MINNEAPOLIS — Aedan Donovan hadn’t been to the beach in years. Jesi Pick can finally comfortably take trash to the curb without a shirt on.
The two born-and-raised Minnesotans recently received top surgeries — gender-affirming procedures for the transgender and nonbinary community that involve reshaping breast tissue to feminize or masculinize the chest. The procedure typically includes the partial or complete removal of breast tissue, and the reshaping or removal of both nipples.
A year after their top surgeries, Pick and Donovan took another step. They received nipple reconstruction tattoos, a form of body art growing in popularity in the trans community over the past decade.
“It just gave me such a calming sense of acceptance and peace in my body,” said Pick, who uses they/them pronouns.
Pick, like many trans tattoo clients, found additional acceptance and peace after going under the needle.
Nipple tattoos involve re-creating the image of a nipple and areola on a client’s chest. There are options in terms of color, shape and size. Nipple reconstruction can also be done surgically via skin grafts, but many people who’ve had top surgery opt for a tattoo.
Tattoos have long been used by women who’ve undergone mastectomies to treat or prevent breast cancer. In recent years, they have grown in popularity for top surgery recipients.
Tattoo artist M Nijiya, who uses they/them pronouns, has been tattooing for 13 years and has made gender-affirming tattoos a focus of their work. Some clients seek 3-D nipple tattoos, while others have asked the artist to highlight the scars on their chest with art that signifies the surgery’s role in their gender affirmation journey.
Nijiya is the owner of Jackalope Tattoo, in the Powderhorn Park neighborhood of Minneapolis. It started in 2013 as an all-women’s shop, but has evolved to feature a still-expanding 13-artist roster composed of trans, nonbinary and female…
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