The Social Tattoo Project In SoHo Inks Volunteers With Trending Disasters, Social Problems (VIDEO)

Want to get a tattoo of the world's trendiest crisis? Its most recent devastating disaster?

The Social Tattoo Project is here to help. Currently operating out of an art gallery at Sacred Tattoo in SoHo, the project is based on the idea that the world's issues "deserve more than just a moment's empathy." They want to make that empathy permanent--as in permanent tattoos.

At the beginning of each week, a good ink-tentioned volunteer offers up his or her own skin to honor one of four selected trending subjects on Twitter, which are then voted on for the next seven days.

The winning subject (e.g. Japan earthquake) is then branded on said volunteer, who has no say in the tattoo design.

So far folks have forever accessorized their compassion with a broken heart for #Haiti, a pie-chart for #Poverty, a flower-flag for #Norway, a cresting wave for #Japan, and, perhaps most tastelessly, handcuffed hands for #humantrafficking.

The problem, of course, is that these tattoos are permanent, and hopefully the catastrophes, tragedies and social problems they represent won't be.

How would you feel if you had a Three Mile Island tattoo on your forearm? A DDT ban tattoo on your ankle? Gay Girl In Damascus on your neck? You get the idea.

(For the record though, Miley Cyrus's marriage equality tattoo is actually pretty awesome).

Check out the videos below and if you're so inclined, you can vote by tweeting #socialtattoo and your #favorite trend of the 4 to @social_tattoo.

[VIA Bowery Boogie]

Comments

[dawns6]

04:34 AM on 08/18/2011

its absolutely rediculous

[FortuneKoochie]

01:51 PM on 08/09/2011

Just got my first tattoo and it really hurt. I think next time i'll use warmer water to put it on.

[truthinperson]

01:30 PM on 08/06/2011

Where's the slideshow for "10 Trendiest forms of Human Suffering"? It seems the author of this article injected the term "trendy" to get more attention. It's subtly tasteless word usage.

[Daniel Steadly]

11:41 AM on 08/06/2011

well-the good thing is you can remove tattoos a hell of a lot easier today-my belief are that tattoos are means of the artistically inarticulate to suddenly have a voice via their own bodies

[iuriggs6]

11:22 AM on 08/06/2011

Just plain nasty and trashy.....

[outerbanksfor5]

09:40 AM on 08/06/2011

this totally rediculous

[jazzplayer52]

09:39 AM on 08/06/2011

Their way of saying "Hey, look at me, I care more than you do" but the important part is the "Hey look at me......."

[holyghostie]

09:02 AM on 08/06/2011

I see lots of beautiful women in NYC with tats, and I wonder what they will look like when they get up past 45 and beyond.

[Dora The explorer]

10:22 AM on 08/06/2011

How does a multi-colored, wrinkled up, rawhide skined, rainbow prune grab you?

[pbergephoto]

03:02 PM on 08/17/2011

About the same as a uni-colored, wrinkled up, rawhide skinned, flesh colored prune. Old wrinkled skin is old wrinkled skin, whether it has ink in it or not. Do people without tattoos think they are immune to the aging process?

[Pastor Casket]

08:40 AM on 08/06/2011

So the first video shows someone with latex gloves on and using a Sharpie to fill-in the words... That's like using a clean needle to give a criminal a lethal injection. :)

[particentral]

10:40 AM on 08/06/2011

Ummmm they use a sharpie on the outer skin to write the words. the alcohol in the sharpie prevents germs and bacteria from growing. It is not ever used on open skin. Learn what you are talking about before assuming things.

[Pastor Casket]

11:02 AM on 08/06/2011

And the point I'm making is they're not even tattooing the ad that is being written on the person's back. Understand what is being discussed before assuming things :)

[topgearrt]

07:02 AM on 08/06/2011

WOW,they look like crap.

[PrincessLiz]

06:23 AM on 08/06/2011

Where's the social tattoo for poor decision making?

[jerlsp1]

04:44 AM on 08/06/2011

Alot of ignorant comments on here so your saying if someone has tattoos they have to be a idiot terrible person? And they have no meaning thats like saying the color of your skin determines how good you are at something you know what I wouldn be surprised if the majority of the stupid comments on here were all racists. Be more open minded and not so quick to judge can you judge yourself?

[particentral]

10:41 AM on 08/06/2011

The tshirts read, The difference between people with tattoos and those without is that people WITH tattoos do not care that you do not have one!

[bryee5]

11:03 AM on 08/06/2011

How can you possibly equate the color of someones skin, with a tattoo? You sound just like the Gays trying to compare their "movement" with the so-called "civil rights" movement. I challenge you to find one case when a baby was born with a tattoo. I being a person of color myself, find it sickening when people especialy "black" people try to use racisim to justify a behavior. I also find it demeaning when someone try to justify a lifestyle choice to what comes natural. Stop telling people to be "more open minded" when your mind is so closed. What YOU chose to do with YOUR body is YOUR choice. With choice comes consequences. We live in an open society, and people will judge you according to their own standards. For some reason, this generation of Americans think that they can go from Cradle to Grave, do whatever they what, and never pay the consequences. This generations favorite line is "Only God can Judge me". Well guess what? The world is judging us, and guess what America, we ain't lookin' so good.

[Cliff Rothband]

07:42 PM on 08/05/2011

Tattoos have been around for mileniums. It seems like the latest fad, It's to bad that in time tattoos fade and blur.They lose meaning if they ever had any.It also reflects people with low self esteem who want to be noticed. To my own eye it looks like grafitti.

[Renee Imaromancer]

08:33 PM on 08/05/2011

I am sorry you feel this way. Tattoos are art. They tell alot about someone. Their beliefs maybe, what they like, if they have kids, or grandkids even. I have one in memory of my birth mother who was killed by a drunk driver of a yellow rose, I have tigger the cartoon with my kids and my names in the balloons, I have my grandchildrens a tattoo of Emily's feet from her original birthcert., and a mickey mouse in honor of my grandson, both have their names on them, I have another of my partner who died in 2006 to diabities, I have only one thing I regret and it was when I was 24, I got my tongue pierced on a dare that I was chicken. It was painful and senseless, but it still remains in because I cant talk without it. The tongue muscle gets use to the weight of the jewerly in there. So without it I have a bad lisp! Tattoos are for many reasons not all good, but not all bad, I hope I helped you see.

[westphilly726]

07:07 PM on 08/06/2011

Well said.I can't believe all of the judgements.One of my sons does tattoos and I gladly allow myself to be his canvas.It's really no ones business.If you don't like tattoos then don't get one.Back in the 80's I hid my first tattoo from my mother and I was in my 20's.Now that I'm in my 40's I don't care what she or anyone else thinks.

[Jlbeaverton]

02:02 AM on 08/07/2011

You might want to go talk to a piercer, your tougue should heal over in a few days once you took that out. I've never heard of " the muscle gets used to the weight" problem.

[Michael1961]

07:13 PM on 08/05/2011

They just aren't all locked up yet and we allow them to breed.... Sheez this world is in a lot more trouble than anyone ever anticiapated it would be in and now these over-sized children in their adults bodies are supposed to be the next leades of the world??? We're screwed!

[truthinperson]

01:34 PM on 08/06/2011

Wow, there are more than a few leaps of twisted logic in your post. Did you try to do that, or are you really that disconnected?

[Michael1961]

06:26 AM on 08/08/2011

Not disconnected nor do I live in the land of make believe and yes I had enough hugs from my momma growing up so I do not need to try to draw attention to myself by turning my body into billboard for a freak show or a science experiement by seeing how far I can go to make myself look less like what God intended. How is it that tattooing your body will help social problems when obviously you do not like yourself or the way you look so you have to try to change your appearance by coloring it, branding it, piercing and stretching it? Sounds like self mutilation according to Webster's Dictionary!

[viper1ex19]

06:28 PM on 08/05/2011

What will they do when they run out of space to put tatoos?
Their butt will read; To Be Continued!