Arm+Shark=No Arm Shark.

This tattoo ironically portrays the man’s humor towards his disabling condition. The image tattooed on the man’s arm is a shark’s head where the full arm used to be. While we do not actually know how his condition came to be, it can be inferred that his arm was bitten off by a shark. However, if this man did not lose his arm to a shark then it is still just a humorous take on a dire situation. Those who view this image of a shark on his arm will think of it as clever and interesting because the image is of an animal where there used to be an arm. One would probably want to know the story behind the tattoo which would probably tell the story of the lost arm. People seeing the tattoo will think the person was or is a daredevil or thrill seeker from the lost arm.

The image of a shark tattooed on his arm represents the masculinity of the person. The concept of a shark is powerful and ferocious as they are the predators of the sea. Adding in the open mouth of the shark further expresses this ferocity and can present the person as being one not to be tampered with. This person bearing the tattoo must have a good story to tell about his lost arm as the placement of the tattoo is visible for others to see.

The tattoo reflects an identity of a person whose arm was lost and replaced with a reminder of how it was lost. This person will live with the event for the rest of his life because he no longer has that arm. And the image of the shark will keep him remembering the time he lost his arm and how he survived the hardships associated with losing his arm.