METRO SHANGHAI / METRO SHANGHAI
Welcome to my life, tattoo
Shanghai ink slinger offers free service to mothers with C-section scars
Shi Hailei is a tattoo artist in Shanghai's Jiading district. What largely makes Shi different from other tattooists in town is that he has been creating tattoo designs on the bellies of mothers who have had a Caesarean section during child delivery. Shi told the Global Times that he got this idea from a Brazilian tattooist he once met. "The Brazilian tattoo artist created designs for free on women who had suffered from domestic violence. He did this not only to hide those women's hideous scars but also to reduce the negative feelings about the scars as well as the sad fact of having once being abused," Shi said.
Thusly inspired, Shi decided to offer a similar free service to Chinese mothers who do not feel comfortable revealing their bodies or even wearing swimming suits because of C-section scars or stretch marks.
After introducing the free service on WeChat, a number of local mothers of various ages and backgrounds arrived at Shi's studio for a try. "When they first came to me, their primary concern was how painful the process would be; they didn't care much about the design itself," Shi said.
He went on to explain the major differences between creating designs on a woman's belly as opposed to other body parts. "It requires more skill and experience to tattoo on the stomach, as this part is much softer, especially after giving birth. Also, the tattoo needle cannot go too deep since there's already a scar on the skin. Besides, it is more difficult to color the design on top of a scar."
Shi added that it usually takes about three hours to complete a design on a C-section scar. So far, he has created tattoo designs for more than 20 women, many who came up from neighboring Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui provinces specifically for the service.
The tattooist said he does not have any plan or goal for this particular service. "But as long as I'm in this business, I will keep offering the free tatts to those moms who are longing to display their beautiful body and to regain their confidence even with C-section scars and stretch marks," Shi said.
Thusly inspired, Shi decided to offer a similar free service to Chinese mothers who do not feel comfortable revealing their bodies or even wearing swimming suits because of C-section scars or stretch marks.
After introducing the free service on WeChat, a number of local mothers of various ages and backgrounds arrived at Shi's studio for a try. "When they first came to me, their primary concern was how painful the process would be; they didn't care much about the design itself," Shi said.
He went on to explain the major differences between creating designs on a woman's belly as opposed to other body parts. "It requires more skill and experience to tattoo on the stomach, as this part is much softer, especially after giving birth. Also, the tattoo needle cannot go too deep since there's already a scar on the skin. Besides, it is more difficult to color the design on top of a scar."
Shi added that it usually takes about three hours to complete a design on a C-section scar. So far, he has created tattoo designs for more than 20 women, many who came up from neighboring Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui provinces specifically for the service.
The tattooist said he does not have any plan or goal for this particular service. "But as long as I'm in this business, I will keep offering the free tatts to those moms who are longing to display their beautiful body and to regain their confidence even with C-section scars and stretch marks," Shi said.
Tattooist Shi Hailei creates a tattoo design on the belly of a mother in Shanghai.
A mother checks her new belly tattoo at Shi Hailei's studio.
(From top) Shi has been creating tattoo designs on mothers with a Caesarean section scar. It usually takes about three hours to complete a design on a C-section scar. Photos: Yang Hui/GT
