A black-and-white photo of a person mid-air in a Superman-style body suspension pose, supported by multiple hooks in their back and legs, smiling joyfully toward the camera. They are suspended horizontally in a large indoor space with high ceilings and visible rigging. A group of onlookers—some seated, some standing—watch with expressions of admiration, amusement, and support. The atmosphere is lively and communal, capturing a moment of shared experience and transformation.

Ethel’s Decapitation

Tim Kern‘s first kill, memorialized and celebrated in ink by Scott Duncan at Sugar Shack in Kincardine, ON (photo by Twwly). If you want to know a bit more about the “why” of this tattoo, welcome to Twwly country!

Comments

150 responses to “Ethel’s Decapitation”

  1. rebecca Avatar

    Oh Tim.. Haha. I’ll see you at Hell City!

  2. rebecca Avatar

    Oh Tim.. Haha. I’ll see you at Hell City!

  3. mimibeth Avatar
    mimibeth

    aww, that photo montage was kinda sad…but not sad enough to make me stop eating chicken. that bird looked so fresh and delicious!

  4. mimibeth Avatar
    mimibeth

    aww, that photo montage was kinda sad…but not sad enough to make me stop eating chicken. that bird looked so fresh and delicious!

  5. Viking In LaFleche Avatar

    That reminds me of a time where I helped my brother slaughter a dozen turkeys. It was so much fun I don’t think I would want a tattoo to remember it by. Looks pretty cool, though.

  6. Viking In LaFleche Avatar

    That reminds me of a time where I helped my brother slaughter a dozen turkeys. It was so much fun I don’t think I would want a tattoo to remember it by. Looks pretty cool, though.

  7. maliceAlice Avatar
    maliceAlice

    I don’t know if anyone here reads CuteOverload, but I wonder how long it will take for the ’nuffs to start protesting animal cruelty and such. Not that I’m for animal cruelty or anything. I just like chicken. 😛 If I killed something, I might get a tattoo to commemorate it. But it would have to be something big, like a deer or elk.

  8. maliceAlice Avatar
    maliceAlice

    I don’t know if anyone here reads CuteOverload, but I wonder how long it will take for the ’nuffs to start protesting animal cruelty and such. Not that I’m for animal cruelty or anything. I just like chicken. 😛 If I killed something, I might get a tattoo to commemorate it. But it would have to be something big, like a deer or elk.

  9. Phill Avatar

    I know chicken is “better for you” without the skin, but I can’t help thinking that they were too lazy to pluck it. 🙂

    Also, that is the best severed-chicken-head tattoo I’ve ever seen.

  10. Phill Avatar

    I know chicken is “better for you” without the skin, but I can’t help thinking that they were too lazy to pluck it. 🙂

    Also, that is the best severed-chicken-head tattoo I’ve ever seen.

  11. ALex Avatar
    ALex

    =*(

  12. ALex Avatar
    ALex

    =*(

  13. adelleda Avatar
    adelleda

    the chicken looks pissed

  14. adelleda Avatar
    adelleda

    the chicken looks pissed

  15. MajikMan Avatar
    MajikMan

    Great idea, great tattoo – I totally agree that anyone who eats the stuff should be willing to go through the process of doing it themselves.

    Just don’t plan on getting a tattoo for each chicken on the farm 😉

  16. MajikMan Avatar
    MajikMan

    Great idea, great tattoo – I totally agree that anyone who eats the stuff should be willing to go through the process of doing it themselves.

    Just don’t plan on getting a tattoo for each chicken on the farm 😉

  17. Giles Wallwork Avatar

    If the entire meat-eating world used this outdated and unsanitary process for the preparation of it’s food then famine across the western world would kick in around 7 years time.

    The inhumane, factory based, mass culling industry that is around at the moment is a necessity to feed a growing population on a minimum income.

    The luxury of farming and killing your own meat is something only available to a tiny minority of people. Those of us without land, without capital and without the time to kill our own are provided for by others. It’s a dirty industry but one that provides for the poorest of us.

  18. Giles Wallwork Avatar

    If the entire meat-eating world used this outdated and unsanitary process for the preparation of it’s food then famine across the western world would kick in around 7 years time.

    The inhumane, factory based, mass culling industry that is around at the moment is a necessity to feed a growing population on a minimum income.

    The luxury of farming and killing your own meat is something only available to a tiny minority of people. Those of us without land, without capital and without the time to kill our own are provided for by others. It’s a dirty industry but one that provides for the poorest of us.

  19. jonathan Avatar

    great tattoo,, outstanding blog..

  20. jonathan Avatar

    great tattoo,, outstanding blog..

  21. Kaatt! Avatar
    Kaatt!

    Twwly! She is the proud owner of probably some of my favorite tattoos.

  22. Kaatt! Avatar
    Kaatt!

    Twwly! She is the proud owner of probably some of my favorite tattoos.

  23. modicidal Avatar

    i thought that was kinda fucked up.

  24. modicidal Avatar

    i thought that was kinda fucked up.

  25. Frester Avatar

    If the chicken didn’t like it, it would bite him.

  26. Frester Avatar

    If the chicken didn’t like it, it would bite him.

  27. Simon Avatar
    Simon

    Very clean tattoo, although it surely has a morbid sense to it, in fact, I’m sure that was intended.

    I could never raise an animal and then kill it for it’s meat. This is though, the only ‘fair’ way to eat meat. For eating meat from the supermarket, and not feeling very bad about that, just because I didn’t raise it myself, I feel hypocrite.
    Vegetarism is an option, and it is something I’m rolling into very gradually now.

  28. Simon Avatar
    Simon

    Very clean tattoo, although it surely has a morbid sense to it, in fact, I’m sure that was intended.

    I could never raise an animal and then kill it for it’s meat. This is though, the only ‘fair’ way to eat meat. For eating meat from the supermarket, and not feeling very bad about that, just because I didn’t raise it myself, I feel hypocrite.
    Vegetarism is an option, and it is something I’m rolling into very gradually now.

  29. Omicr0n Avatar
    Omicr0n

    Just like we used to do it back home….
    Like those Peta ppl who says that u should not cut the wool of a sheep, well if u dont do it at summer time they can die from overheating….
    Slautering a chicken for meat aint cruel imo

  30. Omicr0n Avatar
    Omicr0n

    Just like we used to do it back home….
    Like those Peta ppl who says that u should not cut the wool of a sheep, well if u dont do it at summer time they can die from overheating….
    Slautering a chicken for meat aint cruel imo

  31. sarah Avatar

    I love it.

  32. sarah Avatar

    I love it.

  33. 21g Avatar
    21g

    good! I personaly am a vegan. but i think that if you want to eat meat – yore responsebillity is to know how to kill.
    I dont like killing at all. But it was a good project ans a very clean tattoo.
    greating from sweden.

  34. 21g Avatar
    21g

    good! I personaly am a vegan. but i think that if you want to eat meat – yore responsebillity is to know how to kill.
    I dont like killing at all. But it was a good project ans a very clean tattoo.
    greating from sweden.

  35. Malice Alice Avatar

    Killing my own food would be nice, but I live in a town and it’s illegeal to raise farm animals inside of it for health/sanitary reasons.

    And I refuse to be vegan just because I don’t have the capability to kill my own food.

  36. Malice Alice Avatar

    Killing my own food would be nice, but I live in a town and it’s illegeal to raise farm animals inside of it for health/sanitary reasons.

    And I refuse to be vegan just because I don’t have the capability to kill my own food.

  37. Giles Avatar
    Giles

    We do not live in the kind of society where we can kill our own meat. It is a luxurious option only open to a few.

    There is NO prerequisite for a meat eater to know how or where their meat came from. There never has been.

    Meat eating is the most natural thing a human can do and there is absolutely no need for an aesthetically or morally superior killing to justify it.

  38. Giles Avatar
    Giles

    We do not live in the kind of society where we can kill our own meat. It is a luxurious option only open to a few.

    There is NO prerequisite for a meat eater to know how or where their meat came from. There never has been.

    Meat eating is the most natural thing a human can do and there is absolutely no need for an aesthetically or morally superior killing to justify it.

  39. HELLS_MoNkEy Avatar

    [email protected] #11….

    I really like what they have done. I would like to try something similar one day, because factory farming is truely vile and cruel.

    I have no problem with killing and eating an animal – i couldnt live without meat, particularly beef. Its nice though that the animals should be able to live comfortably.

  40. HELLS_MoNkEy Avatar

    [email protected] #11….

    I really like what they have done. I would like to try something similar one day, because factory farming is truely vile and cruel.

    I have no problem with killing and eating an animal – i couldnt live without meat, particularly beef. Its nice though that the animals should be able to live comfortably.

  41. Bradly Avatar
    Bradly

    i couldnt live without meat Posted by HELLS_MoNkEy
    ur just a stupid reply by me

  42. Bradly Avatar
    Bradly

    i couldnt live without meat Posted by HELLS_MoNkEy
    ur just a stupid reply by me

  43. Clare Avatar

    Yeahhhhh, there is so a reason I’m a vegan.

  44. Clare Avatar

    Yeahhhhh, there is so a reason I’m a vegan.

  45. Jaded Avatar
    Jaded

    i’m sorry i just cant look past the toe nails. long toe nails freak me out. but the tat is great, very well worked. I like it.

  46. Jaded Avatar
    Jaded

    i’m sorry i just cant look past the toe nails. long toe nails freak me out. but the tat is great, very well worked. I like it.

  47. Anselm Avatar

    Running around like a chicken with its head cut off!

  48. Anselm Avatar

    Running around like a chicken with its head cut off!

  49. Twwly Avatar

    Malice Alice, you’re more than welcome to come over and take a swing this fall when it’s processing time. We’ve doubled our production this year and could use the help! 🙂

    Giles, I find it funny thatyou think factory processed meat is a necessity. I got by just fine during my vegetarian years, I didn’t starve. Not sure if you’ve ever checked out a processing plant, but I can tell you from personal experience and observation that our methods are far more sanitary than what goes on there. We are very guilty (and happy) about being outdated though! You’ve got me there.

  50. Twwly Avatar

    Malice Alice, you’re more than welcome to come over and take a swing this fall when it’s processing time. We’ve doubled our production this year and could use the help! 🙂

    Giles, I find it funny thatyou think factory processed meat is a necessity. I got by just fine during my vegetarian years, I didn’t starve. Not sure if you’ve ever checked out a processing plant, but I can tell you from personal experience and observation that our methods are far more sanitary than what goes on there. We are very guilty (and happy) about being outdated though! You’ve got me there.

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