Do you have a tattoo? Do you want a tattoo?
I always said I’d get one… one day. As if by some divine intervention, inspiration would finally strike and point me in the direction of the tattoo. That elusive mark that I could call my own, permanently etched onto my skin to tell my tale to the world. It’s not happened yet.
This doesn’t surprise me if I’m honest with myself. Afterall, I am the girl who keeps her options open. Remember in High Fidelity, when Rob talks about how it makes more sense to commit to nothing, to keep his options open? I’ll ignore the bit where he goes on to call that frame of mind “Suicide. By tiny, tiny increments”. I think there’s a lot to be said for keeping your options open.
Where was I?
Oh yes. Well, if I do ever commit to a tatto, I’ve always said that I’d go large or go home. I’d want it big and I’d want it colourful. Maybe something like this…
Isn’t it beautiful (in a Laura Ashley kinda way?).
My husband isn’t a fan of tattoos, neither on men nor women… not that I’d let it stop me if I decided that I couldn’t live without one. It does give me pause for thought though, and that’s probably not such a bad thing.
Especially when I have a sneaking suspicion that I wouldn’t last five-minutes in the chair…
Tell me about your tattoo(s), do you have any? Want one but feel apprehensive?
I have 3 tattoos on 4 sites: 3 size decreasing stars on my lower back, an abstract snake on my stomach and the lyrics to the chorus of Rammstein’s Klavier on the inside of my biceps. I would love a full sleeve but I am hesitant due to my chosen career in international development; not all countries have the same attitude to tattoos as ‘Western’ countries and I have to bear that in mind.
I took a little time to choose each tattoo and I designed them all myself. For the lyrics, my boyfriend and I spent hours with a book of Beethoven manuscripts and the internet searching for the precise font used in music notation, or as close as we could get!
I plan to get more, in the works are some musical score, and something to commemorate my achievements in life. Just need the money!
Ooo thats beautiful! I do have a tattoo, I love them but I was always worried how they would look as I aged and got all wrinkly so I went for a little heart on my right hip so I can show it off during my youth and cover it up when I am getting on a bit! It doesn’t hurt too much, its more the nerves that get you! Great post 🙂
I have 4 Tattoos. Each one is individual to me and mark important times and people in my life. Strangely my first tattoo was one of the biggest that I have.
It was important to me that I could hide my tattoos as they are just for me and not there for people to judge me on.
I kind of like the thought that when I am old my tattoos will show that I was young once and I went through loves and losses. There are more that I would like but I am restricted to having them on my ribs so I want to be 1000% positive on what I get.
Hate tattoos, and would never ever have one. Once you have one, you’re stuck with it forever. Much better to get that picture on a t-shirt or whatever, so you can take it off or put it on whenever you please.
I also love the idea of a tattoo, and totally want one, but have only had one idea really stick with me over the last few years. There’s a brilliant quote from Brideshead Revisited, one of my favourite books, that ends with “a twitch upon the thread.” I’d kind of like to get that in a nice cursive font, going down the nape of my neck!
I have two. I got my first two years ago at 37 and my second last year at 39. I have two monarch butterflies on my back, one for Chloe and one for lola my daughters. then I have have a quote from my all time favourite film on my inside wrist. Not only is a quote a from my all time favourite film but it’s the title of the music I walked down the aisle to. It’s the same phrase repeated three times, one for each of my children and my husband, You’re So Cool. I am planning a third, because I always wanted one on my foot, but wanted to know if I could cope with the pain before I did that, as supposedly its the most painful place… now I know I can cope with the pain I am all set to go. But I think it would absolutely be my last one…I don’t want any more.
I think you’re either a tattoo person or you’re not. Some people just don’t get it, and that’s fine – each to their own. All I can say is, before I was tattooed I had a longing to be tattooed, a hunger almost. I have 4 tattoos which were done over a period spanning more than 10 years. I have a colourful piece on my back which is 12 inches high and 6 inches wide, I have a black and grey 3/4 sleeve on my left arm which was inspired by H.R. Giger, a large black and grey lock and key on my left inner forearm and a tiny kanji symbol on my upper chest. They all mean something and they were each planned for months beforehand.
As to worries about what they’ll look like when I’m older? I’d rather live in the now rather than worrying about my old age. Skin wrinkles and sags with age, we all know that. My skin will tell a story. Am I done with tattoos? No, but I have no plans for extensive coverage.
Two of my tattoos are of women, to symbolise the strong women in my family. One tattoo was done in tribute to the loss of a pregnancy, because I was so changed within I HAD to change the outside to portray that. Only once I was marked outside as well as inside could I begin to heal. Grief was festering away in me until I had that tattoo done. Some people would’ve had counselling, I had a tattoo. We all deal with our shit in different ways.
Charlotte, I’m pretty sure you could handle a tattoo since you’ve been through childbirth. 🙂
Did you see the lady on the news recently that got her first tattoo in her eighties? Wow. I don’t have any tattoos as I’m rather fickle and I know I’d decide one day that I didn’t like it. I do like them on other people, though. It’s an art, and the skill that’s involved in creating a beautiful tattoo is something to be admired.
I’ve got 4 tattoos- 2 on my back, behind my neck; 1 above my left ankle and 1 on my inner right forearm. I’m thinking of more but I have to consider the size and placement and what to get. I don’t one that’s too big or obvious, like my entire leg (Though I am flirting with the idea of a thigh tattoo- one that goes around my thigh), because in the event I have to wear a formal dress, like one with a high slit or something, the tattoo might look a little awkward with the dress! But that’s just me (Though with a thigh tattoo that goes around my thigh it might look good, like a garter/suspender belt). Now, with the advent of makeup tattoos can be easily concealed, after all.
But all in all, strongly consider where and what your tattoo should be, and other social considerations should be taken into account if possible because it IS permanent. It’s beautiful (To me), but it’s not something you can easily remove when you feel “bored” of.
My Mum’s 55 this year and got her first tattoo when she was in her 40s. Her whole both forearms are tattooed, as is her left foot 😀
that tattoo is gorgeous! I really want a tattoo too, but I am scared of getting one that I would later regret.
My sister’s the tattoo person, not me. It helps that her fiancee is a tattoo artist, so she gets many of them done for free. One of these days, I’d love to have a poem I love tattooed on the small of my back, but I doubt it’ll be anytime soon. Problem with inking your skin is trying to find a place that it won’t look terrible in 50 years. 😉
I have 2 tattoo’s. I went on for years about getting one then my sister got her first one and I needed to get a grip and get mine.
My first one is Japanese on the back of my neck and my second is my Japanese koi fish down my right side.
I would love to get a sleeve but I have so much ideas going through my head.
I’m quite strongly against them personally – to each their own, if someone wants one I wouldn’t talk them out of it. Usually I will support them but would never get one myself.
There’s no design I’d want to have permanently, nothing I want to “commemorate” on my body – I love my family but wouldn’t DREAM of inking anything related to them; I love cats but again, no cat tattoos thanks – the tattoo would last longer than the cat, and that would be sad, having a reminder of a beloved pet. No lyrics, no cursive font, no symbols, nothing. I just find them so… (whispers) tacky. That’s just a personal opinion, not trying to offend anyone on here.
My sister has a star on her back, and my best friend has a horse on her butt and a rose on her wrist, although the rose was done badly so she’s having it lasered off now, but it’ll never be completely got rid of. I didn’t talk them out of it because it’s THEIR body, not mine. What people do with their bodies isn’t up to me obviously.
I also find tattoos very expensive, and just think I have got other things to be paying for than a tattoo.
That design on the arm is pretty but I can’t help but think “that would look lovely on a duvet cover, I’d totally have it in my bedroom” or something.
I have quite a few tattoos. On my left wrist I have the words ‘think happy thoughts’, and an outline of a star on my right wrist (total emo tattoo, but I got it with a group of friends so I don’t care!) On my left upper arm I have two hand-drawn birds (a finch and a sparrow) with the words ‘disappear here’ above them, which is from Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis. Across my stomach I have a Chuck Palahniuk quote framed by swirly bits, which I’m not keen on anymore (I got it when I was 18 and very overdramatic and it’s a bit cringe now, I think I’m going to get it covered up eventually!) Finally, on my right shoulderblade I have a rhombicuboctahedron as drawn by Leonardo da Vinci (see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Leonardo_polyhedra.png).
Next, I want to get the T. S. Eliot line ‘we have lingered in the chambers of the sea’, possibly with a pen and ink style drawing of a shipwreck.
As soon as I got my first tattoo’s (both feet) I was ADDICTED. It wasn’t just for how they looked but it was the process of having them done, I liked the pain and I find it relaxing in a weird way. I have both feet covered, my right bicep, my thigh and a full sleeve on my left arm and plan to be pretty covered and the more I get… The more beautiful I feel. I love every single one, and have never had any negative comments but then I’m pretty ‘alternative’ and I feel I carry the look quite well. I’ve always hung around with people who were a little different and most of my friends have tattoos and piercings. I was actually approached by the Suicide Girls to model for them which was mind blowing but I don’t have the confidence unfortunately…
In short, I love my tattoos, I’m planning many more and I don’t regret any of them and when I’m older I’ll still wear them with pride!
I have 3. One on my ankle of two fairy liquid babies one with a blue nappy and one with a pink one for my two children, then a boop in boxing gloves to represent me as I am always fighting the system for my 2 autistic babies, it is on my leg above the babies and a Butlins B at the top of my other foot because that is where hubby and I met and fell in love while working there :0) xxxJoolsxxx
I have a chakra symbol on my lower back which I had done when I was 18 (I’m now 30) I’d love more but I’m not quite sure what I want, though if my current obsession with Adventure Time continues I’ll no doubt be covered in cute cartoon characters by the time 2013 is out 🙂
I have none, if I wasn’t a needle phobe I would probably have a back and sleeve!
But alas, I am a needle phobe and chicken out every time I go!
I have five – a feather, a russian doll, a douglas coupland quote, a heart and a deer. I have another two booked for next month. I never imagined I’d get tattooed, but now I’ve started I’m reluctant to stop. It’s so addictive, and the pain isn’t so bad. The most painful one I have is on my foot, and it’s also the smallest.
I have one tattoo, one planned, and one possible. I got a hydrogen atom on my hip (bonus points for being the Dr. Manhatten symbol from Watchmen) after I got my MS and I would like to get the triforce of wisdom on my hand in uv active ink after my PhD. I’m not completely decided yet because anything bony would hurt a lot, uv active ink isn’t available everywhere yet, and it’d be visible in a very noticable place while it healed. The one I will absolutely get sometime soon is a minimalist cat, probably on my other hip. I’m gonna get that with my best friend to symbolize our relationship.
I have two tattoos, “This Too Shall Pass” in script on my upper back and a large ladybug sitting on a lollipop on the top of my right foot (my nickname since I was a baby was Lollybug). I definitely plan on getting more, but my mom isn’t too keen on them so I’m waiting a bit before getting my next one. I definitely believe that skin as a canvas to decorate, so that I will do!
I don’t have a tattoo…yet, but I am planning on getting Mucha’s Morning Star and Moon on my arms at some point.
I once read a great rule about tattoos: when you think you want one, wait five years. If you still want it after that amount of time, you’ll probably never regret it.
I’ve got four tattoos and plans for many more
My other half doesn’t want me to get anymore but I view it as it’s my body and my canvas to with what I want.
Now that we’re getting married my mum keeps mentioning about covering a skull I have at the top of my back but I won’t cover up something that is such a part of me.
I think if you want a tattoo and have done for some time just take the plunge, it doesn’t hurt that much once you get past the initial sensation.
No matter what anyone describes the pain like to you it will feel different, so many people had tried to describe it to me but it felt nothing like what they said.
Love
Belle
xx