Weekly Ink: 'Hey Baby, Can I Turn You On?'

By Ashley Harrell in Weekly Ink

Mon., Nov. 2 2009 @ 2:01PM

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On the back of her right arm, Joanie Park has a tattoo of a light switch. It's simple and strange, and it tends to leave a certain kind of person powerless against the urge to approach and inquire, "Hey baby, can I turn you on?"

The classic response: "No, bro, I'm already on."

Park is 25 and works as a manager at Chrome, a hipster-y accessories store on Fourth and Brannan Streets. She has nine tattoos in all, and four of those were on display Monday afternoon.

On her left inner forearm, she's got two trees growing together at the roots and branches with "love" inscribed above. That's based on a painting by Park's aunt, and it's inspired by, you know, love.

"The reason it's on my left arm is because originally the idea of putting a wedding ring on your left finger was because they thought it led directly to your heart," Park said.

On the the back of her left arm, Park has a fork. It's loosely related to the light switch, she explained, because she got the fork and the light switch on the same day with a friend. She had only hung out with this friend one time before. But they were bored

and decided to get matching tattoos.

"So we were trying to think of things that went together," Park said. "We liked both the spoon and the fork and the [light] switch and the socket, so we're like, 'fuck it. Let's just get both of them.'"

That was back in 2007, and Park and her tattoo buddy are still really good friends. She regrets none of the tattoos she has, even though she describes them all as spur of the moment and "really random."