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“Face tattoos aren’t what they used to be,” said trap singer Pimp Flaco during a recent interview in Spain. “It’s not like five years ago. Now, it’s almost normal. Before — when only four or five of us in Spain had our faces tattooed — it was something crazy. It was like saying, ‘I hate everything.’ But now, even I’m too lazy to do more, because just make it seem like you want to look cool.”
In addition to its cultural significance, the tattoo has also become a work of art. Many people have admired the intricate design, and it has been the subject of many artistic interpretations. The tattoo has even been featured in a museum exhibit, where it was showcased as an example of modern art. Tyson’s face tattoo is a testament to the power of art and its ability to connect people with their identity and culture.
The story of the Mike Tyson face tattoo – from the design process to the public’s reaction – is an exciting chapter of his life that emphasizes the importance of self-expression and identity. It serves as a reminder that despite the ups and downs, Tyson remains a symbol of strength and resilience both in and out of the ring.
Mike Tyson’s “warrior” tattoo was inked by Las Vegas tattooist S. Victor Whitmill in 2003. From the time of Tyson’s firstpublic appearance with the tattoo, Maori activists and scholars were critical of it as a cultural appropriation of ta moko. Tyson’s tattoo is monochrome, curvilinear, features two spiral shapes, and was placed around his left eye. Whitmill has described the “flow”: of Maori art as a design influence, and he created it after showing Tyson pictures of Maori moko. In Maori culture, facial moko is a privilege reserved for respected cultural insiders, and it represents and embodies the wearer’s sacred genealogy and social status. Appropriating an individual’s moko is profoundly offensive and akin to identity theft.
Perhaps one of the least surprising Mike Tyson facts is his wandering eye. But according to him, so did one of his ex-wives. Tyson wrote in his autobiography that his first wife, Robin Givens, had an affair with movie star Brad Pitt.
However, rather than shying away from the attention or criticism, Tyson embraced his new look and even defended it in interviews. He explained that the tattoo was a tribute to Maori culture and that he had gotten it after visiting New Zealand. He also said that he had wanted to get a tattoo on his face for years, but had been dissuaded by his advisors and trainers.
When did Mike Tyson get his tattoo and showed it to the public for the first time, it elicited a wide range of reactions. Some praised the boldness and uniqueness of the design, while others criticized it as unconventional or even controversial.
As a result, Tyson was disqualified from the fight, fined more than $3 million, and had his boxing license suspended (though it was reinstated a year later.) He later tried to explain why he’d bitten Holyfield, saying at a press conference:
“Mike Tyson: The Knockout” begins with Tyson’s youth and his transition from a bullied kid who, in a single instant, discovers his true power, which becomes the basis for the icon’s reputation as “The Baddest Man on the Planet.” Former trainers Bobby Stewart and Teddy Atlas and Joe Colangelo, longtime friend of legendary boxing trainer Cus D’Amato, describe Tyson’s time in and out of juvenile detention while D’Amato trains a young boy from Brooklyn to the edge of his boxing dream of heavyweight champion of the world. They discuss Tyson’s rise to fame after D’Amato’s death and his spiraling under the pressures of stardom, including his lifestyle of excess partying, his marriage to Robin Givens, his infamous 1988 Barbara Walters interview, including Given’s allegation of domestic abuse, and divorce. Former opponents Michael Spinks and Buster Douglas sit down for interviews and discuss their fights against Tyson, including Tyson’s win over Spinks to become the undisputed heavyweight champion and Tyson’s shocking first professional boxing loss to Douglas, who was a 42-to-1 underdog.
Some tā moko artists differed, seeing it not as appropriative of moko but rather a hybrid of several tattoo styles; Rangi Kipa saw no Māori elements at all. The perspective of those like Te Awekotuku highlights the conflict between Māori conception of moko—which reflect a person’s genealogy—as collective property and the Anglo-American view of copyright as belonging to a single person. While Warner Bros. initially said they would investigate whether the tattoo was a derivative of any Māori works, there was no further discussion of the matter prior to the case settling.