Tattoos Go Undercover With Iran's Youth

Twenty-year-old student Yasha shows his back tattooed with the English letters KMKKY representing the names of members of his family, in Tehran, Iran, Friday, July 21, 2006. It's an undercover movement _ literally: Tattoos have become a fad among many young Iranians who proudly display them in private but must keep them under wraps from authorities. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) (Vahid Salemi - AP)

He gets a call for a job about once a week, and the customers are getting noticeably younger.

"When I started two years ago, it was rare to get a teenage girl," said Milad. "Now that's the typical client."

For an average of 800,000 rials _ about $90 _ they choose from Milad's standard designs _ interwoven flames called "Creeping Death," a burning cross dubbed "Dragon Sword," or, for the less daring, butterflies, flowers and unicorns.

But he'll work up anything for an extra fee. He's done marijuana leaves and symbols from Iran's pre-Islamic Zoroastrian faith. A Muslim girl asked for some Hebrew letters _ in a country whose leaders repeatedly call for Israel's destruction.

"She didn't even know what the letters meant," said Milad. "She just liked how they looked."

Placing also is getting more adventurous; Milad said more women are asking for tattoos on the small of their backs or on their breasts. "No big deal," shrugged Milad. But it would be an outrage in a society that still tries to segregate the sexes at some colleges and public events.

A growing number of men, too, are exposing themselves to the tattoo pen.

Yasha, a 20-year-old student, asked Milad to put his calligraphy skill to work on his back. Yasha now sports the English letters KMKKY to represent the names of his family.

He's discussing another design for his right calf.

But Milad remains tattoo-free.

"You can't do them on yourself well, and I don't like anyone else's work," he said.