Are you attracted to the darker side of life? Do you feel like you come alive at night? Have you memorised the script of 'The Hunger'? Then you may want to consider a vampire theme for your next tattoo.
Vampires have been a cultural fascination for decades. The suave and charismatic vampire figure we think of today was first created by John Polidori in his 1819 book The Vampyre. Few people remember this however, and Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula is considered the quintessential vampire novel.
Although usually the 'bad guys' modern vampires' portrayal as handsome, charismatic, strong, and independent makes them the villain we would dearly love to be. Surely sucking people's blood every now and again would be a small price to pay for eternal youth and the power to seduce anybody you choose? And daylight is very overrated...
Unfortunately being 'turned' is likely to remain an unreachable goal. If real vampires do walk the earth then they are not exactly open about it. And who can blame them? Living forever leads one to be cautious...
But even if becoming a vampire is out of reach, some of that power and allure can still be found through the addition of a vampire tattoo.
What Exactly Constitutes A Vampire Tattoo?
Vampire tattoos can be of many different designs. Obviously there is the traditional Dracula figure, a distinguished gentleman with cape held open to welcome you into his embrace, lips slightly parted to reveal the gleam of his fangs...
Or, a more modern invention, there is his female equivalent. Lily-white skin, raven-black hair, ruby-red lips (blood-red might be a more apt description...), slender body loosely draped in diaphanous black fabric... The kind of woman you dream of, who makes you think that death might not be too high a price to pay.
Or if you don't want an actual vampire, then how about a more stylistic tattoo? Just the fangs perhaps, with the faintest hint of blood glistening on their white tip...
And of course there is always the bat. Although not part of Bram Stoker's novel (Dracula's flying form was simply described as lizard- or bird-like) the vampire bat has been an integral part of the story since the 1927 stage production, and the subsequent films have cemented the connection in the public eye. Just make sure your bat tattoo is clearly a vampire bat, and not a Batman tattoo!
As you can see there is a lot of choice for people with an affinity for the night. More and more people are choosing to be open about the dark side that all of us have. It's nothing to be ashamed of, after all, so why not celebrate it with a vampire tattoo? Just make sure you spend time considering designs to ensure you don't later regret that trip to the dark side.
