Trending Now: The Tattooed Senior Citizen

Senior citizens are increasingly going to the parlour. Not a beauty one but a tattoo parlour. Here’s more on being a tattooed senior citizen and loving it.

Did you know that one of the world’s most tattooed senior citizens is a 69-year-old woman with 98.75% of her body covered in ink? Charlotte Gutenberg of Florida, USA, clearly loves tatttoos and has been brave enough to get herself inked all over. In fact, she was first recognised by Guinness World Records in 2015 as the world’s Most tattooed senior citizen (female) according to a report in The Independent and maintains the record in the 2017 and 2018 Guinness World Record Editions as well. Incidentally, her partner Chuck Helmke holds the record for Most tattooed senior citizen (male) and together the couple surely make quite an entrance!

The two widowers met, where else, but at a tattoo parlor, where Helmke held Gutenberg’s hand through the painful process of getting inked! What’s even more interesting is that Gutenberg got her first tattoo not at 20 but at the age of 57 as a birthday gift to herself.

Closer home, in India, we may not have someone with Gutenberg and Helmke’s full suit tattoos yet but recent reports show that it is not just the young and hip, older adults are getting inked too.

A report in The Times of India talks of seniors getting tattoos in increasing numbers. And while spiritual tattoos are the most in-demand ones among older adults in India, they aren’t sacrificing the style quotient just yet. Tattoo artist Dr Jitendra Bharadwaj says customised fonts and styles are what seniors want. And seniors are getting tattoos not just for all that’s holy but also to commemorate their love for someone special. While some go for tattoos with religious tones like ‘Om Namah Shivay’ others get inked with names of their loved ones, like a 60 year old businessman who got inked for the first time in Goa with his wife’s initials. A 69-year-old hotelier has even influenced others in his peer group to take the inky plunge.

According to Bhardwaj, tattoos are also a way for seniors to bridge the gap with millennials. Gutenberg agrees. She told The Independent, “One of the things we both (she and Helmke) have noted, is that many young people come up to us in public and strike up conversations with us. Ordinarily, they probably would not consider talking to people in our age bracket. We think our tattoos make us more approachable – they realize we are just like them despite our ages. The titles have given us the opportunity to promote a better understanding of tattooed people, especially older tattooed people, as well as affording us the ability to bridge age and gender gaps.”

So if you are thinking of getting inked on the next holiday or special occasion, keep in mind that the tattoo artist may use a special ink with less alcohol content for those who are diabetic or over 50 to speed up the healing. It is also important to maintain good tattoo care and hygiene and only get inked from a safe, well-maintained place for the best results. If you’ve always wanted an expression of creativity on your body, tattoos are a great bet. Get creative with your skin and get inked!

Featured image courtesy: Guinness World Records