This is the kind of publicity anti-tattoo people love. Pamela Anderson finds out she has the Hepatitis C virus, and blames it on a tattoo. She claims that she and Tommy Lee (ex-husband and former Motley Crue drummer) shared a tattoo needle, from which she contracted the disease. Tommy swears he's never had the disease, and tested negative on Tuesday. She says Tommy publicized her condition to make her look bad. Lee's rep says she's blaming it on him for revenge in their current custody battle.
Do you see a pattern here?
It's all the same old "he said, she said" crap, but the problem is, when someone says a tattoo is to blame for disease, people are quick to listen and believe it.
Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying I'm insensitive to Miss Anderson's plight. But what gets me is that no one seems to be considering the possibility that she could have gotten it some other way, or yes, even from some other person.
I'm not accusing Miss Anderson of anything - but it's no big secret that Hepatitis C is a blood-borne illness that can be spread through unprotected sex and also shared drug needles, not just tattoo needles. And whether or not she even got it from Tommy Lee has not yet been indisputably determined.
I'm not saying it's impossible she could have gotten it from a tattoo needle. Of course she could have. But will someone please tell me why two people who make as much money as they do even need to share a tattoo needle? That suggests that the tattoo artist was a shady character, because no professional would have used the same needle on two people, even if they were a couple. Apparently, the artist in question is quite irritated by this accusation, and says that the couple did not share needles.
Body Art In the News
Have you ever noticed that just about everything about body art that ends up in the news is negative? Or that studies and surveys always manage to twist the facts to blame body art for the problems in the world? The fact is, some people want to believe that tattoos are bad and they'll do anything to prove it. They will turn one case of Hepatitis into a mass-hysteria against the art. The media feeds on negativity, and credibility-bashing stories are a hot item.
It is our responsibility to separate fact from hype. The fact is that Hepatitis can be spread through contaminated needles. The fact is that sharing needles of any kind can transmit the disease. The fact is that conscientious professionals know how to avoid these problems, and when properly executed with a new needle, it is practically impossible to spread infection. The fact is that you put yourself at the same risk when you go to the doctor or dentist. And the fact is that your best defense against Hepatitis is knowledge.
Sharing any kind of needle is stupid. Not going to a clean and sterile professional for a tattoo (or piercing) is stupid. Yes, you can get Hepatitis from a tattoo, but only when proper precautions are ignored.
Be safe, be responsible, be smart, be well.
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