My special featured female for my last post on female body art for this series is, Crystal Buya.
I was introduced to Crystal and her tattoos through a mutual friend when I was looking for women who wanted to feature their body art in my blog post. When I saw pics of her tattoos and when she explained them to me I was like wow. From the artistry, to the meanings, to where they were placed. With pain factoring in... she's good. I was also pleasantly surprised to find out she was pregnant too, in her third trimester and I got her to do a photoshoot. The beauty of a women with child and body art; stunning! Like I always say, don't judge a book by it's cover. Someone who wears body art doesn't look a certain way or have a certain lifestyle. #stereotyping
I asked Crystal to give me her thoughts on women and body art, tattooing and why she decided to adorn her body with her beautiful personalized art.
CRYSTAL BUYA
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| Photo: Eklipz Flix for Storehouse Media Inc. |
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| Photo: Eklipz Flix for Storehouse Media Inc. |
When I first started getting tattooed about 5 years ago I used to think that women in particular got tattooed as a symbol of what they may have considered "sexy. I would hear stories of how girls would get tattoos of the typical butterfly, playboy bunny symbol, or a a simple Japanese symbol that meant sexy or something along those lines. I would think "why tattoo yourself with something a million other "girls" have?" As I've hung out at the tattoo shop more often with my tattoo artist, I got to look at beautiful artwork that women have requested and have obviously put tons of thought into and I'm glad to see that more and more women have considered their bodies a canvas that can display true art. I find it liberating to know that women have taken the art of tattoing to help them represent who they are instead of just a way to express sexuality.
When it comes to my tattoos I believe I thought about what I wanted tattooed on my body for at least a month minimum, okay well with the exception of one that I did because I was bored that day . Every tattoo that I have adorned my body with represents who I was or what I was feeling in that period of my life, so I wouldnt be able to narrow down which tattoo I favor most because they all represent who I am and who I have become. I've considered every aspect of art work and body placement. I chose to put the majority of my tattoos in places where they can be hidden if I wanted to, perhaps to keep a certain mystery to myself. You'd be surprised at the reaction I get from some people when they realize I have as many tattoos as I do, but dont get me wrong, along with the amazement of tattoos I've faced a lot of prejudice about it too. But regardless of what negative connotations that follow women with tattoos, I always wear my tattoos proudly for the artists that worked hard to design them for me as well as myself that worked, researched and sat through some long tattoo sessions.
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| Photo: Eklipz Flix for Storehouse Media Inc. |
Here are some close-up pictures of Crystals beautiful body art!
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| 1. down my spine- Japanese Kanji that means beautiful from all sides and perfect serenity. |
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| 2. right side (from breast down to waist) Benten who is the only female Goddess out of the 7 Gods of fortune. she's the Goddess of music, beauty, the arts, etc., riding on her dragon |
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| 3. left side (from breast down to wasit) i have a large half finished koi fish which represents good fortune (its half finished because the week before i was supposed to finish it up i found out i was pregnant) |
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| 4. Right finger says- "Dum Spiro Spero"- While i breathe i hope | | | |
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| 5. Left finger says- "Nil desperandum"- Never despair |
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On both thights almost to the knees, all the way around the thighs she has "murals"
Left Thight:
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| 6. phoenix- which represents rebirth, rising from the ashes and becoming anew |
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| 7. Japanese Kanji- meaning "immortality of the soul" |
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| 8. Japanese Kanji- "meaning free will" |
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| 9. fu-dog- represents protection (in Mythology a Fu-dog was Buddha's protector) |
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| 10. .hanya mask- The hannya mask is specifically used to represent a vengeful and jealous woman. Her anger and envy have so consumed her that she has turned into a demon, but with some important traces of humanity left. The pointed horns, gleaming eyes, fang-like teeth, combined with a look of pure resentment and hate are tempered by the expression of suffering around the eyes and the artfully disarrayed strands of hair, which indicate passionate emotion thrown into disorder. |
Right Thigh: She changed out of the Asian theme and went with new school, traditional theme.
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| 11. a group of flowers, chrysanthemums, roses and a peony |
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| 12. a "nurse pinup girl with a skull and roses" the nurse is to represent my mom as well as the profession i want to finish in, the skull represents what it stands for, inevitable death. |
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13. piece at the back of my thigh of the heart with a crown and 2 sparrows flying along side the heart with my nephew "Prince"s name in the center. |
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| 14. on top of my right foot i have Filipino tribal that means female soul |
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| 15. 5 stars behind my right ear which were basically done out of boredom |
If you have any questions or nice comments for Crystal please comment in the box below. : )
I want to thank Crystal for allowing me to feature her on my blog, posting her pics and showing off her radiant, beautiful pregnancy. I also want to thank Eklipz Flix for doing the photo shoot for her.
PEACE! ~ Queen Cee
Enlightening piece Queen.
Beautiful tats Crystal! Congrats on becoming a mommy; all the best.