Artist refuses to tattoo a rose on a 15-year-old's neck, but his mother insists: "His friends all have a tattoos."
The fashion for tattoos is popular even with youngsters these days. But now, it seems to be normal for parents to accompany a minor to a tattoo studio. However, the tattoo artist does not always agree to tattoo every customer - especially young ones. The story of a tattoo artist from Sora, Cristiano Gulia, and a mother will make us reflect about this issue. Here is the story:
Cristiano Gulia is a tattoo artist from Sora, in the province of Frosinone (Italy), and like many of his other professional colleagues, he follows a very specific code of ethics. One of his videos posted on TikTok caused a sensation in which he confronts a mother of an underage client who wanted to be tattooed. The tattoo artist, highly respected in his field, refused to tattoo a rose on the neck of a 15-year-old boy - a refusal that greatly irritated the mother, who had specifically booked the appointment.
In the video you can clearly hear Cristiano's argument with the mother: "Madam, it's not a question of a down payment. The rules you read here are valid for adults only. How old is your child?" asks the tattoo artist. "Almost 16," replies the woman. As Gulia rightly points out, "almost 16" means that the boy has not yet turned 16 - one very valid reason why Cristiano refused to tattoo the child.
Instagram / renado_one/ Not the actual photo
The boy's mother, however, was very annoyed by Cristiano's refusal and after and continued to insist: "Come on man, make an exception. All his friends have tattoos, so what's the problem? He's been nagging me to get a rose tattoed on his neck: what's the problem?" Eventually, the mother leaves, saying that she will find some other tattoo artist willing to do the job. Cristiano Gulia was very keen to explain the reasons for his refusal in the video published on TikTok (in which the woman remains anonymous) and are linked to the ethical code of his work: even if the law allows it, a professional should refuse to tattoo a minor - especially on the neck, hands and face, which are particularly visible points on the body that could one day compromise a young person's future career. A tattoo artist should not just do a job for money, since the art of tattooing is a noble profession. Cristiano, like many of his other professional colleagues, does not want to bend to the so-called " give me everything now" culture or to money, and was very keen to explain his position in his video (and a later interview).
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