Zombie timeline

"Zombie got tattoos he
thought would disgust
other people, using
his body to express his
anger and social alienation.
But instead of pushing
others away, his tattoos
drew them to him."
~sociologists Lisa Wade and Gwen Sharp

2001
Montreal native Rick Genest (above) gets inked for the 1st time at the age of 16, and eventually - over 3 years and at a cost of several thousand dollars - has 80% of his body tattooed by Frank Lewis to resemble a cadaver.

2008
Taking the stage name "Zombie Boy," Genest (click here for extensive slideshow of color portraits be professional photographer Neville Elder) performs for sideshows - including the one he established, Lucifer's Blasphemous Mad Macabre Torture Carnival - as a geek, a blockhead, and a fire-eater.

2010
Someone creates a Facebook page featuring Genest called "I bet this guy will regret getting this tattoo once he's older!" The Facebook page is seen by Nicola Formichetti, who is both a creative director for fashion designer Thierry Mugler and personal stylist to Lady Gaga. She hires Genest to debut the Autumn/Winter men's collection in Paris. Lady Gaga, who debuted her song "Born This Way" on the same Mugler runway, taps Genest to appear in the video. Genest is then hired to appear on the small and big screens, including a cameo in "47 Ronin," a forthcoming Keanu Reeves film. Offered more work in fashion, Genest explains, "To set the record straight, it was never my intention to become a model."

Future:
Genest would like to have the whites of his eyes tattooed, his teeth filed into points, his tongue split. and his ears removed.

Thanks to my brother-in-law Nicholas for bringing this to my attention.

Zombies!?!

Today a guest post by Holly McCarthy, who writes on the subject of certification for geriatric nursing:

In January 2009, pranksters hacked into warning signs in Austin, Texas, cautioning drivers about “zombies ahead.” While there was actually no plague of the undead in the capitol city of the Lone Star State, this occurrence brings some interesting issues to light regarding zombies and popular culture.

In the movies, zombies bring people of various races, cultures, and creeds together for one purpose: to kill the zombies that are after them. Zombies represent not only death and the possibility of an afterlife, but the unknown as well. When zombies begin to appear in movies, people move through the stages of grief. Denying the evidence right in front of them, the characters wait until there is a full-on epidemic before doing anything at all to remedy the situation. But when that time comes, the characters work together to defeat a common enemy. They shed their prejudices and differences and operate as a cohesive unit for the sole purpose of eradicating the zombies and restoring order in the world. Just when things look as bad as they can be, someone steps in and helps make things right again.

Is it really any wonder that zombie movies have maintained their popularity over time? Even with the same plot and scenario, they remain relevant to viewers over the years. Looking in context at their rise in popularity, it is easy to see the parallel between zombie films and the state of the society that produced them. Looking back at the caution sign in Austin, perhaps it was a wake-up call to people in that town, urging them not to become part of the undead, but to once again think and feel as individuals. There is always time to prey on the flesh of the living later...