CHUCKY’S SHADE: You Don’t Have To Love Joseph Muscat To Love That He Has Tattoos
If America thought Kim Kardashian broke the internet with her ass, they clearly didn’t forsee what would happen in Malta when Joseph Muscat revealed his right bicep.
They say art is subjective, but unlike wall paintings, body art also reveals a lot about the person getting tatted, not just the artist. And if a picture is worth a thousand words, the Prime Minister’s tattoo would just be ‘ovvja’ over and over again.
Still, Joseph Muscat’s tattoo importance is inversely proportional to his taste level (that is to say, this is a very cool revalation, but man, getting ‘undefeated’ tattooed on your body after winning three elections shows less class than the AUM introductory tour).
While the mystery surrounding what the tattoo actually says (we only got the first three letters) is the main focus of the discussion (is Joseph secretly a massive fan of the Paco Robanne scent Invictus or is it just the address of his secret home in Inverness), we may be missing the wood for the trees.
Since ‘INV’ came to light, Muscat has admitted to having other tattoos in other, undisclosed locations. And honestly, I’m not sure I’ll be able to rest until I confirm that he has ‘fuck trees, get money’ as a tramp stamp – gratuitous portrait of Michelle as a cherub, holding the banner on either side included.
Still, regardless of what the tat says (or how much it makes you roll your eyes), it’s pretty cool that the leader of a nation notorious for being overly-conservative has body art on semi-public display.
Over the last couple of years, body art in Malta has become increasingly popular, but that hasn’t stopped it being the second most shameful thing to announce at the dinner table. Thankfully your skin stain can still be out-gunned by the cousin who’s dating someone of a different religion.
Despite it growing as an art form, tattoos can still be enough of a reason for you to be denied entry into the police force, make you less desirable for certain jobs and have people constantly assume you run a build-your-own-ridiculously-large-burger-joint… and of the three of those, only one is based in reality.
It’s a little cringeworthy to think that the number of people with ‘Invictus’ tattooed on their body is going to rise by approximately 36,000 – but if just one of those people is a retired old lady with a red maktur hanging by the door then Malta is already a country I’m much happier to be living in.
And much like opening a small, foreign bank account with just 92 euro in it, the whole thing could spiral into a butterfly effect.
Cettina gets Invictus, then Carmen may be inspired to get the butterfly on her ankle she’s secretly wanted all since she kissed that sailor at Strada Stretta, and finally Maria will work on the full back piece she’s been saving her pension payments for.
Tattoos as a form of artistic expression in Malta has thrived over the past couple of years, and while nothing about this article is implying that Joseph Muscat is somehow going to be responsible for a poke-and-stick renaissance, the Prime Minister of a country flaunting him is a very good indicator of a shift in the national mentality… kind of like how cutting down another 300 trees is an indicator that our environmental situation is going to complete shit.
Don’t think we forgot.