Tattoos.

[lilshadowdweller]

Your body, your choice.

 

I know some religious people may say that it's holy and belongs to God; but if you're not religious, your body belongs entirely yourself to do what you will to it.

 

People perceive beauty in many different ways. Who cares if this journalist considers it "self mutilation"; so is eating too much and getting fat, eating too little and getting skinny, letting your acne grow until it scars, piercing your ears, ect. Your body constantly changes whether it's accidental or intentional.

 

There are some tattoos. Some I consider lovely; others, not so much. Some people do, in my opinion, "ruin" their beauty with them, and others just get pointless tattoos. My best friend got one I considered REALLY pointless and stupid - it was of a hummingbird and a flower, and it looked like a 5 year old did it. Me, being myself, openly described how silly it looked and I failed to comprehend the significance of it because it looked rushed and not very 'artsy'. I also notice a lot of older ones which aren't coloured sort of look bad. Some tattoos just look out of place on the skin.

 

But again, it's not my body. And my perception of beauty differs. If people even only got tattoos to "show off" or "stand out", it still wouldn't matter what I thought. Why can't they try and stand out? People stand out with clothes, too. It's not like they don't know it's not permanent.

 

I know some people MAY regret theirs, but not everyone will. And everyone looks kind of saggy when they're old and when the tattoo stretches. One can always get a new one placed over it.

 

There's no issue with them, really.

[passiflora]

I kind of hate how certain things dealing with body modification are accepted in our society and others aren't as accepted. To me, dying your hair or putting on makeup is kind of like body modification. You're changing yourself to look like to what you think is better for you. And I'm all for that. I think getting a tattoo or a piercing is pretty much the same thing. It's just permanent. I don't understand why one is more socially acceptable. If we think it looks good on us then that's all that should matter. I feel like at this point girls getting hissi enhancements or a nose job is more acceptable a lot of the time than someone getting a ton of tattoos/piercings. I think it should all be accepted since when we do these things we're not affecting anyone else. (Sorry for the small rant.)

You kind of answered your own question as to why it's less socially acceptable - it's permanent. :P And also glaringly obvious if it's not in a place where it's easily covered up. Other standout-ish things like overdone makeup or brightly coloured hair are often looked at the same way.

 

 

In general, I don't like tattoos.

 

I don't like the permanence of tattoos. I think, "Yes, you want that now, but WILL you want it in five years? Ten years? Forty years?" I don't like that tattoos stretch. One day, it's pretty, and then you get older, and not so good now.

 

I don't like it when tattoos are overdone. When someone is so covered with them you can't tell where their patterned shirt ends and skin begins. When someone needles so much into their body that should they go in to have blood drawn, the phlebotomist cannot find a vein. It doesn't look good; I have never seen it look good when there are too many tattoos.

 

I don't like that they *can* cause infections. This one isn't nearly as big a deal, though, because a lot of things can cause infection, and a good tattoo parlor will do it safely.

 

For the most part, I don't like the way they look.

 

Whatever. My personal preference. And other people have different personal preferences. So it's stupid to tell others that they made a mistake, etc. etc. etc. It's stupid to judge people on it.

Agreed 100%, I'm not a big fan of tattoos (although I have seen the odd one that worked out really well). However, it's the individual's choice.

 

 

 

The author of the posted article was a little harsh, but I also think some people need to really pause and think before getting a tattoo. My Facebook news feed seems to be constantly blowing up with people showing off their new tattoos, and often they're still pretty young when they're getting them. Even if they had a good reason or some sort of deeper meaning behind it, I'd say the vast majority of tattoos I see posted are very ugly. Too big, too blocky, awkward angle, poorly drawn, etc. Part of may be the particular artist, but sometimes I think it would just be nicer if people asked for something more classy or discreet.

[Rebecca~]

You kind of answered your own question as to why it's less socially acceptable - it's permanent. :P And also glaringly obvious if it's not in a place where it's easily covered up. Other standout-ish things like overdone makeup or brightly coloured hair are often looked at the same way.

 

 

 

Agreed 100%, I'm not a big fan of tattoos (although I have seen the odd one that worked out really well). However, it's the individual's choice.

 

 

 

The author of the posted article was a little harsh, but I also think some people need to really pause and think before getting a tattoo. My Facebook news feed seems to be constantly blowing up with people showing off their new tattoos, and often they're still pretty young when they're getting them. Even if they had a good reason or some sort of deeper meaning behind it, I'd say the vast majority of tattoos I see posted are very ugly. Too big, too blocky, awkward angle, poorly drawn, etc. Part of may be the particular artist, but sometimes I think it would just be nicer if people asked for something more classy or discreet.

You can't always get the meaning across that you want with something classy or discreet. Sometimes being classy and discreet is the opposite of what you want. It's fine not to like the look of peoples' tattoos. It's fine to think that the art is bad, or just not something you would ever do. But it's important to respect peoples' reasons for getting them.

 

Whenever I think about my tattoo, I realise that most people would find it ugly. It's not supposed to be a great work of art though. It is what it is, and I like it for what it is. It's exactly what I asked for, which is what's important to me.

[LunarCybunny]

I personally love tattos. I have two, they both have strong meanings and I don't regret not even one of them. And, I plan to do more. It is a way of expressing things that I can't seem to express by talking or by any other means.

[lilshadowdweller]

You can't always get the meaning across that you want with something classy or discreet. Sometimes being classy and discreet is the opposite of what you want. It's fine not to like the look of peoples' tattoos. It's fine to think that the art is bad, or just not something you would ever do. But it's important to respect peoples' reasons for getting them.

 

Actually, it's not. Technically, no one HAS to respect the reason behind one gets a tattoo. I didn't respect the meaning of why my friend obtained her tattoo. I don't say anything, mind you; but some meanings I fail to comprehend. And many people have no good reason - some people simply thing tattoos are cool. *shrugs* In short, I may not respect your reasoning, but I won't fight you regarding it or make a deal out of it, not if it works for you. Perhaps that's what you meant when you said "respect".

 

 

Whenever I think about my tattoo, I realise that most people would find it ugly. It's not supposed to be a great work of art though. It is what it is, and I like it for what it is. It's exactly what I asked for, which is what's important to me.

 

Yes, but many people consider theirs to be works of art, so people here just used it as a generalized example.

 

It is a way of expressing things that I can't seem to express by talking or by any other means.

 

Can you please elaborate on this statement? Because, I find, often people have to explain their tattoos. I'm not saying art isn't beautiful and that you can't express yourself, but unless you personally drew out the tattoo yourself, technically you had to have discussed it to the artist doing it for you, which means you could have expressed yourself by other means. I find it to be a symbol of something important to yourself; but that often needs to be explained otherwise it's unknown. Again, it's a symbol to yourself, but I can't comprehend this statement as if it's impossible to not express something about yourself without the use of a tattoo.

[Rebecca~]

Actually, it's not. Technically, no one HAS to respect the reason behind one gets a tattoo. I didn't respect the meaning of why my friend obtained her tattoo. I don't say anything, mind you; but some meanings I fail to comprehend. And many people have no good reason - some people simply thing tattoos are cool. *shrugs* In short, I may not respect your reasoning, but I won't fight you regarding it or make a deal out of it, not if it works for you. Perhaps that's what you meant when you said "respect".

That is more or less what I mean. I have an aquaintance with a number of tattoos that I personally think were silly choices for her to make. I think that in time she will come to regret them, and that she got them for the cool factor rather than anything else. I would never say that to her though. I don't know what's going on in her head, and what she tells me is the reason behind them may not be what they actually mean to her. So I respect her right to get them, and I don't say anything about them. I say the art is nice, or the artist did a good job on the lettering, or whatever. But I don't feel like it is my place to comment on what I think the reason behind the tattoos are, etc.

People don't have to like other peoples' tattoos- not at all. You can think they're ugly, or silly, or pointless, in a stupid place, or anything. But I guess I think that the person that has the tattoos should be given respect in respect to the tattoos. I dislike when people tell tattooed people that their bodies are ruined, or that they will regret a tattoo, or any of that. Not only is just plain rude, but it completely ignores what may be really serious stuff that is going on in their heads in regards to the tattoo, and why they chose it.

A friend of mine came with me to get my tattoo, and even though she was my best friend, I never told her the real reason why I was getting my tattoo, or why I chose the placement I did. I have only ever told my girlfriend, in real life at least. So no matter how close you are to someone, they may not be telling the whole truth about it. Tattooes can be really personal things.

 

Does that make sense?

 

 

Can you please elaborate on this statement? Because, I find, often people have to explain their tattoos. I'm not saying art isn't beautiful and that you can't express yourself, but unless you personally drew out the tattoo yourself, technically you had to have discussed it to the artist doing it for you, which means you could have expressed yourself by other means. I find it to be a symbol of something important to yourself; but that often needs to be explained otherwise it's unknown. Again, it's a symbol to yourself, but I can't comprehend this statement as if it's impossible to not express something about yourself without the use of a tattoo.

I'm not the OP of that statement but...

When I went to get my tattoo, I said "Okay, so I want this image as a tattoo." That's it. I didn't explain why I wanted it, what it meant, or anything. Most tattooes are symbols, in one way or another. I find that people rarely explain to the tattoo artist what something is supposed to represent when they're making the preliminary plans for them. My artist asked my while she was tattooing it what the meaning behind it was, and I gave her a short and dirty answer, but the important meaning behind it, why it was so important to me, didn't have to be said. It wasn't for other people. It expresses something about me, but only to me. It is a daily reminder of something that I don't want to forget, of something I want to remember but work through every day.

I know of a lot of tattooes like that. A lot of people that previously had addiction problems, or were self-harmers, get tattooes as a way of celebrating living through those dark times, of getting through. I will use my brother as an example again- he was a meth addict for a number of years. He finally did get clean, and he is currently planing on getting "The shadow of the valley of death" pslam as a tattoo; a reminder of the hard times he has been through, the hardest, really. A reminder of how close he came to the very bottom, but still surviving, still getting through. It will mean all these things, and more to him. But when he gets it, he doesn't have to say that. It'll just be a pslam. A beautiful piece of religious poetry. No one seeing it will ask what it really means, and frankly, it doesn't matter to them. It is for him, and him alone. I don't know how well he would be able to really express why he got that, and I don't know if he would want to.

[andaraen]

I actually had a conversation with my husband about a week ago about tattoos.

 

I don't hate the idea of tattoos, especially not the type that carries some sort of meaning.

 

But I find that there are people who get tattoos that already have a meaning associated with them, but are completely unaware of it. My husband told me he found several images of non-sailors with anchor tattoos and he found it extremely offensive. In the navy, tattoos are considered an achievement, for lack of a better word. The anchor means the sailor has either sailed the Atlantic Ocean or is a member of the Merchant Marines. They also earn tattoos for things like traveling 5000 nautical miles (a sparrow), cross the equator (a turtle), or being capable of celestial navigation (two stars). Some tattoos were done for superstitious reasons. Get a rooster and pig tattooed to your feet and you won't drown. Crosses on the bottom of your feet will keep sharks from devouring you. Silly? Just a bit. But it does have a lot of meaning and tradition behind it and I find it much more appealing than people who get tattoos for the sake of having one.

 

My husband and I will be getting matching tattoos some time in the future. His job involves working with electricity so wearing his wedding band at work could potentially cause a horrible syndrome known as "missing finger." So he got the idea to get one tattooed to his finger. And since I have had horrible luck with my rings (The first set broke, the second set got lost and the third set got a little too snug for comfort and kinda cut my finger.) , I figure it might be better to go with a tattoo. More personal too. (Anyone else think this is a good idea?)

 

Also, the toe tattoo remind me of one I heard about. (No picture, sadly.)

A man with cauliflower ear had a sign tattooed below his ear that said "Out of order".

[karmacow]

Anderaen, that's a really cool idea - that "ring" is one you won't lose :D

[Rebecca~]

I actually had a conversation with my husband about a week ago about tattoos.

 

I don't hate the idea of tattoos, especially not the type that carries some sort of meaning.

 

But I find that there are people who get tattoos that already have a meaning associated with them, but are completely unaware of it. My husband told me he found several images of non-sailors with anchor tattoos and he found it extremely offensive. In the navy, tattoos are considered an achievement, for lack of a better word. The anchor means the sailor has either sailed the Atlantic Ocean or is a member of the Merchant Marines. They also earn tattoos for things like traveling 5000 nautical miles (a sparrow), cross the equator (a turtle), or being capable of celestial navigation (two stars). Some tattoos were done for superstitious reasons. Get a rooster and pig tattooed to your feet and you won't drown. Crosses on the bottom of your feet will keep sharks from devouring you. Silly? Just a bit. But it does have a lot of meaning and tradition behind it and I find it much more appealing than people who get tattoos for the sake of having one.

 

My husband and I will be getting matching tattoos some time in the future. His job involves working with electricity so wearing his wedding band at work could potentially cause a horrible syndrome known as "missing finger." So he got the idea to get one tattooed to his finger. And since I have had horrible luck with my rings (The first set broke, the second set got lost and the third set got a little too snug for comfort and kinda cut my finger.) , I figure it might be better to go with a tattoo. More personal too. (Anyone else think this is a good idea?)

 

Also, the toe tattoo remind me of one I heard about. (No picture, sadly.)

A man with cauliflower ear had a sign tattooed below his ear that said "Out of order".

Oh wow, I never knew about the the meanings behind naval tattoos. That is really awesome. :D

While I can understand sailors being upset, I don't think they should have a monopoly on the symbols. Symbols can stand for so many different things, so I don't like saying that only members of this group can use the image. Though, if someone who got an anchor tattoo, or a set of nautical stars while they were young ends up joining the navy, they will probably regret those choices.

Yeah, I just don't know.

 

The tattooed ring idea sounds lovely! :D

[passiflora]

You can't always get the meaning across that you want with something classy or discreet. Sometimes being classy and discreet is the opposite of what you want. It's fine not to like the look of peoples' tattoos. It's fine to think that the art is bad, or just not something you would ever do. But it's important to respect peoples' reasons for getting them.

 

Whenever I think about my tattoo, I realise that most people would find it ugly. It's not supposed to be a great work of art though. It is what it is, and I like it for what it is. It's exactly what I asked for, which is what's important to me.

I kind of feel the same way as was clarified below - I absolutely respect someone's right to get a tattoo, and would never tell someone that they'll regret it or make any other rude comments.

 

Don't get me wrong, some people have very good reasons for getting tattoos and sometimes tattoos are very beautiful. However, I think it's also reasonable to say that they've become a bit of a "fad" and some people force meanings into their tattoos or don't think them through.

[tunaliver]

I personally would never get a tattoo because I am too indecisive about putting something on my body that would last forever. I also am a regular blood donor (O negative) and I would not be able to donate my blood, which is in high demand, for quite some time. I try to keep an open mind on this issue because I would never want someone condescending me for my own choices.

[thunderclanf]

Don't get me wrong, some people have very good reasons for getting tattoos and sometimes tattoos are very beautiful. However, I think it's also reasonable to say that they've become a bit of a "fad" and some people force meanings into their tattoos or don't think them through.

__

 

Definitely true. I would think long and hard for sure before getting a tattoo. And if I did get one, it would be one that is extremely important in it's meaning to me, you know? Not just because it "looks cool".

[Schatzen]

I personally like tattoos. Of course, for me, I don't want them just to have them, I want them to mean something personal to me. There's of course nothing wrong with getting a tattoo just to get one if that's what you want. It's not my body so I can't police what anybody else does with theirs'.

 

I plan on getting 2 tattoos for my 18th birthday this coming January. One will be a daffodil (the flower for sisters) on the side of my left bicep. My older sister is getting a matching one. I'm also getting a black butterfly across the inside of right wrist. It's a symbol of the butterfly project, which was a project started for teens dealing with self harm which I have struggled with for years.

[LizyMarie]

He really used the word "thicko"... I think I'm offended.

 

Honestly I understand fully that I may look like crap when I'm 60. But do I care? No. Why? Because I enjoy getting my tattoos, I enjoy looking at them, and above all, I enjoy what they mean to me.

 

I have my favorite band of whom has been the maker of many dreams and stories for me over the years. Portishead. On my left ankle.

And I have my fox/wolf sketch, running down my thigh. Pure outline. meant to symbolize how close I feel to those creatures, and how much they move me.

 

I think people who hate on Tattoos honestly just grew up differently. I have no care to discuss that one further because we all have different views. And sorry to say, but noone is above anyone else. Stop hating on those of us that enjoy our body modifications, random reporter! We enjoy what they mean to us! And we won't judge you for being so plain and stereotypically boring!

 

I also live in the moment more than others. I don't enjoy thinking too far ahead in life because I know I can die at any moment. I love my job, I love going to college(even though I have one degree already), I love my friends and family, and I enjoy what I want when I want. (Which isn't much honestly ><)

 

Different strokes, okay?

 

And I'm not yelling at anyone here, I just am in a very 'venting' mood :)

[Dynohawk]

Love tattoos, especially sleeves on guys. Very hawt!

[AngelBones]

Hmmm.

 

Well personally, even though I'm only 16, I really like tattoos. Some of you may think, "Oh, she's young and stupid and just wants them to be 'cool' ". But really, that's not what tattoos are about these days, even to people my age. I really want to get tattoos not to show off, but because they will all mean something to me. A tattoo isn't just for fun, it's forever. And it shows that a person has made a big decision as they have to live with that tattoo for the rest of their lives.

 

For example, probably the biggest tattoo I want to get is a really elaborate phoenix on my left shoulder blade. And sure, i think it'll look gorgeous, but to me it will represent the fact that I'm Russian. The phoenix, or 'firebird', is connected to such an amazing and popular children's fairytale, and I want to show how much it really means to me.

 

Another tattoo I will get is a swallow. Again, I have so many childhood memories connected to such a simple thing, and it's something I'm comfortable to have on my body forever because of what it represents to me.

 

Nevertheless, there is always a limit to these things.

 

Whenever I see a grown man with tattoos covering his arms and face, the only thing I can think of is "When he's 75...". But again, they made the decision to do so, they're gonna be the ones who have to live with it.

[lilshadowdweller]

I'm not the OP of that statement but...

When I went to get my tattoo, I said "Okay, so I want this image as a tattoo." That's it. I didn't explain why I wanted it, what it meant, or anything. Most tattooes are symbols, in one way or another. I find that people rarely explain to the tattoo artist what something is supposed to represent when they're making the preliminary plans for them. My artist asked my while she was tattooing it what the meaning behind it was, and I gave her a short and dirty answer, but the important meaning behind it, why it was so important to me, didn't have to be said. It wasn't for other people. It expresses something about me, but only to me. It is a daily reminder of something that I don't want to forget, of something I want to remember but work through every day.

I know of a lot of tattooes like that. A lot of people that previously had addiction problems, or were self-harmers, get tattooes as a way of celebrating living through those dark times, of getting through. I will use my brother as an example again- he was a meth addict for a number of years. He finally did get clean, and he is currently planing on getting "The shadow of the valley of death" pslam as a tattoo; a reminder of the hard times he has been through, the hardest, really. A reminder of how close he came to the very bottom, but still surviving, still getting through. It will mean all these things, and more to him. But when he gets it, he doesn't have to say that. It'll just be a pslam. A beautiful piece of religious poetry. No one seeing it will ask what it really means, and frankly, it doesn't matter to them. It is for him, and him alone. I don't know how well he would be able to really express why he got that, and I don't know if he would want to.

 

I guess that's a neat explanation. I'd actually probably assume he was big into religion, generally, which would cause me to avoid a pslam (being not big into religion). Although it's an artsy statement and I sometimes forget quotes from the Bible don't always have to represent something religious. Like making a mental scar physical?

[ickle_party_cat]

I personally love them but hate small little ones scattered randomly on people. I love large ones with stories behind them here are my two so far:

 

 

- My first one freshly done by a close friend who is a tattoo artist. The vines are a pink colour and I designed this myself so no one else could walk in the studio and have the same :)

 

 

- My daughters name! I love her to pieces and I went through hell to get her on this planet and she means the world to me xxxx

[Angeló]

I have two tattoos myself so I guess my argument is for them :)

[Rebecca~]

I guess that's a neat explanation. I'd actually probably assume he was big into religion, generally, which would cause me to avoid a pslam (being not big into religion). Although it's an artsy statement and I sometimes forget quotes from the Bible don't always have to represent something religious. Like making a mental scar physical?

Well, he does go to church, but I don't know how much he really believes. His wife was far more religious than he was. But yes, making a mental scar physcial is the perfect way of explaining it.

[Angeló]

I find that people rarely explain to the tattoo artist what something is supposed to represent when they're making the preliminary plans for them. My artist asked my while she was tattooing it what the meaning behind it was, and I gave her a short and dirty answer, but the important meaning behind it, why it was so important to me, didn't have to be said. It wasn't for other people. It expresses something about me, but only to me. It is a daily reminder of something that I don't want to forget, of something I want to remember but work through every day.

 

I agree with this 100% ... even i wanted to explain to other people what it means , I wouldn't be able to ... it's just so deep and personal that it's impossible for me to explain in it words ... this is why i got it done in ink ... engraved into my own body ...

[Zombiiesque]

I personally love them but hate small little ones scattered randomly on people. I love large ones with stories behind them here are my two so far:

 

 

 

- My first one freshly done by a close friend who is a tattoo artist. The vines are a pink colour and I designed this myself so no one else could walk in the studio and have the same :)

 

 

 

- My daughters name! I love her to pieces and I went through hell to get her on this planet and she means the world to me xxxx

Both of those are completely gorgeous! I love butterflies, that's what my only tattoo is, so of course I was drawn to that one - but I really love the one with your daughter's name, it has such a beautiful meaning behind it.

 

Since I have a tattoo myself, it's obvious I'm for them and like them. I actually want a few more. I did grow up around people who were into tattoos, so it was kind of a no-brainer to me - the people in my family that have them, all got them for personal meaning. My hubby used to say that although he had no problem with other people's tattoos and liked looking at them, he'd never have ink on his own body. His viewpoint changed after both of his parents passed away, and now he has one memorial tattoo and another planned. He's very proud to show it off, also!

[cornstar]

Honestly I think people should be not judged, people only live once, and they should not regret not doing something.

[LizyMarie]

Honestly I think people should be not judged, people only live once, and they should not regret not doing something.

 

Thank you! Tattoos have been around longer than all of you probably think. Honestly it has so much more meaning, too. We have bodies that are blank slates, awaiting our expression. We can CHOOSE to express ourselves on our slates. I have chosen quite a many enviornments to house on my body. Each one tells a story, and even plays a song to me. Each one has an emotion, just as strong as when it was created.

 

For people like me, it's about being non-materialistic, and wanting to have all you want to remember and hold dear on your body. Forever with you. Forever expressed.

[complicatedwishes]

I saw this picture this morning, and thought it was relevent to my own (and some of your) personal opinion.