Tattoo you! Get close enough to Pok and turn into ink

At any rate, they’re his idea of beauty, which is interesting considering that he’s the son of a beauty queen. He’s the only child of former Miss Universe Apasra Hongsakula – who as far as we can ascertain doesn’t have any ink art at all on her still-gorgeous personage.

Nor was his dad keen on body decor. Businessman Suthikiati Chirathivat was somewhat less than pleased when Pok got his first tattoo, but his only son gradually found the courage to tell him about his grand plan – to have every important event of his life recorded in ink somewhere on his torso, limbs and (why not) all over his head too, like a diary, so they would be with him forever. It’s the very permanence of tattoos that Pok admires most, memories alone being somehow insufficient.

So that’s what he’s done – turned into a human diary, with his chest, back and left arm so far covered with key details from his life, such as the year he was born, his Chinese surname, his zodiac sign and even the faces of his parents.

That’s right, he’s inked up with portraits of his most direct ancestors. On Mother’s Day Pok demonstrated his love for his mum by posting a photo on Facebook and Instagram with the message “Happy Mother’s Day to all mums out there @apasra_spa”. And there she was on his back (most kids complain about their mums getting on their back, but anyway). It’s Miss Universe 1965, complete with tiara – and angel wings – against the script “City of Angels”. 

Suthikiati’s face meanwhile, is up front, right next to his heart, and Pok reports that his father is proud and delighted about it, always asking him to pull up his shirt when his pals come to visit so they can see how much the boy worships his old man.

Pok’s right arm and the right side of his chest are reserved for portraits of his future wife and children. His fans are imagining a picture of his current girlfriend appearing there someday – she’s the Thai-Spanish actress-model Margie Rasri Balenciaga – or maybe her name will be tattooed somewhere close to his heart even if they don’t make it all the way to marital status.

Soopsip is happy for the young lovebirds and wishes them the best, but frankly we’re still a bit leery about couples swearing their allegiance in tattoos, and for the very reason that Pok likes the idea – the permanence. 

It sounds romantic, sure, “a good idea at the time”, but it’s a bit tacky, and how many glamorous Hollywood stars (Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie and Melanie Griffith come to mind) proclaimed their love in body ink, only to be forced, after their relationships fizzled out, to modify the tattoos or have them erased with painful laser treatments?

After all, People magazine – which is to Soopsip like the Bible is to missionary leaflets – offered “The First Commandment of getting inked”: Never get your significant other’s name tattooed anywhere on your body. 

And we never liked having our parents on our backs either.