World Hum | Travel | These Two Women Will Tattoo Your Message on Their Foreheads to Fund Their Travels

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2.25.06

These Two Women Will Tattoo Your Message on Their Foreheads to Fund Their Travels

Oh, the gimmicks people come up with in order to travel. We’ve seen Ramon Stoppelenburg, the LetMeStayForADay guy. And John Freyer, the guy who sold all his possessions on eBay and then hit the road to visit them in their new locations. Now there’s Liah Hansen and Chloe Britzius, two seniors at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who will temporarily tattoo your message on their foreheads to fund a journey this summer.

According to their Web site You Tattoo Us!, they’re selling their combined forehead space in day-long increments at prices ranging from $80 to a whopping $180,000, and they’ll let you pick when and where in the world they’ll sport your temporary tat. The pair will also donate 10 percent of the money they raise to charity.

It’s an inventive plan, but also a bit outrageous. I wanted to know more, so I asked Hansen a few questions via e-mail.

World Hum: Of all the ways to raise money for travel, you and Chloe chose to rent your foreheads as ad space. Why?

Hansen: Why not? We wanted to come up with a clever idea to raise travel funds and this was the one we decided on. We had also thought about doing volunteer work and getting sponsored for it, or being international personal shoppers. We decided to do You Tattoo Us! because it seemed like it would be the most fun.

What’s been the reaction?

Our friends and family are really, really supportive! The press has also been very kind to us. We are currently in discussions with several companies about buying tattoos. It is a fairly new idea, and I think it will take some time for companies to wrap their heads around it…he he (pun intended).

You’re going to some great lengths to travel. You must love it.

Oh yes! We are both nuts about traveling! My first time out of the country was when I was 14 and my mother and I went to London and Norway for a couple weeks. I also went on a five week trip to Costa Rica to work on my Spanish several years ago. I’ve also been all around the U.S. Some of my U.S. favorites were a volunteer trip I took to Cumberland Island off the coast of Georgia, and a backpacking trip to Colorado where we climbed a 14,000-foot mountain.

Chloe went backpacking around Europe for several months after graduating high school and has also been to Nicaragua, Canada and Spain.

Where are you planning to go this time around?

We haven’t determined an exact itinerary, but we think we will start out with a road trip to California, where we will wander for awhile before selling my car and heading to South America. From there we will head to Asia, Africa and Europe. Then back to New York.

Walking around with a tattoo on your forehead might be a great icebreaker. Then again, it could be kind of weird walking into, say, the Louvre. How do you think you’ll be received around the world?

We have worn them around Madison a bit, just to test how it would feel, and people are mostly just curious! They feel more comfortable coming up to us and starting a conversation than if we weren’t wearing them.

We both are very respectful of other cultures and do not want to offend anyone. That is why we have chosen to wear them only in the U.S., Europe and Japan. We feel that people in these developed nations will be better able to understand.

As for the Louvre…hmmm I don’t know, I think I would be OK with going into the Louvre with a forehead tattoo. I think I would do a bit of research on it before giving a resounding yes. I know that French culture is more formal than in the U.S., but I think they would be accepting. It isn’t much different than wearing a shirt with a logo on it really, except it gets more attention since not everyone does it.

Thanks, Liah. Best of luck.

Posted by Michael Yessis • 2.25.06
Categories: Weblog • Tres Loco

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COMMENTS

This is really nothing new.

I had this buddy in college that drank too much and fell asleep…

Anyhow he woke-up with a hand drawn tat on his forehead. He didn’t make a dime for himself nor charity, but he did earn himself a nickname.

By Kelsey on 2.25.06 at 08:08 PM

Truly disturbing—I guess there’s not much difference between this and professionally sponsored athletes, but then again, this is so much more blatant and obvious and cheap. I don’t think it’s creative at all. Why not sell their chest space for higher rates, thighs, etc?

By Joshua Berman on 2.25.06 at 10:33 PM

Truly disturbing? It is a temporary tattoo! It comes off! I am a capitalist and a business major, and I would have no problem wearing a shirt with a logo of the company I am working for. This is similar. We see ourselves as working for our sponsors.

And as far as chest or thighs...you are out of line. If you want to argue against what we are doing, that is fine, but confine your argument to what we are actually doing.

By on 2.26.06 at 10:47 AM

Selling a piece of one’s body to the highest bidder; turning one’s forehead into a billboard. Yep, disturbing. But that’s me. I find ALL billboards disturbing. Long live Hayduke.

By Joshua Berman on 2.27.06 at 03:22 AM

Don’t you have something of your own to say? This is a very radical way of saying that those with money have a more important message than you. You won’t be able to interact with anyone without the message on your forehead (which will be some sort of version of “BUY STUFF") dominating whatever you say. Since you are choosing to do this, it’s like you are saying that you have nothing important to say.
Remember - “It’s business, not personal” is the justification for most of the harmful, wrong things done in this world. Wouldn’t you feel silly if you have “Drink Coke” on your forehead when you visit a town whose water supply was destroyed by that company? Will you at least make sure you completely agree with what is promoted on your head?
Book recommendation: No Logo

By on 2.27.06 at 08:36 PM

First off, I’ve read No Logo...interesting read, but not the answer to the world’s problems--my opinion. Brands are a fact of life...in fact, if I may be so bold, you have your own brand, the “Tom Benjamin” brand. Brands are nothing more than a distiguishing mark that lets others know who a company is. Similar to a name. What we are doing is co-branding, if you will. And, if you read our terms and conditions, we do reserve the right to refuse any logo or company...I probably wouldn’t be ok with advertising for Philip Morris, but I am fine with promoting companies that are doing good things.

And,of course we have something our own to say! In fact, if you knew me, you would know that often I have more than my fair share to say. Having a tattoo on my forehead will not change that fact. Though it will be an interesting ice breaker!

As for your appeal concerning wearing a “drink coke” tattoo in the waterless town, I will refer you to the interview above, where I state that we will only be wearing the tattoos in the US, Japan and Europe (my guess is that they will mostly be in the US). We don’t aim to be insensitive, so please don’t paint us in such a light.

I think this may be one of those things where we will have to agree to disagree.

We aren’t bad people, I can promise you that. We both have done a lot of volunteer work, and care a lot about everyone around us...including you! So good luck in all of your future travels! And have a good one!

By on 2.28.06 at 06:37 PM

I’m sure they are not “bad” people, never meant to imply it. I wish them both a great trip and hope it brings many unexpected, slightly-scary, eye-opening, crazy-wisdom-creating adventures.

By Joshua Berman on 3.5.06 at 10:19 PM

Liah -
Please note that you did not deny that Coke harmed a town’s water supply (see http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=32&ItemID=2316), you just said that you would not visit that town. While brands are a useful way to identify a product, the noise around them can be used to sheild the practices of the corporations behind them.
I wouldn’t say you are co-branding - you are getting branded (in the old definition of the term). You are not a Coke, you are Liah - an intelligent person with her own thoughts.
I mentioned No Logo not to say that brands should be eliminated, but to refer to the way advertising is creeping onto every available space.
Please do report on your adventures and this experiment.
By the way - your choices of charities rock. Have fun!

By Todd Benjamin on 3.6.06 at 09:19 PM

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