Getting a tattoo isn’t a decision to take lightly. A tattoo is permanent, and it’s not easy to change once it’s done. A man in Arizona recently shared an unbelievable story about a tattoo he gave to a surprising client. The client was a 9-year-old girl, and she came to him with a specific request.
The issue wasn’t a legal one because it is legal to tattoo children in Arizona as long as they have parental consent. But a lot of people expressed their outrage for moral and ethical reasons. Now, the tattoo artist is defending his decision.
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The tattoo artist posted about the experience on social media.
The man, Sosa, is co-owner of Black Onyx Empire Tattoo in Yuma, Arizona. He shared the video on Instagram, fully understanding that people would have something to say about it.
“Client came in wanting a tattoo with her parents. Here in Arizona its legal to do so with parent consent and of-course making sure its not forced and that client Loves the tattoo,” he began the post caption. He also shared that he “tried to scare them away with saying 500$ for this snap 80$ tat but they jumped on that price instead.”
The girl had an unusual tattoo request.
“The client ‘the young girl’ wanted a portrait of a @realdonaldtrump on her neck but i convinced her to do a more patriotic tattoo,” the man explained. “Told her in a year if she still wanted the trump then to get it but to think on it.”
He then explained that the girl came back a year later asking him to touch up the red in the tattoo. He obliged, of course. “She also changed her mind on the trump portrait one year later,” he wrote, adding a fist bump emoji.
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People were outraged by his decision.
Local news station Arizona’s Family shared a story about the video on YouTube (Sosa disabled comments on his video). People didn’t hesitate to make their opinions on the decision heard.
“Please no,” one commenter wrote. “As an artist, be the bigger person and donβt do this to a 9 year old. Then call child services.”
“I’m heavily tattooed and I believe any one involved in this should be prosecuted and put in jail,” another person said.
Ben Shaw with the Alliance of Professional Tattooists spoke with KPHO about the issue, calling out Sosa for doing the tattoo. “It is one of the most frustrating things about our career field and in Arizona where it has no regulations,” Shaw said. He also pointed out that if the parent gives permission, it’s ultimately up to the tattoo artist to make the moral choice.
“It can give us professionals a bad reputation. If you see a 10-year-old child with a professional tattoo and they say they got it at a tattoo shop, that degrades us as a whole,” he said.
The artist is speaking out to defend himself.
Now, Sosa is speaking out and defending his choice. Despite “getting threats” and “hate comments,” the tattoo artist told the New York Post he feels secure in his decision.
“She was going to get it done regardless. She said it didnβt matter if I did it or someone else did it, she was going to get it done,” he said. “And I thought, βYou know what, in a sterile, clean environment β¦'” he added, saying he was concerned another artist would have gone through with the Trump tattoo.
He shared that the family told him a story that changed his perspective.
Sosa explained that the girl’s family is from Turkey, and they came to the United States as refugees. “So they would really appreciate the opportunity that they got to be in the United States,” he said, adding that the girl believed the Trump tattoo would show her gratitude.
The man also called their ask a “cultural thing,” sharing that the girl’s 18-year-old sister allegedly also got a tattoo at 9 years old. “Would I do it again? Probably not. However, I was moved by the story they had.”
“I donβt think tattoos on kids is the right thing to do,” he said. Sosa also made it clear that tattooing children isn’t in his future. “I think laws should be made. I think a βSosa Lawβ should be made, because I posted it. There should be an age limit,” he shared.
