As body piercing and tattoos became more mainstream, they began to appear in advertisements. For example, tattoos are seen in Marlboro and Silk cut cigarette ads. Sony and coca-cola use tattoos in their print and television advertising. A large financial institution ran billboards that showed an arm with a tattoo of Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan.

Tattoos have become so prevalent in ads that tattoo artists are commissioned by well-known companies to work on their advertising campaigns. New Jersey tattooist Shotsie Gorman received a commission from Absolut vodka to paint a full-body tattoo on a man yet leave a large blank space in the middle of his back in the shape of the Absolut Restraint bottle. The painted man’s body was photographed and used as a print ad for Absolut Restraint.

Joe Tamargo has taken advertising and tattoos a step further. In 2005 Tamargo started selling advertisers the opportunity to tattoo their ads on his body. His first two customers were a California pharmaceutical company and a fan group of Martha Stewart. Each paid Tamargo to tattoo messages supporting their groups on his arm. By March 2005 he had nine sponsored tattoos, which earned him a total of $13,110.

Body Art Products

While some companies have used body art in advertising, others have manufactured products specifically related to tattoos and body piercings. These items are often intended for children. For example, in 1999 Mattel produced the Butterfly Art Tattoo Barbie and the Generation Girls. The Butterfly Art tattoo Barbie doll’s stomach was decorated with a nose ring. Many parents argued that these products led to increased interest in tattoos and piercings among children. As a result of parental concern that these dolls could be a bad influence, in June 1999 Mattel Corporation stopped production of the Butterfly Art line.

Despite parental concern, the popularity of toys associated with tattoos and body piercings has grown. Temporary tattoos are bought and worn by children all over the world. Children can purchase items such as Crystal Tattoos and Jewelry by Natural Science Industry Limited, which includes temporary tattoos made of peel-and-stick rhinestones that firmly adhere to the skin. Although the Butterfly Art Tattoo Barbie is no longer available,, parents can still buy their children dolls that are pierced or tattooed. Mattel recently produced the Cali Girl ear piercing doll, a Barbie doll that comes with a pretend ear piercer to pierce the doll’s ears.