When Toss felt she was about to become an old lady at the age of 70, she decided to shave off part of her hair and get tattooed. In public, she now likes to wear sleeveless tops, also to provoke reactions. But so far nobody has commented on her body drawings.
Why, says Ingrid Meijering and Marion Duimel from the GetOud Foundation (based in The Hague): "You're never too old for a tattoo." When they happened to see a tattooed retiree on the beach, they came up with the idea for their photo project: older people over 65 years with tattoos.
Every fifth German is tattooed according to a study by the University of Leipzig from 2016 - and the trend is rising. Especially in women, but also in older people take the interest. In the past, especially younger people tattoos sting, today pull the trend through all generations.
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Old and with tattoo: "So far no one dared to say something"Meijering and Duimel searched through private contacts, Facebook groups and tattoo parlors for suitable candidates for their photo series. They found 25 men and women, including someone who got the first tattoo at 80.
They visited the people at home, Duimel photographed the elderly in their living rooms, together interviewed the two women and could tell the stories behind the tattoos. Many of the people in the pictures do not wear clothes to show their tattoos better - they are all very proud of it.
Some of the retirees had to consult their doctor before being tattooed because they have very thin skin or take blood-thinning medications. But none of them had problems with the procedure.
Some of the subjects have only small drawings on their arms or shoulders, others are decorated with ink from head to toe - like Cor. He has been tattooed since 1978, even on his head. "You stand out from the crowd, I do not feel so naked anymore when I'm not wearing clothes," he says.
You are never too old for a tattoo
The motives of the tattoos are varied, they usually have something to do with events or people from the lives of the portrayed. Albertine has had a swan stabbed to remind her of her deceased husband; Rieck's body adorns a flower whose thorns symbolize her two failed marriages. But some of the drawings are just beautiful.
Many wonder: what does a tattoo look like when you're old? But not every one of the persons portrayed was stung at a young age; many have discovered their passion only in recent years. Meijering and Duimel want to show: one is never too old for a tattoo.
The two women do not have a tattoo yet. "Maybe later, when I'm 80," says the photographer. "I think it's much more fun then, and you have a lot more life events or memories to choose from."