We’ve had time now to reflect on the mega event that was the Vans US Open on Huntington Beach, with its incredibly exciting women’s surfing final, its mini riot and hordes of girls (and boys) with autographs and suggestive (total understatement btw) messages scribbled all across their bodies.

Editor Sam is trying to make sense of the motivations behind writing stuff like “I love d**k in my a**” on your shoulder blade in black marker pen in her latest feature.

We had a look at Deanna Templeton’s work who is a bit of a specialist on the subject. The Huntington beach born and raised photographer, and Ed Templeton‘s wife and long term collaborator, has been taking pictures of young people who come to the US Open and seem to feel a strong desire to cover their bodies in names, logos and various invitations to a wide selection of sexual acts for years.

It’s not only the overtly sexual side of the phenomenon that’s somewhat perplexing, it’s also branding taken to the extreme (or back to its farm animal identifying roots). Kids can go and have brand logos, even army ones, spray painted on their bodies in one of the many tents where companies and organisations promote their products, from sun block to going to war.

Templeton documents, she doesn’t judge. In some of her subjects’ faces there is a hint a of unease that Templeton is aware of,  but she leaves it up to the viewer to decide what they make of it.

Check out her books Your Logo Here and Scratch my name on your arm and her blog.