For my younger readers out there, you may not remember the days of “zigazig ha” or “slamming your body down and winding it all around.”  Long before Ginger Spice aka Geri Halliwell guest starred on “Sex and the City” or Posh Spice aka Victoria Beckham married David Beckham was the time when girls ruled and boys drooled.  If this was before your time, I am sorry for you.  You truly missed out on the days of true girl power.  The Spice Girls had a hot minute of fame to encourage us young chicas to be proud of being a girl and to never let anyone make us feel any differently.  If you are a member of my age box and are missing those grrrly days or if you have no idea what I’m talking about, but think girl power sounds pretty freakin’ awesome, I have found a symbol of hope for you.  This hopefulness comes in the tattooed form of Ms. Katherine Von Drachenberg herself.  Drachenberg, better known as Kat Von D, experienced her first taste of fame in TLC’s reality show “Miami Ink.”  The young girl with long black hair, sky high heels, covered in ink generated a lot of buzz as she entered somewhat uncharted territory.  As a woman who made her living tattooing, she was not exactly a part of the majority.  The world of tattooing has typically been a male dominated one.  Sure the occasional girl might visit a tattoo shop late on a Saturday night to get a butterfly on the small of her back, but a young woman covered in black and gray ink and starting a career in this world was unheard of.  Thanks to crazy Kat this idea is not quite so unheard of any longer.  One more male dominated profession has been taken over by a strong, sexy woman.  I’m a happy camper.

Since Kat’s beginnings as a reality star, she has moved to the city of angels to open her shop appropriately labeled “High Voltage Tattoo.”  Along with Kim Saigh, Corey Miller, and Hannah Aitchison, Ms. Von D. is encouraging viewers everywhere to not only think ink, but also to follow their dreams.  Kat’s obsession with art and tattooing was not overshadowed by society’s views on what women should be doing in the professional world.  Being a tattoo artist was a goal of hers and she achieved it.  Simple as that.

Kat’s determination and courageousness are not her only girl power-worthy attributes.  She is also a woman with an open heart.  As a misunderstood teenager, she had a difficult relationship with her parents.  The tattoo world was not what they had in mind for their daughter, which was understandable at that time.  Not many parents would be comfortable with their daughter working until the wee hours of the morning tattoing ex-cons, drunks, and gang members.  But, Kat knew there was more to tattooing than the irresponsibility that was stereotypically attached to it.  As a pioneer in mainstreaming ink, she allowed this alternative world to be experienced in all of our homes.  Society began to see that just because an individual is tatted up doesn’t necessarily mean they lack intelligence or class.  Eventually Kat’s parents began to understand that this was her passion and they continue to be supportive of their talented daughter.  Her mended relationship with her family is clear in the family portraits inked on her skin for life.  We, as an audience, have been fortunate enough to get a glimpse into her sometimes difficult past and see where the relationships have come full circle.  This is a lesson to all: family relationships can sometimes be difficult, but they are almost always worth salvaging.

To my DVR’s disappointment, this season of “LA Ink” just ended.  Thursday nights were always a special night for my girlfriend and me.  Sitting in front of the television and admiring this intelligent, talented, and of course amazingly beautiful woman was one of our weekly activities until the season finale a couple of weeks ago.  I do have good news for those of you who want more of Kat. Her new book named after her L.A. tattoo shop just hit stores.  High Voltage Tattoo is pure eye candy.  Its pages are filled with beautiful pictures of Von D’s own tattoos as well as artwork she has done on others such as funny gal Margaret Cho and her blue eyed love interest Nikki Sixx.  There are explanations behind her work along with tattoo etiquette for you newbies to the scene.  Keep up with what’s going on in your city because she is currently on a book signing tour.  If she comes to your city, standing in line for a couple of hours will be well worth it.  My girlfriend met her last week and is still blabbing about how friendly and beautiful she was.

Although Kat is neither British, nor a singer, I think my girls Baby Spice, Scary Spice, Posh Spice, Ginger Spice, and Sporty Spice would be proud to call her an honorary member of the gang.  She represents everything girl power stands for: drive, confidence, work ethic, and the guts to follow your dreams no matter what other people think.  Ms. Von D, thanks for inspiring a whole new generation of women.