The Tattoo Issue

Detroit’s ‘Lady L’ thrusts Black female tattoo artists to the forefront with Ladies of Ink

Creating space in the tattoo boy’s club

By Alex Washington

Lorri “Lady L” Thomas has been tattooing for nearly 20 years, and the last few years of her career have been centered around creating safe spaces for women who look like her. In 2015, she created Ladies of Ink, a nationwide collective of Black female tattoo artists who challenge the status quo...