TATTOO YOU
Near the end of last summer, I wrote a post asking for readers’ response regarding tattoos. Being that it’s close to a year later and I still want the same tattoo in the same spot I wanted it last August, I figure that it’s not a dead issue. Allow me to preface this by saying that what I have in mind is not random (ie. not chosen off the parlour wall), has profound meaning to me and is mostly certainly not the typical LBT that many girls seem to get. Not that I have anything against LBTs, but being that I’ve never been much of one for tattoos generally, I figure that were I to get one, it’s going to have to be rather unique to me personally in several ways.
Original Photo: eyeliam on Flickr
This is where you come in. A good and fair share of my readers must have tattoos (or at least an opinion on them), so I’m fielding all of you to answer my questions.
Finally, for the sake of entertainment, I found this tattoo while doing a Flickr search. Though it’s rather – um, shall we say unique? – it still made me a little queasy to look at. And yup, it’s safe for the office!
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personally i can’t stand tattoos as how popular they’ve become; in 10 years time i think those without one will be the ones that make the biggest statement because there will be so few
the tramp stamps are the worst
something small and tasteful is always good ..
Check out this photogallery of some crazy tattoos from cbc.ca: http://www.cbc.ca/photogallery/arts/1273/
I don’t have any tattoos, but I’ve always had the urge. I don’t think I’ve found anything that I identify strongly enough with yet that I would be willing to permanently ink onto my body.
I have a friend who’s an artist and he gets regular emails from fans around the world who have had his artwork tattooed on their bodies, which I find that a little freaky – but as his friend, I wouldn’t rule out the idea of having him design something for me personally.
I think so long as it’s tasteful and you find it meaningful, it could be a beautiful form of personal expression.
My opinion on tattoos is similar to most body modifications – it’s your body, do with it as you please. As a guy, I think some tattoos on women can be amazing, or not. It totally depends on the tattoo. I’ve seen a very young woman with “RIP Dimebag Darrell – 20/08/2066 – 08/12/04″ (of metal band Pantera fame) and a huge cross above it. I’ll admit to wondering if she would regret that as she grew older, but again, her body, her choice, who am I to judge.
Unfortunately, I’m not sure my view is widely shared among corporate North America. If you have plans on being the senior vice president of a bank (or similar institution) having a body-mod that’s easily hidden might be worth considering. If I was having surgery I’d be a lot more concerned with my surgeons medical education than a lip/nose/eyebrow-ring, but I’m not sure my parents would agree.
well, I’ve got lots of ink, and worked in a tattoo shop for many years. I can recommend a few good artists, but at the end of the day, you need to find one that draws your ‘picture’ the way YOU want it. Different artists you are equally as good will have definitive styles.
It hurts anyway you slice it. Everyone is unique as it depends on where your nerves ending are under your skin. No alcohol or ibuprofen 2 days prior as it will make you bleed, which won’t allow the ink to set properly. Eat a big carbohydrate meal beforehand, and sip on juice while getting tattooed.
An FYI for any women wanting LBT’s….if you are going right across the lower back, and you haven’t had children yet but plan to, ask your mom if she had stretch marks there. If she does, you will get them too (hereditary) and you will ruin your tattoo when you get pregnant.
this guy’s ink free but in general i think tattoos can be pretty sweet. i’ve often thought about it but have not found the right combination of meaning and artistic value to have on my body for the rest of my life. i do think that it has become less of a statement and more of a trend recently and that tattoo removal will be a booming business in years to come.
as for my opinion of tattoos on women, i don’t know why, but i’m a sucker for a girl with a colourful sleeve.
… that and small tasteful tats in intimate places
tasteful tattoos and ones that have a lot of personal meaning to the individual work really well, but I think people who get them just for the sake of saying “I have a tattoo!” are idiots.
i’ve thought about getting one, but the paranoid fear of needles doesn’t help that situation much,
Phaedra’s right, it’s gonna hurt regardless of where you get it done. I’d built it up so much in my mind that it almost made me not get one, but I found that it really wasn’t all that bad. I’ve got one right down on my left wrist, and it only really started to hurt as it got close to the bones. Same for my shoulder, it was pretty much alright until he started getting close to my collar bone.
My opinion on tattoo’s on women? If they mean something to the individual, then that shows through and winds up being so much more attractive then something like the LBT. But Ross pretty much nailed it on the head. If you’re in the corporate world, I don’t know know that having a large visible piece is going to be looked upon so well. I can’t cover mine, but then again, I’m not exactly going into a corporate industry, so, yeah…
If I could, I’d go back in time to when I was 15 and get a different tattoo. For some reason I’m just not loving the bar code anymore. It is in the general tramp stamp area…but I like to think of it as more of a geek stamp.
What tattoo were you thinking of getting? Or is that secret information?
I think tattoos are lovely, but it has to be in the right spot!
p.s. I hear the foot hurts like a b****.
I have three tattoos. The first one I got when I was 16 and it is a small gecko on my right foot. I wanted it to look like a rub on that you might find in Happy Tattoo Bubble Gum to say goodbye to my childhood years.The second is a Kanji symbolizing Eternity. My husband & I both got it just below the nape of our necks for our 1 year wedding anniversary in Hawaii. The third is also a Kanji symbolizing Love and it is on the low back, but higher than your typical LBT. My husband & I both got this one for our Tenth wedding anniversary in the Dominican Republic earlier this year. Ultimately I think Tattoos are very personal and can be a great way of commemorating something that means a lot to you. I will agree with Ross that getting it done in an area that can be easily covered is a sensible thing to do. Then you get to choose who sees what. Ultimately, your knowing it’s there is what counts regardless of how visible it is to anyone else IMO. {And yes, I’m pretty sure the foot hurt more than the other two, but I was also much younger. More fleshy areas= less pain, More bony areas= more pain}
Hi there… longtime lurker… in any case, I have one tattoo, and it is a LBT. I don’t regret it one bit, and I’ve had it for four years. It means something to me, so I guess that’s why I don’t regret it – something I would recommend but that you’ve obviously thought about. I plan on getting another one over the summer to celebrate my academic acheivements, and it will probably be on my back as well. It sounds like you’ve thought it through, go for it!
ribcage is the most painful. i have a tiny tattoo on my wrist, and a bigger one on my leg. the one on my leg didn’t even hurt half as much as the one on my wrist did. places where skin is closer to bone…does that make sense…tend to hurt a lot more than places with more um, padding.
you have to be super careful though, my friend has full sleeves and a chest piece and she got them all done at the same place, which got shut down a little while ago because of health hazards and everyone had to get tested for hep c.
I’ve been craving one for A LONG TIME! I just kept thinking to myself is If I wait it out and I still want it…then I’ll know it’s the right decision. Well I haven’t found quite the right one. And here’s my other contemplation….if it is that meaningful to me, knowing me, I’d want to keep it to myself…most likely. I dont feel comfortable drawing attention, so that then, will choose the place in which I have it done. Somewhat hidden…but able to be visible if I choose
Did you hear about those new glow & the dark tattoos? Pretty sweet
But I think they are hot on girls and gals – go for it !
I had a discussion about the stigmas associated with tatoos and tatoo placement… here’s what 27 men at a bachelor party came up with.
Flower on foot or around ankle = shoe model of the exotic dancing variety.
Lower back tattoo: Tribal, flower or butterfly = “Got it in my teens, I pull my low-riders up because I kinda feel ashamed about it now”
Something Printed In A Foreign Language I do Not Speak = Bandwagonner.
Man with Tribal arm band tattoo = Got it to look tough when I take my shirt off in a bar fight… never thought it would have the opposite effect.
Full sleeve tat = Can’t say anything about this person. True Tattoo lovers that deserve big respect for commitment.
dont have one, will get one, and that’s that. fuck what everyone else thinks.
I have a small maple leaf on my left side “over my heart”
I got it because it is a personal thing to me – I am, after all, 5th Generation Canadian and very proud of it. It’s boring, simple, and there’s not a whole lot of creativity to it, but it’s mine, and I like it.
Tattoos on women for me falls under two catagories – small and tasteful, or loud and obnoxious. And beyond that, it’s entirely personal…
Sacred Heart Tattoo here in Vancouver has an excellent reputation… the one near UBC was cleaner than some restaurants I’ve worked in.
I came across this post, I don’t really remember how but I thought I might chime in!
I like tattoos so long as they aren’t tooo insane. I have two – sun on my shoulder – vines that go around my ankle and down my foot. Foot hurts like you would not believe!
Thing about feet is they tend to stay for the most part wrinkle free so in 50 years (If I still live) it won’t look like a Picasso
I don’t have one, but I really like them as long as they are original. One guy I know has quite a few and they all suit his personality so they’re cool. Another person I know has all these random things that don’t mean anything so it just looks messy. As long as it isn’t a flower/butterfly/celtic sun around the ankle or lower back for women, or something asserting toughness/heterosexuality on guys, then I don’t mind it. I would get a tattoo but I’m really scared of needles.
“An FYI for any women wanting LBT’s….if you are going right across the lower back, and you haven’t had children yet but plan to, ask your mom if she had stretch marks there. If she does, you will get them too (hereditary) and you will ruin your tattoo when you get pregnant.”
That made me laugh out loud! All those girls who ran out at 18 to get their butterflies just to say they had a tattoo….priceless. I can think of a lot of girls who did that back in high school.
Well, I have 2 tattoos and plan on gettign a couple more. I have a small one on my right forearm (about an inch and a half) below my elbow) in Arabic (symbolism), meaning “protection over your family and loved ones”- which I love. It is small and only took like 5 minutes to do because it only consists of a few intersecting lines.
I have another on my left wrist- which never hurt too much to get. Sure the action of going over and over the same area will eventually become a dullig achy pain, but not so bad;0)
I am also in search of a place to go to here in Vancouver for my next one, and am hoping someone could give me some suggestions so I can chat with the artists there to see which one will work best for me,.
Of course I have to agree with everyone esle who says- obviously don’t get a tat that is “trendy”. Rmeber people getting peace signs and ying yangs and all that crap…eewww. Design your own, or choose one that has a deep meaning to you and you can ever go wrong. I don’t have to warn about the obvious, no names etc that may not one day exist in your life…haha
Best of luck on that, when you finally take the plunge, please post your new found art!
I’m crazy about tattoos – if tastefully done it can look great. I think girls should be careful about where they have the tattoo done & what they choose to have more than guys, cause we look macho & dirty anyways but a girl is pretty and should have a nice tattoo. I don’t really agree with tattoos done on the butt or the thighs or the neck or the genital areas but tattoos are something I think everyone should have.
For me it would be the arm or just below the shoulder.
I love tattoos on other people…I don’t think I’ll ever get one myself though. I change my mind too much. I got over having my tongue and nose pierced pretty quickly, and was thankful that it was only a matter of taking them out when I got bored with them. I agree with the comments above that the best way to go is in choosing something with deep meaning to you…I don’t think you can really go wrong with that.
I’m excited to see the art you’re thinking about…
i just can’t think of anything i want on my body for the rest of my life. besides, Henry Rollins has already stolen all the great ideas for tats. if you do find something you’ll love to have on everyday, then go for it.
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