A Darker Canvas: Tattoos And The Black Body
By Bryan Washington The Paris Review There's a look you get used to receiving, and quickly, if you're black with tattoos. First, there's the flicker of recognition. A scan from your audience, digesting your appearance. A brief smile or flinch, as the appraiser does some mental calculus. Then there are a few beats as they read more cues: your speech, and your demeanor, and your gait, and your dress.