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Stick-and-Poke Tattoos Guide: How to Do It, Safety & More


Puzzles, tie-dyeing, baking banana bread—if we’ve learned anything from social media, it’s that we’re picking up all sorts of new hobbies. We didn’t expect stick-and-poke tattoos to quickly top that list, but six weeks into quarantine, here we are.

Tattooing with a machine requires expensive supplies, like cables and tubes you’d have some trouble sourcing spontaneously. But nonelectric tattoos (commonly known as hand pokes or stick-and-pokes) seem to circumvent those requirements, with a DIY vibe that has inspired many to believe it’s a quarantine-day activity as simple as cutting their bangs. While we’re fully in favor of the special aesthetic and experience that comes along with the technique, it’s important to note that professionals specializing in stick-and-pokes follow the same hygiene and sterilization procedures you’d expect from any other tattoo artist. Not to mention, they’re guaranteed to have done this more than once.

Since social media has undoubtedly changed the landscape of non-electric tattooing, we spoke to three of Instagram’s popular tattoo artists for an expert’s guide to stick-and-pokes. Below, everything you need to know before you get one—and why you might want to think twice before giving yourself the quarantine edition.

What are stick-and-poke tattoos?

Unlike typical tattoos, stick-and-pokes don’t require any electric tools, meaning they’re theoretically affordable and easy to do when you’re bored at home. The concept is fairly simple: If you go to a salon that specializes in hand-poke tattoos, the most commonly seen method involves attaching a tattoo-grade needle to a holding contraption, which allows ink to be easily applied to your skin. The technique lends itself particularly well to dot work or geometric patterns, but styles range widely, depending on the artist.

The act of non-electric tattooing goes back long before quarantine stick-and-pokes began popping up online—actually, before machine-done tattoos even existed. Prehistorical mummies bear designs of hieroglyphics and animals, although stick-and-poke as we think of it now is more directly linked to ’70s skate punk subculture than to ancient Egypt.

“This has been going on for thousands of years,” says New York tattoo artist Jenna Bouma (you may know her as SlowerBlack), who specializes in hand-poke tattoos. “In a historical sense, non-electric tattoos have been used as a status marker, an expression of beauty, and an open act of rebellion. It was and still is important to certain cultural groups. But what truly has made this form of tattooing popular in a modern sense is Instagram.”

Why stick-and-poke tattoos are so popular

For many customers, stick-and-pokes are among their favorite designs. Bouma says that some of the appeal—for her especially—involves the underground, punk associations. “In 2008, in western Canada, this was not a common practice to come across,” she says of her hand-poke beginnings. That uniqueness continues to draw in plenty of people.





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With the Coronavirus Keeping Millions at Home, Uber Is Giving Free Rides to Help Survivors of Domestic Violence Flee to Safety


During a worldwide pandemic, the safest place to be is home.

But for people enduring domestic violence, home is never safe. The coronavirus pandemic—and the stay-at-home orders, social distancing measures, and quarantining that have been instituted in an attempt to keep the disease at bay—have the unintended side effect of trapping domestic violence survivors with their abusers.

As if escaping an abusive situation isn’t painfully difficult under regular circumstances, attempting to leave during a pandemic means either braving public transportation or coordinating with friends or relatives who could themselves be at an elevated risk. Domestic abuse, which disproportionately affects women and children, turns the drudgery of waiting out a pandemic from home into a day-to-day hell.

But for some survivors, one part of the process is about to get a little easier. Uber is providing 50,000 free rides to domestic violence shelters and safe havens. Through shelters and other groups that have partnered with Uber to hand out the codes, free rides will be available in over 35 cities across 16 countries. When survivors contact shelters and help lines, those organizations will be able to share a code from Uber that will allow them to take a free, fast ride to safety.

“Many survivors of domestic violence have no access to a car, and the COVID-19 pandemic has reduced public transportation options,” Allison Randall, Vice President for Policy and Emerging Issues at the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) said in a statement. “Local domestic violence programs are still open and available to help survivors, but without transportation, survivors have no way to get there, much less to a doctor’s appointment, grocery store, or courthouse. We are so grateful to Uber–our longstanding partner–for providing these lifesaving free rides to survivors.” In addition to the free rides, the company has announced it will donate 45,000 meals to survivors in need.

The initiative, part of a larger pledge by the ridesharing company to provide 10 million free rides and food deliveries to people in need during the pandemic, is led by Tracey Breeden. The head of Women’s Safety and Gender Based Violence Programs at Uber, Breeden previously worked as a police officer and a detective for nearly 15 years, focusing on violence against women. “It doesn’t matter what’s going on in the world—violence against women and children doesn’t stop,” Breeden tells Glamour. “It just shows up differently sometimes. Domestic violence is not a new crisis, and everybody can play a role in working to help create safe spaces and helping people get help safely. It’s critically important to take COVID seriously by sitting at home, but it’s also important to not forget that for some people being at home is not safe.”

Of course, the kind of help that Uber is offering isn’t entirely risk-free either, particularly for its drivers. The company will be paying workers a full fare for these rides, but it’s the workers who will be driving to the homes of potential abusers, and sharing small spaces with strangers in their cars, despite the CDC’s social distancing recommendations. And, of course, Uber drivers are independent contractors, which means that despite functioning as a kind of first-responder in this and other crises, they don’t get benefits like Social Security, health insurance, or paid sick days, and they’re responsible for damage to their own vehicles.

Still, for survivors with few options, the initiative could be a lifeline. Breeden says that Uber’s partners at domestic violence organizations have shared that given the constraints of shelter-at-home, many survivors are utilizing chatrooms to speak with advocates privately. “What will happen is that shelter, that advocate will work with that survivor to find the safest way to provide them help and get them to another location,” Breeden says, “They certainly aren’t going to send a driver into a situation that they know is potentially harmful.” She also notes Uber apps have an easy-access 911 button for drivers, and that the app allows survivors to enter cross streets instead of their exact address in case an abuser has access to their account as well.



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The Peru Water Crisis Steals Time, Money and Safety from Women


To learn more about how the water crisis is impacting women in Peru, I traveled to Lima with Water.org and Stella Artois as part of their #PourItForward campaign. After visiting women in the suburbs, I learned that the water crisis doesn’t always look the way you might think.

Imagine living in the suburbs of a major metropolitan city: You have a nice two bedroom house on a tree-lined street, just up the hill from a lush green park with views of the ocean. You have a sunny, covered courtyard—the kind of place you might have a barbecue, filled with a few potted plants and a spacious picnic table. You have a cozy kitchen with bright blue cabinets stacked high with sparkling dishes. You have all this, but you’re missing one vital thing: running water.

When we talk about the water crisis, it’s often in the context of polluted rivers or remote villages that force women to walk for hours each day just to find clean water. Those are major issues but the full picture of the water crisis is a lot slipperier. In the suburbs of developing countries like Peru, the problem isn’t as simple as digging wells or installing water filters. Here, the water crisis has more to do with money and infrastructure—the actual pipes that bring clean water from the city’s water source into showers and sinks throughout the area—and money.

Lima’s water infrastructure is so overburdened that you can’t flush toilet paper—a fact I learned when faced with this sign in the airport bathroom.

“The water system is here but the challenge is that it’s tilted towards the affluent and middle class,” says Gary White, co-founder and CEO of Water.org, a social good organization that pioneers financial solutions to the global water crisis. That means residents in towns outside of the city limits often don’t have access to running water in their homes, either because they can’t afford to install a sink or toilet, or because the water pipes simply aren’t there. (Or both.)

In the peri-urban areas of Peru, three million people lack access to clean water and five million lack access to sanitation like a bathroom in their home. These are the suburbs we’re talking about—imagine driving to a neighborhood two hours outside of New York City and finding that hand-dug toilets and bucket showers are the norm. Even in the most low-income neighborhoods, that would be unfathomable but in developing nations, it’s not uncommon.

Women often face the biggest burden of the water crisis. Globally, women and girls spend 200 million hours every day collecting water and another 266 million hours finding a place to go to the bathroom, according to Water.org. In areas like the neighborhoods outside of Lima, they might live on a nice block with a park around the corner and still not have access to a bathroom in their home. “It doesn’t always have the face of total desperation you’ll see in rural areas where people are walking six hours [to find clean water] or drinking out of a hand dug well,” says Matt Damon, co-founder of Water.org. “It’s the day-to-day grind and what that does in people’s lives.”

Without running water, women often have to haul heavy buckets from large communal water tanks (which can cost 10-15 times more to fill than it would cost for direct water access from a water utility) and find safe places to use the bathroom. Sanitation is a major issue. “The lives of girls are totally changed because they’re spending their time in this daily grind. It completely robs them of their potential,” Damon says. And it’s not just time-consuming, it’s often a safety issue: Imagine having to walk around your neighborhood alone in the middle of the night trying to find a place to pee, or having to bathe without any privacy.

Treelined street in the suburbs of Lima.

Even in nicer suburbs with tree-lined streets and green parks, access to running water is still out of reach for many families outside of Lima.

Photo of a bathroom in the suburbs of Lima.

Giovanna, 47, and her family live in a nice house. But until they were able to get financing for a proper bathroom, they had to use an open hole out back—a safety and sanitation risk.

Giovanna helps her grandson wash his hands.

A loan through the WaterCredit program helped Giovanna and her family put in two bathrooms, an improvement that’s helped make their home safer and cleaner—and afforded Giovanna the opportunity to grow her business selling cosmetics.

The solution isn’t about digging wells or trucking in more clean water. To truly fix the problem and remove that chronic daily grind from the shoulders of women, Water.org argues financial empowerment is the key. In 2013, they launched the WaterCredit program, which works with banks in places like Lima to help women and their families get micro loans—the average size of which are just $1,200—to make home improvements. In areas that do have access to water pipes, it’s as simple as getting the few hundred dollars it takes to tap into the main line and install a faucet or toilet in their home. In more rural areas, a loan can help women pay for a water tank that will provide running water for luxuries like showers and toilets.

What the Water Crisis Looks Like

If you stand directly in front of Grecia’s house, it looks like the kind of cute starter bungalow you might find outside of San Francisco: the angular facade looks like it’s been freshly painted and the sunny front porch has a verdant shade tree. Grecia, 26, lives in the airy white house with her husband and their two-year-old son and one day, she hopes to run a pharmacy for the neighborhood out of her home.

White stucco house with tree and fence.

Grecia’s home outside of Lima.

Turn to the left, and it’s clear Grecia’s home is the outlier on the block. The streets in her neighborhood aren’t paved and the majority of the homes on the block have tin roofs and wooden slats for siding. Everything surrounding Grecia’s house is brown and lopsided. Until recently, she didn’t have so much as a water tap let alone a shower or toilet.



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These Running Safety Tips from Women Are So Smart (And Heartbreaking)


When many women get ready to go for a run, their prep looks something like this: put on favorite running shorts, lace up shoes, pick a playlist, grab a weapon, head out the door.

You read that right. Headlines about women being attacked by men (or even animals) while out for jog are a steady drumbeat in the news cycle; for women, running safety is often top of mind and for many, that means running with products that could help them stay safe in the event of being attacked while on a run.

In a twitter thread posted earlier this week, women began sharing the things they carry to help them feel safe when they run—everything from running with dogs to running with knives—and it’s getting a ton of attention on social media. “One of my mom groups has a thread that is just women listing and recommending which kind of protection they take when them when they go out running (i.e. pepper spray, alarm necklaces, whistles, etc.) in case you wondered what being a woman is like,” writer Amanda Deibert posted earlier this week before asking: “Also, women: what do you use when you go out running?”

The thread prompted a flood of responses from women that are infuriating and heartbreaking—women are carrying knives in the pockets of their running vests just to feel safe while out for a run. But their recommendations are also incredibly practical. “I won’t wear headphones so I can be more alert to my surroundings,” one woman wrote. “Would be nice to listen to music though.”

Here are some of the best running safety products for women recommended by women (and where you can get them).

Safety whistle

“The whistle I use is called the Whistles for LIFE Tri-Power Whistle,” one woman recommended. “I have yellow because I feel it’s more visible then red.”

REI

Whistles for LIFE Tri-Power Whistle

Buy Now

Self-defense claw

“I use two,” one woman shared. “One in each hand.”

Self-defense keychain

“My daughter starts 6th grade in August and will need to use the school bus for the first time. The bus doesn’t come to our house, meaning she’ll need to walk and wait at the end of our road every morning,” one woman wrote. “She now has a cell phone, rape whistle, and one of these. She’s eleven.”

The Home Security Superstore

Self-Defense Keychain

Buy Now

Personal alarm

Amazon

HUMUTU Safesound Personal Alarm

Buy Now

Pepper spray glove

“I like that it’s really only a partial glove and that I don’t have to grip/hold the pepper spray the whole run,” one woman said. “I definitely feel safer running with it.”

Amazon

Self-Defense Pepperspray

Buy Now

Medical kit

In the event that something does go wrong on a run or hike, several women mentioned carrying a few first aid supplies.





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Education Secretary Betsy DeVos Says Trump's School Safety Commission Won’t Focus On The Role Of Fire Arms


In the wake of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre that left 17 people dead, the Trump administration announced the creation of a federal commission to find “meaningful and actionable recommendations to keep students safe at school.”

However, while giving testimony before a Senate subcommittee on Tuesday, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said that although the commission is prioritizing safety for students across the country, it will not be focusing on the role fire arms play in school violence.

In a perplexing exchange, Senator Patrick J. Leahy, Democrat of Vermont asked whether the commission would look at the role of firearms in violence at schools. “That’s not part of the commission’s charge, per se,” DeVos said, according to the New York Times. Leahy responded, “So we’ll look at gun violence in schools, but not look at guns? An interesting concept.”

Keeping the role of fire arms off of the commission’s agenda is particularly confusing as conversations unfurl about how school shootings impact students. According to a year-long analysis conducted by The Washington Post in March, more than 187,000 students attending at least 193 primary or secondary schools have experienced a shooting on campus during school hours since the Columbine school shooting of 1999. The same analysis also found that since Columbine, there have been an average of 10 school shootings annually, with a low of five in 2002 and a high of 15 in 2014.

This year has been especially jarring: There have been 11 shootings less than three months into 2018, making it the worst year on record. (A similar report released by CNN in May takes the number of school shootings in 2018 to 23.) Many students, particularly those from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High and Santa Fe High School, have called out politicians for avoiding the subject of gun control. But DeVos’s comments feel entirely out of step with the national conversation that survivors of school shootings have been sparking by demanding change and organizing through the March For Our Lives movement.

DeVos also seemed to contradict the White House’s initial announcement about the commission where they listed several areas the group would examine, including age restrictions on certain firearm purchases.

So what will the commission look at if fire arms aren’t the charge here? According to The New York Times, “among other areas, the commission is slated to examine ratings systems for video games, the consumption of “violent entertainment” and the effects of news media coverage of mass shootings. The group is also charged with considering whether to repeal a package of Obama-era school policies targeted at addressing disciplinary policies that disproportionately affect minority students.

The commission is also looking to fund and bolster mental health and school infrastructure resources.”

While violent entertainment consumption and video games have been associated with school violence, Psychology Today points out that analyses of school shooting incidents—from the US Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime—do not support a link between violent games and real world attacks.

During Tuesday’s hearing, Leahy also seemed to take issue with the commission’s focus on things like video games rather than fire arms: “Well, you’re studying things like how much time they spend on video games and all that, but you can go to a lot of other countries where they spend just as much time but have only a tiny fraction of the shootings that we do,” he said.

Elizabeth Hill, an Education Department spokeswoman, appeared to walk back a few of DeVos’s comments after the hearing by telling the Washington Post, “The secretary and the commission continue to look at all issues the president asked the committee to study and are focused on making recommendations that the agencies, states and local communities can implement. It’s important to note that the commission cannot create or amend current gun laws — that is the Congress’s job.”

She did not respond when asked why DeVos’s statements at the hearing were different.

The commission, which includes Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, held their first public forum on Wednesday to solicit feedback and solutions for school safety. Many participants criticized the group for not considering the role of firearms in gun violence, according to CNN.

“We, the students, experience the American school system every day,” Alessia Modjarrad, a Montgomery County, Maryland high school senior said. “We used to sit in classrooms waiting for something to be done. I don’t want to be scared. I don’t want to think that, at any moment, someone with a gun could walk in and hurt us all.”



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#WomenBoycottTwitter Has Just Resulted in a Platform-Wide Safety Overhaul


WomenBoycottTwitter Has Just Resulted in a Platform-Wide Safety Overhaul

October 14, 2017 6:11 pm

In the days that followed the New York Times‘ bombshell investigation into decades of alleged sexual harassment and sexual assault by Hollywood producer-mogul Harvey Weinstein, one voice kept chiming in on Twitter: Rose McGowan’s. Her tweets, which called out actors including Ben Affleck for being complicit, seemingly resulted in Twitter locking her account. Twitter issued a statement saying that it was because she had posted a private phone number, but women on Twitter were incensed at what they saw was a silencing of her crucial testimony and voice, and McGowan herself shared user posts claiming the same.

One user, who Hollywood Reporter traces to a software engineer named Kerry Ellis, came up with the idea for a female-driven boycott of the social media platform in protest, and by Thursday, according to THR, it was Twitter’s No. 1 trending hashtag, with celebrities like Chrissy Teigen, Anna Paquin, Amber Tamblyn, and McGowan herself (who had by that time been “unlocked”) tweeting support of it.

Although it wasn’t met without criticism—a few critiques noted that women self-silencing themselves gave misogynistic Internet trolls exactly what they wanted—a Friday without women’s voices on the platform created some serious attention. Enough, in fact, to turn the heads of Twitter’s top brass. On Saturday, CEO Jack Dorsey released a statement (via Twitter, of course), announcing new policies aimed at protecting the safety of users on a platform somewhat known for its abusive trolls.

“Today we saw voices silencing themselves and voices speaking out because we’re still not doing enough,” part of Dorsey’s statement reads. “We’ve been working intensely over the past few months and focused today on making some critical decisions. We decided to take a more aggressive stance in our rules and how we enforce them. New rules around: unwanted sexual advances, non-consensual nudity, hate symbols, violent groups, and tweets that glorifies violence.”

According to his tweets, the changes will roll out in the following weeks.

Twitter had hinted at the release in their statement addressing McGowan’s locked account:

It’s worth noting that locking McGowan’s account didn’t do much to silence her: just a few hours after it was reactivated, she named Weinstein as her alleged rapist and said that Amazon had known about it after she told the head of the behemoth company’s studio.

(McGowan confirmed to THR that “HW” was indeed Weinstein.)

As Amazon’s production arm goes into shakeup mode—as of Saturday, it had canceled a high-budget production with ties to the Weinstein Company and suspended its studio head—we’ll keep an eye out for more details about what exactly Twitter means by its new rules. One thing’s for sure, though: more safety measures on the platform won’t go amiss.

Related Stories:
–Rose McGowan Was Suspended From Twitter After Tweeting About Ben Affleck
–Harvey Weinstein Says He’s ‘Not Doing OK’ Before Leaving for Treatment Center
-[An Explosive Report Alleges Decades of Sexual Harassment by Harvey Weinstein](/story/explosive-nyt-report-alleges-sexual-harassment-harvey-weinstein]



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