A small flower on the shin turned out to be stronger than the entire competitive portfolio. In Italy, a woman with the initials HG was barred from entering the police solely because her tattoo was visible through her skirt in her ceremonial uniform. Now, case C-320/25 has reached the EU Court, and Advocate General Tamara Capeta, in her opinion of September 11, 2026, directly stated: such selection rules can be considered discrimination based on sex. For tattoo culture, this is a rare instance where personal body art becomes the subject of a European legal dispute about equality.
Ukrainian tattoo artist Milli Mitnik opened a studio in Ireland
When Lyudmila “Milli” Mitnik left Odesa amidst the Russian invasion, her main baggage wasn’t suitcases, but twelve years of practice in tattoo art. In Ireland, she first learned the language by watching cartoons like “Steven Universe” and “The Last Airbender,” and then found what helped her put herself back together: her own studio on Main Street in the town of Birr, County Offaly. Today, it is one of two tattoo parlors in the village, attracting clients from Tullamore, Clara, Athlone, and Mayo for sessions.
Jalen Hurts’ Tattoo: Faith, Family, and Football on His Left Arm
When an NFL-level public figure unveils a new tattoo, fans immediately start deciphering it. This is what happened with Jalen Alexander Hurts, the quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, who bears three words on his left arm: “Faith, Family, Football.” For many, it’s just a beautiful inscription, but if you delve into the logic of tattoo culture, we are presented with a classic example of a sports manifesto: a short textual message that an athlete transforms into a personal doctrine and, simultaneously, an open narrative for their audience.
Moon Ga-young showed off a phoenix tattoo on her back
A summer photoshoot by Korean actress Moon Ga-young, posted on the 9th with the caption “End of Summer,” quickly went beyond a typical social media post. Viewers, accustomed to seeing her as a reserved and sophisticated character, noticed a detail that had rarely been captured before: an intricate phoenix tattoo emerged on her fair skin. This image transformed the series of shots into a topic of discussion within the tattoo community.
The Secret Garden: An Evansville Tattoo Studio That Became a Standard of Inclusivity
In the tattoo industry, where competition for client attention grows with each season, it’s rare to find not just a beautiful space, but one that wins reader polls. This is exactly what happened with The Secret Garden Tattoo + Cosmetic Studio in Evansville: two years after opening its storefront on Main Street, the studio’s team took home the title of Best Tattoo Studio in the 2026 Best of Evansville contest, held by Evansville Living magazine. To celebrate this event, Rosalie Coston and Hannah Evelyn Jones created illustrations for the cover of the September-October issue, and we took a look behind the scenes of their work and talked about what makes their practice special.