BY: STEFANIE PHILLIPS
In the city of Curitiba, at the southern tip of Brazil, Flavia Carvalho tattoos several pink cherry blossoms up the side of a client’s back – each one shaded a vibrant pink colour. They are a symbol of femininity and life itself, a reminder that every moment should be lived to the fullest.
Behind a cluster of cherry blossoms at the top of the piece is a bullet wound, left from a shot that was fired by an ex-boyfriend.
The tattoo is part of the a Pele da Flor project —which translates to “the skin of the flower.” The voluntary service was started by Carvalho and involves tattooing over women’s scars from domestic violence or mastectomies. A creative way of showing that all women are like flowers, and deserve to have their skin protected and embellished.
The only “cost” women have to invest in their piece is a design idea. That’s right; Carvalho is doing it for free.
It all started two years ago when she was approached by a client who wanted to cover a large scar on her abdomen.
“She told me that she was at a nightclub, and when she turned down a man who approached her, he stabbed her with a switchblade,” Carvalho told The Huffington Post in an interview. “When she saw the finished tattoo, she was extremely moved, and that deeply touched me. I was suddenly struck by the idea of providing free tattoos to women who were left with scars following domestic violence or mastectomies. Each tattoo would act as an instrument for empowerment and a self-esteem booster.”
Since receiving a ton of recent media attention for the project, women from around Brazil are coming to Carvalho with their stories.
“From Santa Catrina until Rondônia, via the interior of Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Recife, [women] are coming to chat with me, tell their stories and show their brands, to build together a new chapter of these girls’ relationships with their own body,” she posted on her Facebook page.
Now working with the Municipal Secretariat of Policies for Women, the project hopes to establish partnership with the Women’s Police Station and a hospital in the city that helps women undergo mastectomies, in an effort to make Carvalho’s services more accessible.
“It is a grain of sand,” she said about her project’s efforts. “The world is full of things that need to be addressed. We have a long way to go regarding protecting women against violence.”
Sources: facebook.com
