If you’ve ever gotten a tattoo done (in a professional shop with clean tools, not a stick and poke in your bedroom), then you know how careful artists are to keep a clean area; armrests are covered in plastic wrap and cleaned, and ink pots and needles are replaced. In fact, there are several certifications that a tattoo artist needs to earn before they can even put a needle to skin. Unfortunately, it looks like one artist decided to forget about all of that after their client disclosed to them mid-tattoo that they are HIV-positive and went to TikTok to talk about it.
TikTok user and fellow tattoo artist @babysfirstcig (whose real name is Zachary) posted to the social media platform discussing the controversy, explaining that the original poster (who, according to commentators, went by @anarchisttattoos and had deleted their profile altogether) had removed their stitches at the time of the video. He goes on to explain that the artist discovered that their client was HIV-positive mid-tattoo and, instead of continuing as they should have, threw their needle away, threw their armrest away, and kicked the client out of the store, absolutely embarrassing them.
Did yout do bloodborne pathogen cartification? Because literally the first thing you learn is that you should be using universal precaution”
@babysfirstcig
For context, universal precaution means that regardless of whether the client discloses their medical history, you should treat all blood as though it is potentially contaminated. They continue to give their opinion, with other artists eagerly agreeing with Zachary including fellow artist rosscberg and TikTok user 18ctpincushion.
Zachary ends the video by criticizing the tattoo artist. He explains that the artist should have tried to defend themselves because, at the end of the day, they should have been doing their job to keep all of their clients safe, not just the ones who disclose their medical history.
Being bloodborne pathogen certified and knowing how to handle bloodborne contaminants is like, the bare minimum of this job.”
@babysfirstcig
It’s hard to imagine how the client must have felt, especially if the tattoo artist is based in a shop with other artists and clients. Being kicked out of a store because of the employee’s professional negligence must have been incredibly embarrassing.
