Sociopathic? That’s quite a… unique point of view.
So you wear only unbleached cotton clothing, I take it?
So the six piercings in my ears mean I have sociopathic tendencies? Are we all clear on what “sociopath” actually means?
One day I hope to be enlightened as you. Or maybe I can achieve that by taking the earrings out. Please advise.
Well that’s certainly an enlightened view. Like I said, I don’t have any and I personally don’t understand the attraction, but to each his own.
Sociopathic? Really?
No. No tats on me. I suppose I’d get one, but I honestly can’t think of any idea or symbol I feel so strongly about that I’d want on my body for the rest of my life.
depending on how you count I have 5 or 24, I have 3 that are on their own and a started sleeve that is 7 boxes starting in the center top of my wrist getting bigger up to the shoulder with 1/2 size boxes on each side of those, since only 2 are filled it looks kinda funny. people ask me if I am getting comic strips put on my arm or something.
That.
Not that I wouldn’t deny one day having a tat. Not just yet.
I have 4 - 2 on my left leg, one that goes around my right ankle and one on my right hip. Working on the design for #5. I am a 36 year old woman. I got the first one when I was 21, the most recent one about 5 weeks ago.
I’ve got the phrase “ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE” on my back. I’ve always been a fan of Larconic phrases, and I think that it doesn’t get much more to the point that that, it’s also a turning point in the history of western civilization. It’s a clear and obvious point where one group of men, small as they were, sacrificed themselves for what they considered the greater good… And it’s a major stepping stone of a long and tortuous path to modern, western society today.
Im also strongly considering getting a caduceus done on my chest. Nothing huge, maybe 4 or 5 inches.
No, the caduceus is not the medical symbol, and no, that’s not why I want it (damnit, the medical one is the Rod of Asklepios). It’s the staff of Hermes, God of Merchants, Thieves, Commerce, Travelers and border crossings, and by extension, those between places. As someone who enjoys traveling, even if it’s all to infrequent, and who engages in commerce, I think it’s suitable.
I am easily enthralled by the artwork on others. Some people are really gutsy, to let an unfamiliar person do permanent artwork on them.
I don’t have any on me but I have no problem with people who do.
I voted yes, but that was kind of cheating.
I have one single dot tattooed on my groin where they aimed the laser for radiation therapy for prostate cancer. I would be hard pressed to find it today, but there is a tattoo somewhere down there…
Nope. Thought about it for a bit, but got a couple of piercings instead.
One on my left calf, although I have an idea for the next one.
So, is your username rounding up or looking forward? 
That is awesome.
日 by itself can mean sun (though it would more commonly be 太陽), and 月 definitely means moon, as well as month, depending on context.
My questions back to you:
1.) Are you staring in a way that could be interpreted as hostile or judgmental?
2.) Why are you staring instead of asking them about their clothes, hair, tattoos, etc.? Does it magically become polite to stare at people simply because they fall outside of cultural norms?
For some people, that’s kind of the point. You’re saying, “I am permanently locking myself out of the mainstream,” presumably because you have some kind of objection to it.
Ditto. My personal rule is a six-month minimum waiting period on any new tattoo; if it’s really something that I should have more-or-less permanently etched into my skin, chopping six months off the total length of time I’ll have it shouldn’t be a big deal.
Make a note of the tattoo parlor and never ever go there. Reputable ones won’t tattoo anyone without ID; only *really *shady places would tattoo someone who’s drunk. Besides the risk of having one hell of a pissed-off customer the next morning, there’s also the added problem of alcohol being a blood thinner.
Did they, though? Or was it rather the case that more people chose to get tattoos they otherwise would have avoided because they became more socially acceptable? I realize there’s a bit of chicken-egg going on here, but.
Sure you do. First, ask around to see where people you trust got their tattoos. Then, visit those parlors and ask about the policies and procedures they follow to keep everything sterile, up to and including asking to see stuff like their autoclave. Then, if you live someplace like Wisconsin, you can call up your local blood center and ask for a list of tattoo places that they waive the usual donation deferral period for.
In my not-so-humble opinion, if you need to judge people entirely on how their choices of what to wear differ from yours, you’re sorely lacking in personality and intelligence.
Presumably no clothing at all, other than what’s required to avoid damage from heat or cold. Nor does he cut or style his hair, nor shave or style or remove any other hair on his body. A car may be allowable, if it’s the absolutely most reasonably-priced one necessary to do the job, with no unnecessary features, extra options, anything other than the default color, etc. Same applies to home and the furnishings thereof. And so forth.
It’s not like you’re just going up to some stranger on the street. People who get a lot of work done will often form relationships with a particular artist, and they may get tattoos done over a period of years or decades. Even for simple one-shot tattoos, a lot of people will get referrals and/or look through an artist’s portfolio before selecting them.
Fair enough. It’s just that 20 years or so down the road, they could be sorry they threw away the key like that.
Male, 44. I have 3, all of them covered if I wear even a short-sleeved shirt. I waited 5 years to get my first one… figured if I still wanted it then, it was a good sign. I have:
an Eye of Horus that I got in New Orleans
a Hammer of Thor that I got in Reykjavik
an ankh that I got in in Philadelphia
The last one is particularly meaningful to me, since I got it to commemorate donating a kidney to a friend of mine.
I can’t say that I’ve ever felt a particular need to be beautiful, which is fortunate considering I’m a rather plain-looking guy. I’ve probably been mistaken for a sociopath by someone overhearing a comment here or there over the years, but those were completely taken out of context. Really. Honest.
Female, 38, two tattoos:
[ul]
[li]a G-clef on my right ankle, done in the summer of '94 (an attempt to fix what I didn’t like about the design was done around '03)[/li][li]a wolf head, mid-howl, on my upper left arm, done in the fall of '98[/li][/ul]
There are minor things about the particular artwork of each tat that I wish were different, but they are both still very meaningful to me and I have never regretted getting them. They are not faded or stretched in the least. I may someday wish that I could wear a sleeveless formal gown, but not to the point where I’ll regret having the wolf tattoo.
I would be willing to get a third someday if I could figure out what and where. I have a few design ideas (an F-clef; something involving the Irish/Italian flags; a stylized shark; etc.), but nothing has struck me the way the G-clef and wolf have. Location is an even bigger challenge, because I don’t like the idea of having “matching” arms or ankles but I’d want to be able to see it without a mirror. 
No reason you couldn’t just cover it with makeup. I was able to mostly mask a couple of nasty knee bruises for a wedding last weekend with nothing but normal stuff I had on hand (a green cover-up to cut some of the purple and then regular liquid foundation over that). With some heavier-duty stuff designed for covering tattoos and/or clever combinations of standard makeup, you should be able to completely cover yours.
It’s a big-ish tattoo and I have fair, somewhat freckled skin: seems like a big splotch of makeup would be nearly as noticeable as the tat! Plus I’d be all paranoid about it wearing/rubbing off. So while I probably could, it would be way more trouble than just not wearing a sleeveless gown. 
Or, you could do what I do, and wear sleevless gowns anyway. If you like your tattoo, I say display it with pride. What I hate is clothes with sleeves that only cover my tattoos halfway. Unfortunately, this is more or less all t-shirts. People constantly ask me to pull up my sleeves so they can see the whole thing. Fully covered or fully exposed is the way to go.