January 24, 2010

Why is Helen Mirrin "disgusted and shocked" by her tattoo?

Because it's "completely mainstream."

***

What about yourself are you shocked by because you meant it to be shocking and it's so not shocking?

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

Eyeball tattoos are all the latest fashion. No joke.

Peter

Freeman Hunt said...

It looks like a prison tattoo.

HKatz said...

Affecting disgust and shock at something mainstream has long been a common, mainstream way of thought among artists.

John said...

I don't have one, but how about the idea that riding a motorcycle -- especially a """Harley""" -- makes you look like anything but a self-indulgent middle aged twit? I mean, it might as well be a Winnebago.

ricpic said...

I wear a rabbit's fur hat with a raccoon tail, a Davy Crockett, in the winter. I get lots of compliments for it and some raised eyebrows. Do I want to raise eyebrows? Hmmm....

KCFleming said...

I am shocked that I cannot think of a single time in my nearly 50 years when I did something I had meant to be shocking.

The feeling of shock depends on a people with shared constraints. We have few if any such rules remaining, so literally nothing is shocking anymore.

Being a square makes me most shocking today, I suppose.

Palladian said...

When I was in high school I briefly had purple hair and occasionally wore a poncho. It was, by the way, a real poncho, I mean a Mexican poncho, not a Sears poncho.

I used to wear a Nixon campaign button sometimes when I was in college.

Bob Ellison said...

I tried to shock once by shaving my head completely. Well, actually, my brother-in-law did the shaving. (True story; not kinky.)

Turns out my head, probably ugly enough with hair on it, is fugly with none. It didn't shock so much as repel.

themightypuck said...

I suspect that most shocking people tend to try to hide the shocking aspects of their natures, at least until the authorities catch up with them.

reader_iam said...

Is there anything shocking in everyday life anymore? Apart from smoking, of course.

Jason (the commenter) said...

reader_iam :Is there anything shocking in everyday life anymore?

Try saying or doing something traditional. Example: Some people are shocked that I don't use a bread machine to make bread.

Fred4Pres said...

I find most tattoos boring. I find them unattractive on women and generally a turn off. Most are just badly done doodles, more or less permanently affixed to you. If you are Maouri or Pacific Islander and are doing it for traditional reasons that is fine. I get that. I did not get one when I was younger, but I did see plenty of fellow Marines get them and that is fine too.

I kinda like the Yakuza type as art, but that is because I like Japanese art. But I can't imagine spending $30,000 to $50,000 to do that to myself. I would rather go out and buy some and hand them on my wall.

But hey, if it turns you on great. Knock yourself out.

reader_iam said...

Jason: Ah. Good point ... though I suspect that somewhat depends on where you live and who you're around. DIY, make from scratch & etc. is making inroads among various groups these days (even if it's not widespread).

reader_iam said...

Jason (aka @BXGD): Hey! I thought of another one! Wait for it ...

... not offering snacks to kids over the age of 5 every time they turn around!

; )

themightypuck said...

Being "shocking" has always been a fairly effective strategy for really talented people to get noticed. I cheer top quality shockers while rolling my eyes at the waves of mediocre me to "shockers" that follow.

Fred4Pres said...

Of course if Helen wants to try something shocking, this might be okay.

Of course, I doubt she will be getting a lot of work in anything other than an occasional horror film. I am not shocked by this, I would put this down for extreme stupidity/self mutilation.

Palladian said...

I went to college in the 1990s, by the way.

I also sometimes wore one (closed | open) or the other (closed | open) of my McKinley-Hobart campaign pins until I had to sell them to pay my rent.

Wince said...

Have to admit I was blown away when I stumbled on Age of Consent (1969) and slowly recognized that it was Mirren at 24. [Nudity at link.]

Will Helen Mirren be the first actress to go nude in SIX decades?

You may have noticed that sexy dame Helen Mirren, who's the only actress on MrSkin.com to get nude in five decades, hasn't let age get in the way of stripping off her clothes in the name of movie-making. In fact, since she turned 50 in 1995, there have been four movies featuring Helen Mirren nude. And if Helen has her way, so won't be stopping any time soon!

After the cut, hear what Helen has to say about the joys of movie nudity.

rhhardin said...

I still have a sheet of Nixon stamps somewhere, with only two missing.

chuck b. said...

In olden days a glimpse of stocking was looked on as something shocking, but now, heaven knows, anything goes.

Unknown said...

She sounds like a star-bellied Sneech

Unknown said...

Really the only thing shocking here is that Helen is so mainstream as to have a tattoo,

chickelit said...

No tattoos here-my brother has one though.

I used to wear a Nixon campaign button sometimes when I was in college

I wore a Nixon Now button around during the last election. The only people who noticed were the teachers at my kids' school.

wv: "inski" -conjugate with "outski"

Titus said...

I have a really huge hog which I thought was shocking but now it seems everyone has a huge hog.

Jason (the commenter) said...

reader_iam:... not offering snacks to kids over the age of 5 every time they turn around!

So, shocking things (which we may want to try):

-Stoicism
-Thrift
-Questioning societal norms

Hmm, they're kind of like the anti-consumerism of Hippies, but with a twist.

Anonymous said...

You spelled 'Mirren' wrong.

paul a'barge said...

Please.

Major fan of tattoos here.

Laser tattoo removal. Believe me, I got a medium sized tattoo removed so I could get an even bigger, more audacious tattoo in its place.

Helen is full of crap.