I know you. You’re looking for an excuse to get your next (or first) tattoo, and you don’t even care that much about what it is. I’ve been there, and I’m here to give you that excuse you’re looking for. Baby Baby Tattoos, located at 430 N. First Ave., Minneapolis, is ready to put your money to work and ink you up in the process. Whenever I get a tattoo, I think of three things. One: “Will my mother approve?” Two: “Oh God, it costs a lot of money.” Three: “I really hope I’m not wasting money.” If you think similarly, I can assuage two of these concerns; on Feb. 15, 28 and 29, Baby Baby is pledging to donate all proceeds from flash tattoos (pre-designed sheets of designs already sized and priced) to mutual aid supporting immigrant families affected by the Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) presence in the Twin Cities. At the same time, they’re lowering the cost of flash tattoos, with prices to reflect the cost of materials. This initiative is a repeat of an event they did in January, and they stated that they intend to continue doing more events like these in the future. To stay in the loop, you can follow them on Instagram at @babybaby.tt.
Maybe you want a tattoo, but you don’t know what to get. The offer at Baby Baby only applies to flash tattoos. Maybe you don’t like any of the designs available, but you still want a tattoo that implicates you with the fight against ICE, here’s one such design to consider: The “Rebel Loon.” If you’re reading this, you probably live in Minnesota (since you likely go to Macalester), and you’re also most likely a nerd (since you likely go to Macalester and read newspapers). Consider a tattoo that embodies this intersection of identity. The Rebel Loon is a symbol that has picked up a large following and become a popular sign of Minnesotan resistance. The design is a loon, Minnesota’s state bird, with its wings situated in the emblem of the Rebel Alliance from “Star Wars.” This design was originally created by a Reddit user “Feral_user,” but it has been remixed by a number of tattoo artists across the state. Normally, I would never ever advocate for anybody to get a symbol created on Reddit permanently attached to their body, but in this case, I make an exception. Loons are beautiful birds, it represents a good cause, and everyone likes “Star Wars,” right?…