Chibi: The Birthday Massacre

Don’t let her looks fool you. Chibi and her bandmates from The Birthday Massacre are no disposable, cookie-cutter Hot Topic–esque goth band. Underneath the surface, there’s a truly talented group of musicians with shockingly good writing skills, haunting vocals, and an amazing sense of melody that gives their layered songs a catchy, almost pop-like melody. And on the surface, there’s smoking-hot Chibi. With a slight playfulness and happiness to her vocals, lyrics, and stage persona, she’s refreshing and unique. “I think having tattoos defines how I’ll be perceived by some people, rightly or wrongly,” she says. “Honestly, I don’t even think about my tattoos most of the time. It’s almost like I forget that I have them. I’ll go out and be polite to an older or straight-laced person or something, and they’ll give me a dirty look, and I’ll think, Oh, right, I have tattoos. That must mean I’m crazy!”

When asked if she has a favorite tattoo, Chibi confesses: “All of them do have a significance … they are all of something I find interesting or inspiring. I like thinking about tattoo ideas. I have a lot more I’d like to get done. But these images, as important as they are to me, don’t intrinsically define who I am.” Her choices in adornment are mostly fictional female characters who have personality traits she admires. “I’ve been planning one of Mileena from Mortal Kombat for a long time,” Chibi declares. “I like the character because she’s pretty insane and vicious and seems like she’d be very attractive, but then has this mouth full of heinous sharp teeth.”

Then there are the heavy and real subjects she wants to document. “There was also a racehorse that died a few years ago after a race,” Chibi explains. “Her name was Eight Belles, and she was the only female horse in that particular race. … That story got to me for some reason, and I’ve often thought about getting a tattoo relating to her. It’s sort of weird explaining tattoo ideas—I guess there’s a pretty high chance that they’ll sound kind of silly to anyone other than the person who wants the tattoo.”