Valle
admits that they gave her a warm and
cordial welcome to the tattoo industry
when she first began in 2009. But, she
still had to prove herself.
POTENT Magazine | SEVENTY-ONE