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110 Body Piercings & Tattoos Trivia Questions, Answers, and Fun Facts

How much do you know about Body Piercings & Tattoos? This category is for trivia questions and answers related to Body Piercings & Tattoos (Entertainment). Each one is filled with fun facts and interesting information.
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1 While you may not see it right away, some people choose to pierce their lower fraenum with a small curved barbell; this type of piercing is frequently referred to as a "Frowny." In what part of the body would you find this piercing?
Answer: Inside the mouth

The lower fraenum connects the lower lip to the lower gums inside the mouth. The most popular jewelry to use in these piercings are small curved barbells. A 'Superior fraenum' piercing is called a "Smiley" due to the position of the curved barbell.
  From Quiz: Tongue Tied
2 Which tattoo is often used to show some connection to prison, and is worn on the faces of rappers Lil Wayne and The Game?
Answer: Teardrop

The teardrop tattoo's meaning has evolved over time. Originally meaning that the wearer had killed someone. The tattoo has since been used to denote that the wearer has served time in prison or has a loved one in prison.
    Your options: [ Angel wings ] [ Skull and crossbones ] [ Serpent ] [ Teardrop ]
  From Quiz: Think Ink
3 On the back of Kat Von D's neck there is a tattoo of Carmen Miranda, the lady famous for wearing fruit on her head. Carmen Miranda is famous for the popularity of a certain fad, a fad for which Kat Von D is most grateful. Which fad is it?
Answer: Platform shoes

Carmen Miranda, a famous Broadway star during the 1940s and 1950s, popularized the platform shoe. Kat Von D loves platform shoes and is hardly seen without them.
    Your options: [ Fishnet stockings ] [ Spanish music ] [ Big hats ] [ Platform shoes ]
  From Quiz: Kat Von D and Her Many Tattoos
4 One of the deepest (and possibly most painful) piercings known to be done is called what?
Answer: Sub-clavicle piercing

A sub-clavicle piercing is the only piercing today that actually goes underneath a bone...the collarbone to be exact.
  From Quiz: Uncommon Piercings & Placements
5 What ancient civilization is credited with being the first to decorate the body with tattoos?
Answer: Egyptians

Sometime between the third and fourth dynasties of ancient Egypt, during the building of the great pyramids of Gizeh, tattoos were used as markings to show social rankings of the Egyptian elite.
  From Quiz: Tattoos - History, Culture and Health Risks
6 Which common piercing is cared for as an oral/skin piercing?
Answer: Labret

The labret is cared for as an oral and skin piercing because (duh) it's inside and outside. The skin on the back of your lip doesn't recognize the labret stud as a foreign object and will often, without care, grow over the back of your stud.
  From Quiz: I Love Needles
7 The piercing located in the thick cartilage in the middle of your nose, (between the nostrils) is called a what piercing?
Answer: septum

Although this piercing resembles the ring placed in a bull's nose, it is called a 'septum' piercing.
  From Quiz: Body Piercing
8 The 1981 rock album "Tattoo You" featured the hit songs "Start Me Up" and "Waiting on a Friend". The tattooed frontmen of which legendary band appeared on the album cover?
Answer: The Rolling Stones

The 16th or 18th Rolling Stones album, depending on the continent, hit number one or two, also depending on the continent. The cover art featuring the tattooed faces of Mick Jagger and Keith Richard was designed by Peter Corriston, who won a Grammy for "Best Album Package". According to Jagger, it was only the photographs that had been tattooed.
    Your options: [ The Who ] [ The New Kids on the Block ] [ The Beatles ] [ The Rolling Stones ]
  From Quiz: Think Ink
9 So what part of your skin is all this ink going into, anyway?
Answer: dermis

The dermis is where tattoos go. It is the second layer of skin below the epidermis, the pink region where the ink gets trapped under the top layer, making it permanent.

The epidermis is the topmost layer of skin which the artist has to penetrate to apply a permanent tattoo. It is the transparent skin that we peel, scratch, pick at, expose to harsh sunlight, and generally abuse in our everyday lives. It is also temporary, and renews itself naturally. Applying ink there would require nothing more than a pen, and the most intricate of tats would be gone in a week.

The hypodermis (or sub-cutaneous tissue) is found below the dermis, consisting of fatty tissue whose main purpose is to connect your skin to muscle, bone, etc. Simply put it's the glue that keeps your skin on. Trying to tattoo that deep would be an excruciating process requiring no less than a syringe (picture that going in a couple hundred thousand times in two hours) The result would also be invisible, and would scar for life.

The hyperdermis is the layer of skin that exists solely in my imagination in order to round out the answer choices.
  From Quiz: Tattoos: Good To Know
10 What did Kat Von D do before she returned to Los Angeles?
Answer: She was tattooing for Miami Ink.

Kat was working for Miami Ink, which is located in Miami, Florida. She was having some difficulty with the owner and was hurt when she was to leave.
  From Quiz: Kat Von D and Her Many Tattoos
11 Which form of piercing has the highest rejection rate?
Answer: Surface piercing

Surface piercings usually have higher rejection rates because the amount of tension is greater in the area(s) pierced. Therefore more likely to become infected and rejected!
    Your options: [ Face piercing ] [ Microdermal ] [ Surface piercing ] [ Cartilage piercing ]
  From Quiz: Uncommon Piercings & Placements
12 What is the literal translation of the Tahitian word "tatu", from which the word tattoo is derived?
Answer: To mark

Tahitian women would use certain tattoos to indicate their vocational and other skills. Tahitian men would use tattoos to indicate certain rites of passage or important events in their lives.
    Your options: [ To mark ] [ To paint ] [ To draw ] [ To dance ]
  From Quiz: Tattoos - History, Culture and Health Risks
13 What piercing is also referred to as a 'scrumper?'
Answer: Smiley

The smiley, or upper lip frenulum, (the skin under your top lip that holds your lip to your gum) is pierced and then the jewelry is put in. Hence, when you smile, you can see it.
  From Quiz: I Love Needles
14 In which culture is the practice of tattooing known as Ta Moko?
Answer: Maori

The Maoris refer to the process of ritually applying tattoos as Ta Moko, and the tattoo itself is a Moko. Traditionally, the various tattoos are applied to mark the rites of passage and rituals throughout the tribesperson's life, with warriors having the most extensive ones. Maori women were tattooed too, and a person who was of age but had no tattoos could have no social standing in the tribe. Stone chisels would be used to carve the lines, then the ink would be applied and rubbed in. As well as burned up caterpillars, soot, or Kauri gum could be used. The tattooing process was very painful and slow to heal. During the healing time, the subject could not eat any solid food at all, and was fed and given drink through a wooden funnel.
    Your options: [ Ainu ] [ Inuit ] [ Aztec ] [ Maori ]
  From Quiz: Think Ink
15 How long does the average tattoo take to heal with proper aftercare?
Answer: two weeks

The aftercare period is that time during which a tattoo has yet to heal, and is most vulnerable to damage and infection. Though healing time varies from one person to the next, the average healthy adult needs two weeks, three tops. During this time, most artists will tell you to treat your body art like a fresh wound, which is exactly what it is. The epidermis is broken and damaged, and will require time to heal and grow over the ink. The word "tattoo" is actually derived from the Samoan for "open wound".

Every tattoo artist has his/her own aftercare instructions, but the basic rules are always the same.
  From Quiz: Tattoos: Good To Know
16 A corset piercing is most commonly placed where on the body?
Answer: The back

A corset piercing is really a series of surface piercings that are connected with some sort of thread or ribbon. They are most commonly placed on the back, yet they can be done on the side or the chest.
  From Quiz: Uncommon Piercings & Placements
17 Where is an "anti-eyebrow" piercing typically located?
Answer: underneath an eyebrow

The term "anti-" in piercings often refers to a mirror image - the piercing is done directly opposite to where it normally would be. A piercing done lower, just above the cheek bone, is also called an "anti-eyebrow". Other common names for this piercing include upper cheek piercings, "tears" or "teardrops" (when there are two barbells placed symmetrically).
  From Quiz: Stick a Needle in Me
18 What New Zealand people perfected the art of chiseling the skin and applying ink, resulting in finely detailed and beautiful tattoos?
Answer: The Maori

The Maori style of tattooing, or Ta Moko, was first performed using the sharpened bone of an albatross, which was pressed repeatedly into the skin, literally chiseling the skin. Ta Moko, like most tattooing of the era was used to tell a person's life history, or sometimes as a resume of the person's job skills.
  From Quiz: Tattoos - History, Culture and Health Risks
19 What is an 'industrial piercing?'
Answer: Two piercings connected by one piece of jewelry.

Self explanatory, I should think.
  From Quiz: I Love Needles
20 What would a professional piercer recommend as an antibiotic for cleaning body piercings?
Answer: antibiotic soap

Although it is important to clean piercings, rubbing alcohol and hydrogen peroxide eat away at the newly healing skin around the piercing.
  From Quiz: Body Piercing
21 The Enigma (aka Paul Lawrence) has a unique full-body tattoo which came in handy when he portrayed a character called The Conundrum in the 1995 episode "Humbug" of the TV show "The X-Files". What is the design of The Enigma's tattoo?
Answer: A jigsaw puzzle

The completely-tattooed Enigma is covered in a light blue and flesh-colored jigsaw puzzle. He's reportedly had over 200 tattoo artists participate in his creation. In addition to the artwork, The Enigma has also had body modifications including various piercings and implanted horns on his forehead. His appearance on "The X-Files" as a member of a sideshow led by Jim Rose was his debut on prime-time TV, according to his website.
    Your options: [ A map of Russia ] [ Polka dots ] [ A deck of cards ] [ A jigsaw puzzle ]
  From Quiz: Think Ink
22 Kat Von D has colored tattoos on only one part of her body. Which body part would that be?
Answer: Her left leg.

On the rare occasion that she decides to get a colored tattoo, she gets it on her left leg.
    Your options: [ Her right leg. ] [ Her left arm. ] [ Her right arm. ] [ Her left leg. ]
  From Quiz: Kat Von D and Her Many Tattoos
23 Where is an Achilles piercing placed at?
Answer: Between the ankle and the achilles tendon.

The Achilles piercing passes between your ankle and your Achilles tendon. This piercing is extremely uncommon and very risky! It has the potential to permanently damage your ability to walk if there are any complications with this piercing.
  From Quiz: Uncommon Piercings & Placements
24 Approximately when did tattooing become acceptable in the western world?
Answer: 1690's

William Dampier, from Somerset England, is credited with being the first Englishman to step foot on Australian soil. On one particular voyage, Dampier had two very exciting adventures. One was finding the Scottish explorer Alexander Selkirk on an uninhabited island in the South Seas. This led to the story of "Robinson Crusoe" by Daniel Defoe. The other is the discovery of a heavily tattooed man who Dampier brought back to England in 1691 to be put on display. The exhibition of the "Painted Prince" led to the acceptance of body art in England.
  From Quiz: Tattoos - History, Culture and Health Risks
25 What is normally threaded through a piercing to make it permanent?
Answer: Chain

A chain can be threaded through a piercing and in effect, the body will grow around it and through the links. This makes it almost impossible, without surgery, to remove it.
  From Quiz: I Love Needles
26 What form of piercing has no exit hole?
Answer: Microdermal

A Microdermal is a type of piercing that only has one exit hole. Basically, a flat plate sits under the skin with only one barbell post coming above the surface of the skin. This form of piercing is newer and has a very low rejection rate.
  From Quiz: Uncommon Piercings & Placements
27 What kind of jewelry is normally put in an "industrial" piercing?
Answer: barbell

Technically, the term "industrial" means any two piercings joined together by one piece of jewelry, but it most often used to refer to the joining of two helix (ear cartilage) piercings with one barbell.
  From Quiz: Stick a Needle in Me
28 Who is credited with associating tattoos with sailors?
Answer: Captain James Cook

77 years after William Dampier brought his "Painted Prince" to England, James Cook led his expedition to Tahiti to observe the passing of Venus across the Sun. It was believed that the exact distance of the sun from the Earth could be calculated, thus improving mapmaking and navigation. During the course of his voyage to Tahiti, many of his crew began getting tattoos, or prickling as it was called then. These were the first documented accounts of sailors receiving tattoos, a tradition that lives on even today.
  From Quiz: Tattoos - History, Culture and Health Risks
29 One way to short cut the process of stretching out a piercing is by using a...
Answer: dermal punch

A dermal punch is an instrument used to cut a hole of skin out of an area (usually the ear) to get a large gauge piercing in it.
    Your options: [ hole puncher ] [ dermal punch ] [ a large piercing gun ] [ knife ]
  From Quiz: Body Piercing
30 Erik Sprague is possibly one of the most famous tattooed people of all time. He is more often known by his tattoos than by name - who is he?
Answer: The Lizardman

Erik is a professional "freak" and appears in circuses, sideshows, and in various television shows and films which call for someone of his particular appearance. His entire body is tattooed, and he also has horns implanted into his forehead to enhance the reptilian effect.
  From Quiz: Think Ink
31 Kat Von D and her co-worker, Steve-O, made a bet, a bet that Kat lost. What was supposed to happen if Kat lost?
Answer: She was to let her co-worker keep her Sphinx cat for one week.

The bet between Kat and Steve-O was that Kat had to drink a lemon flavored drink for five days without eating. Kat lost the bet with only one day left to go. Originally, if Kat lost the bet, she was supposed to let Steve-O have Ludwig, her Sphinx cat, for a week. Kat decided she couldn't stand to be apart from Ludwig, so she agreed to let Steve-O, an amateur tattooist, tattoo her instead.
  From Quiz: Kat Von D and Her Many Tattoos
32 A "Surfer" piercing is located where?
Answer: Between the webbings of the toes.

Surfer piercings are rarely performed unless you have webbed toes. With normal toes, there usually isn't enough skin to pierce.
  From Quiz: Uncommon Piercings & Placements
33 In Aztec and Mayan culture, the "labret" piercing was commonly worn by who?
Answer: males of higher castes

The "labret" is a lip piercing that is typically worn below the lower lip, just above the chin. A labret requires special aftercare, because it is both an internal and external piercing. Therefore, different measures have to be taken to care for the outside of it and for the half inside your mouth. A less common name for the labret piercing is the "Mao", named for Mao Zedong's mole on his lower lip. The "labret" piercing was also popular among the American Northwest Coast Indians, among whom it was also a symbol of high status.
  From Quiz: Stick a Needle in Me
34 Who invented the first prototype of the electric tattoo machine?
Answer: Samuel O'Reilly

Thomas Edison was working on an electric machine to engrave hard surfaces when he realized it might be used for tattooing skin. His machine did not gain commercial appeal for engraving or tattooing. In 1891, Samuel O'Reilly improved upon that idea, and is now credited with inventing the electric tattoo machine. His tattoo machine would drop 3,000 drops of ink per minute at a depth of 1/8" into the skin.
  From Quiz: Tattoos - History, Culture and Health Risks
35 When a lip of skin surrounds your piercing, mainly as a result of gauging too quickly, it is referred to as a what?
Answer: Blow Out

It is recommended to gauge your piercing after it is fully healed, then gauging and waiting for that to heal. If not, you may get an unsightly flap of skin around your hole, and that also causes discomfort. Normally, you can downsize your jewelery, and it will return to normal within a few weeks. Others may require surgery to fix.
  From Quiz: I Love Needles
36 As the number of a piercing gauge goes down...
Answer: the size goes up

Piercing gauges usually run from very small -around a 20 gauge- up to larger plugs -00(double zero)gauge- to being measured in inches for very large plugs.
    Your options: [ the size goes down ] [ the size goes up ] [ the cost to pierce it goes up ] [ the cost to pierce it goes down ]
  From Quiz: Body Piercing
37 Whilst there are unconfirmed rumours that Queen Victoria had a tattoo, another British monarch is known to have gotten a tattoo of a dragon when he was in Japan. Who was this monarch?
Answer: George V

The name 'tattoo' is derived from the Polynesian for 'to strike'. The idea of tattooing was described by Captain James Cook and his men to the royals upon their return from their voyage in 1771. The group had observed many tattooed local Tahitians with whom they stayed during their travels in Polynesia.
  From Quiz: Think Ink
38 A normally healing tattoo will regularly get quite itchy. One should never, I repeat, NEVER scratch a healing tattoo, which can cause scarring, loss of color, and unnecessarily prolonged healing time. What is a good way to safely relieve that itch?
Answer: Slap it.

Even gentle scratching is not advised. There should be no digging or picking of any kind going on around a healing tattoo.

Many un-tattooed people slap their itches away as well! By slapping down on the skin, you leave the scar tissue undisturbed, and avoid doing any more damage to your skin than the artist's needle did. The sting of the slap takes care of the irritating itch. The newer the tattoo, the more sore, the less gusto you'll need to feel it.

You should avoid running water over a fresh tattoo too often. When washing your tattoo for the first time, warm water is best, after which most artists would suggest cold.

Lotion should only be used to moisturize the tattoo when it feels dry. Over-moisturizing (like applying lotion every time it itches) can cause fading and promote the growth of bacteria, whereas not enough moisture could allow the tattoo to scab over completely, which can draw some of the ink out of your dermis, and just generally increases the potential for aftercare complications.

As for Vaseline petroleum jelly... well, let me put it this way: if you were in a hospital bed recovering from a car crash, would it help if someone came in and tried to suffocate you on a daily basis? Your skin feels the same way.
    Your options: [ Rub some vaseline on it. ] [ Douse it in water. ] [ Scratch it, but be really, really careful. ] [ Slap it. ]
  From Quiz: Tattoos: Good To Know
39 Kat Von D and her co-worker, Steve-O, made a bet. When she lost the bet, she decided to let Steve-O, an amateur tattooist, tattoo her instead. What tattoo did Steve-O give her?
Answer: A skull with a sailor's hat.

Steve-O created the stencil for Kat's tattoo free-hand. The tattoo consisted of a skull with a sailor's hat, and inside the hat was the letters S and K and a a heart.
  From Quiz: Kat Von D and Her Many Tattoos
40 Which has the longest healing time of any piercing?
Answer: Upper helix piercing.

It usually takes six months to one year for your cartilage to heal completely. This is mainly because the lack of blood flow, which means more prone to infection.
    Your options: [ Earlobe piercing. ] [ Eyebrow piercing. ] [ Upper helix piercing. ] [ Nostril piercing. ]
  From Quiz: Uncommon Piercings & Placements
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