Do you have/want a tattoo?

[Member106624]

.

[Rhyme]

I would like a tattoo, but I'm not sure what yet. It'd either be something small on my wrist, or a full sleve

[Hermit Advocate]

I got my third tattoo recently. It's a raven stretching across my left shoulder blade to the center of my back. 

[arekathevampyre]

planning . Just for now . 

[Raya]

I'm currently saving up for two tattoos (and try to find a decent tattoo artist), one on my shoulder (a phoenix) and one on my left forearm (a howling wolf)

[Palovana]

I don't have any tattoos, but there are a couple of I have been planning for many years, one nearly a decade. But I don't know if I will ever get them though. I have a lot of reservations. Mainly the entire concept of tattooing and tattoo culture has changed from when I was growing up. Back when I was a kid, tattoos were mainly the mark of an "outsider" in some capacity. I was a huge fan of a band whose singer was heavily tattooed, and I remember he described tattoos as a sort of "social terrorism", getting them often  meant "don't talk to me", it was more about marking yourself as an "other", someone who doesn't belong in mainstream society, an embrace of a fringe culture. Only very few types of people in the western world who had tattoos - aside from sailors and (truthfully) criminals - were really hardass types, like bikers and underground rock musicians, etc. 

 

Over the last 10-15 years though, tattoos in general have become commercialized, so much so that tattooing sometimes seems like it's become a parody of itself. A lot of people get tattoos now because they want to look "cool" or supposedly express their individuality, yet most of these same people are running off to the parlor with the same exact pictures of the same exact tattoo that someone (often a celebrity) posted on Instagram. That is the exact opposite of what tattoo culture used to be. Really...it just seems to be another way that people in this day and age attempt to impress other people or gain attention. That, and most tattoos I've seen are just stupid. In addition to the infinity signs, arrows, lame overused "positive affirmations", and so on, a lot of people get the dumbest crap - slices of pizza, pokemon, outlines of US states, the apple logo (??? if that doesn't tell you how much tattoo culture has changed, I don't know what does). Or people get a stupid tattoo that looks like shit when they're 18 because they can't afford a decent artist just because "they wanted a tattoo". I mean, if you have any of these tattoos or you got one just to get one, that's your business, you do what you want, but this is just my observations (and I'm definitely not alone in this) about how tattoo culture has changed.

 

That being said - there is a tattoo which I feel, because of what it means to me, is something that at this point I need. To make an extremely long story short - I was in a relationship for nearly 5 years with an individual who subjected me to severe psychological abuse and sexual exploitation, and it's been a very, very tedious, agonizingly painful road to get to a point where I love and respect myself and understand that I don't deserve to fucking be treated like that no matter how that piece of shit or anyone else wants to try to justify it. The tattoo would be a reminder that I don't fucking deserve that bullshit, because for years and years I blamed myself and punished myself for it and during times of weakness I slide back into that way of thinking. The piece is actually from an old hardcore record that I listened to ad infintum for the last two years and still do, which thematically is exactly about this sort of thing - the disgusting way people treat others and the realization that being alone can actually be a very good thing - and would be a constant reminder to me to never accept that kind of sick behavior ever again, and that I fucking deserve respect just as much as anyone else does. I expect to be totally alone for the rest of my life, I don't see it ever changing. I can't even force myself to trust someone ever again, the amount of times this individual lied to me and deceived me and coerced me in order to get me to do what he wanted is so completely twisted it makes me want to vomit.

 

I haven't gotten it yet mainly because of cost. I don't have $300-$400 just lying around and if I did I have more practical things I would need to use it for. And even as much as I honestly believe my feelings about it and what it represents won't change, at least in the next decade,  still do fear regretting it. There are other reasons - I have really sensitive skin and I don't know how it would react to the ink. I don't have medical insurance right now and the last thing I need is to have some sort of potentially fatal allergic reaction or something. Pain isn't usually an issue for me, but lots of blood is, and I don't know how much I'd bleed, given it's a fairly large tattoo.

[AssassinBabs]

I have two tattoo's! One on my left ulna with the lyrics: ''Take these broken wings and learn to fly'' with a feather behind the sentance.

It represents that no matter what issues I might have to concour (if my wings are broken) that I can use them, to learn to fly again. I got that one when I was just a few months into therapy.

And the last one I got 3,5 weeks ago, and is located at my left collorbone. It says; "I am good enough" to remember myself that I am good enough the way I am, or who I am. 

I can really recommend to wait until you are really sure what, where and why you want is.. As for me my tattoo's has to really mean something for me, so the chance of not likeing them in the future is reduced. 

[Shadowstepper]

I have a few tattoos (ok, like 9), with the bulk of my ink on my right arm.

 

I have a 100% freehand tribal design going from my wrist, up my arm, over my shoulder and onto my chest and back. I love the way it looks so much, but it did leave a lot of empty skin around the tribal designs that I really want to find some way to fill up.

 

I have a few various other tattoos on my left arm and left shoulder blade.

[Guest]

I have two and my best friend is a tattoo artist, so I can pretty much get one any time I decide to get one. 

[arekathevampyre]

2 minutes ago, ABryonJ.maybe said:

I have two and my best friend is a tattoo artist, so I can pretty much get one any time I decide to get one. 

That's the best thing that could ever happen to someone !!

[Yatagarasu]

I have a sakura tattoo on my left wrist with two kanji: 夢 and 現

[arekathevampyre]

4 minutes ago, Yatagarasu said:

I have a sakura tattoo on my left wrist with two kanji: 夢 and 現

sounds awesome

[Tos]

there are a few i've been thinking about getting for a while, but i probably won't get one until i've moved away from home since my parents would be really against it and i don't want to deal with that. if i move to japan then i might still delay it since a lot of pools and hot springs have policies against tattoos.

[Guest]

If you move to Japan and have tattoos the might think you are a criminal. Only Yakuza have tattoos in Japan.

[Tos]

3 hours ago, ABryonJ.maybe said:

If you move to Japan and have tattoos the might think you are a criminal. Only Yakuza have tattoos in Japan.

yeah, i know. that's why the policies i mentioned exist: to prevent yakuza members from entering those spaces.

 

of course, historically, japan has had a rich tattoo culture, but after western values were intruduced, it became seen as a yakuza-only thing. that stereotype is slowly being dissolved, though.

[Elftober Country]

I do want one, I just don't know what to get and I'm worried I won't be able to stand the pain  

[Shadowstepper]

21 minutes ago, Octo Claus said:

I do want one, I just don't know what to get and I'm worried I won't be able to stand the pain  

The pain is subjective. It's one of those things that has  nothing to do with pain tolerance, and I've not found 2 people that describe the sensation the same. 

 

I always recommend starting off with something small on a meaty area like the bicep. If that goes on, then you can branch out

[smack12776]

I have three tattoos:

 

1. A bumblebee on my left arm

2. A symbol of love mid-back

3. A star cluster on my left foot/ankle.

 

I'm planning a fourth which will be the symbol for an "isomorphic algorithm" (ISO) from the movie, Tron. The lead female, Quorra, is a ISO and I love what the symbol represents which is reshaping and changing the human condition. Does this make me a sci-fi geek? It does. Yes, it does.

 

[Megane]

i used to want a back mural but i think i settle for sleeves if i ever get a decent design 

[Hermit Advocate]

15 hours ago, ABryonJ.maybe said:

I have two and my best friend is a tattoo artist, so I can pretty much get one any time I decide to get one. 

Lucky!

[Hermit Advocate]

11 hours ago, Octo Claus said:

I do want one, I just don't know what to get and I'm worried I won't be able to stand the pain  

@Shadowstepper is right, pain is subjective. Personally, I recommend bringing music because it helps distance me from the pain. I also tend to clench my hands really badly, to the point where I leave nail impressions in my palms, so maybe you could bring something to squeeze? I also do breathing exercises. 

 

Basically, go with whatever techniques you use to manage pain.

[TKD4]

I have one on my left shoulder blade. It's a dragon styled in the form of a figure 8. Its outlined in black and then the bottom half of the figure 8 is colored in pink. I always thought dragon tattoos were neat and wanted to get one eventually. But after my mom became a breast cancer survivor I wanted to get something in relation to that as well. The bottom portion of the figure 8 does kind of look like a breast cancer ribbon so that's why its pink. So I just combined the two things I wanted lol.

 

I do want more tattoos and I actually would like to get a sleeve or at least a half sleeve, however I can't have anything visible for my future job so that kind of limits my options a bit. I will probably get more they'll just have to be hidden. 

[Hazell]

I don't have any tattoos and to be honest I don't want any.  

I think my body is not good for tattoos!  

But I really like seeing beautiful girls and boys with tattoos! 

[Ruination]

My sister and I want sibling tattoos one day... we're both broke students, so I can't see it happening any time soon, but it's a goal of ours. I believe last time we discussed it, we were thinking of doing something Super Mario related, as it's one of our few common interests.

Aside from that, I couldn't see myself getting tattoos. I'm planning on getting a bunch of piercings in the future, but I can always switch out the jewelry, whereas tattoos are permanent, so I'm a lot more hesitant to get those. If I ever did decide to get one, though, it would either be a butterfly on my upper arm, or butterfly wings on my upper back.

[Muledeer]

no tattoos, no piercings

[Ldlelee]

I don't have any tattoos at the moment, but there's a ton that I want. I'm thinking of a small hat on my wrist to represent Nakahara Chūya (the poet), one of ley lines, and a big one on my back of a tree growing into the body of a raven.

[imnotafreakofnature!]

I never really considered myself a tattoo type o' gal, but five years ago, I found out I have a sister I never knew I had. We get along great, and I've often thought of getting a tattoo in her honor - most likely a yellow rose with a butterfly sitting on it because those are two of her favorite things, but I've also thought of a lighthouse because we both like lighthouses.

[karakuriz]

I kinda do want a tattoo, but at the same time, no because it's painful to get inked.

Someone told me that they see me as a person having a Felix the Cat tattoo... and that is actually what I'm thinking about getting if I ever had the nerve to get one. 

I actually image having the Felix tattoo on my right hand (or aka the hand I use to draw and write with).

[Member106624]

.

[Muledeer]

No.  Not a fan of tattoos.