Swedes have a huge obsession with tatoos:
Tatoos have become so commonplace in Sweden that Stockholm is now believed to be home to the world's most inked population outside of tribal societies. [Source]
I wrote about this in an earlier post because one of the first things I noticed in Sweden was that shops that carry magazines and newspapers have many more publications devoted to tatoos than to news. Sometimes one cannot find newspapers (other than trash tabloids) but there are surely several (sometimes dozens) tatoos magazines always available. I tested this today at the main airport in Stockholm. I asked, at Pressbyrån, if they have any newspapers. They pointed out Expressen to me. I said, "that's a tabloid, do you have any regular newspaper?" They pointed out Aftonbladet to me. I replied that this is also junk press. "Any serious newspapers?" No. None. And yet they had several magazines on tattoo.
It's very hard to find newspapers at the main airport of Stockholm. As for foreign press, forget it, there is none. But tatoos are everywhere. There is even a tatoo parlor at the Stockholm airport:
http://www.swedavia.com/arlanda/about-stockholm-arlanda-airport/about-stockholm-arlanda-airport/news/worlds-first-tattoo-studio-at-an-airport/
And they're proud about it: it's the first airport in the world to have a tatoo shop. (Caveat: there's nothing decent to eat at Stockholm airport, but there's a place where you can get a tatoo.) I guess it's important to some to get their tattoo before they fly.
I observed these peculiarities long time ago. But I didn't know that Sweden has as many tatoos per capita as in tribal societies.
N.B. See my old posting on 3 Swedish fetishes:
http://randomprocessed.blogspot.fr/2011/09/three-swedish-fetishes.html?m=0
Tatoos have become so commonplace in Sweden that Stockholm is now believed to be home to the world's most inked population outside of tribal societies. [Source]
I wrote about this in an earlier post because one of the first things I noticed in Sweden was that shops that carry magazines and newspapers have many more publications devoted to tatoos than to news. Sometimes one cannot find newspapers (other than trash tabloids) but there are surely several (sometimes dozens) tatoos magazines always available. I tested this today at the main airport in Stockholm. I asked, at Pressbyrån, if they have any newspapers. They pointed out Expressen to me. I said, "that's a tabloid, do you have any regular newspaper?" They pointed out Aftonbladet to me. I replied that this is also junk press. "Any serious newspapers?" No. None. And yet they had several magazines on tattoo.
It's very hard to find newspapers at the main airport of Stockholm. As for foreign press, forget it, there is none. But tatoos are everywhere. There is even a tatoo parlor at the Stockholm airport:
http://www.swedavia.com/arlanda/about-stockholm-arlanda-airport/about-stockholm-arlanda-airport/news/worlds-first-tattoo-studio-at-an-airport/
And they're proud about it: it's the first airport in the world to have a tatoo shop. (Caveat: there's nothing decent to eat at Stockholm airport, but there's a place where you can get a tatoo.) I guess it's important to some to get their tattoo before they fly.
I observed these peculiarities long time ago. But I didn't know that Sweden has as many tatoos per capita as in tribal societies.
N.B. See my old posting on 3 Swedish fetishes:
http://randomprocessed.blogspot.fr/2011/09/three-swedish-fetishes.html?m=0