Swedish News

Abortions among young decreasing. Filmed while tanning. Stockholmers – world's most tattooed.  

• Abortions among young decreasing
  The number of abortions among teenagers and young Swedish women are decreasing for the fourth year in a row, according to 2010 statistics from Socialstyrelsen (The National Board of Health and Welfare). Teenage abortions decreased the most (with 7.1% compared to 2009), but there are regional differences as well: Teenage abortions are most common on Gotland and in Värmland and in Stockholm County and least common in Blekinge, Kronoberg and Jönköping.

• Filmed while tanning
  Been to a tanning salon in Sweden lately? Then there’s a great risk you’ve been filmed – illegally. When Länsstyrelsen (County Administrative Board ) in Stockholm performed a spot test on 52 tanning salons, surveillance cameras without permission were found in 34 of them. Worst were the unmanned salons, where all but one had illegal surveillance equipment. Cecilia Forssell-Ericson, a lawyer at the County Administrative Board, says this is serious: “A tanning salon is a sensitive place, where our integrity can be easily threatened. We don’t expect to be surveyed there, we don’t wear much clothes while walking between the salon and the showers and the restrooms.” The number of cameras used varied from one to nine, according to the report from the County Administrative Board. In a number of cases the salons had not put up any signs letting their customers know they were being surveyed. One salon owner kept all his filmed material on a hard drive in an unlocked room at the salon. In order to put up a surveillance camera, you have to have a license from the Board.

• Stockholmers – world's most tattooed
  According to a global study called Metropolitan Report, Stockholmers aged 18-49 are the most tattooed people in the world (with the exception of some primitive peoples). In that age bracket, 33% of the citizens of Stockholm are tattooed. The art of tattooing seems to be going through a renaissance at the moment. “The popularity has to do with the person living in a big city and his wish to express his individuality,” says Paul Alarcón, responsible for United Minds program about big cities. “We view our bodies as a canvas or sculpture and we paint it with expressions that describe us and who we are.” Jens Bergström at Heavenly Ink in Åkersberga agrees. He was just chosen Tattooist of the Year for the second time. “It is socially acceptable and people see the charm in it,” he says. “Somebody about to get his or her first tattoo still picks the upper arm, so that the tattoo can be hidden, but today they pick bigger tattoos. When I first started (1996), people were very careful and chose small, very small, tattoos. They still say the same thing today: ‘I’ve been thinking about this for ten years.’ But now they also say: ‘I want my entire arm covered.’” And instead of single motives, people want entire themes. Film or music stars are popular, as are names or portraits of children or grandmothers. Or grandmother herself comes in to get tattooed. “We had a lady who was 73 years old in here. She picked an image from ‘World of Warcraft’. It was great!”